• The HoyaMed Alliance Faculty Lambda Award recognizes a GUSOM faculty member’s enduring commitment to the LGBTQ community at Georgetown University. Tuesday, March 21st 5-6 PM in SW 107. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be provided. RSVP here: https://hoyamedallianceaward.eventbrite.com
• Health Equity Forum- Access to Justice:  Promoting the Inclusion of
  Both Men and Women in Criminal Justice Systems. Georgetown Women in Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Georgetown University Gender Justice Initiative invite you to attend a Health Equity Forum as part of Health Justice Scholar Week. March 23rd 12:00 - 1:00 PM in W. Proctor Harvey Amphitheater. Lunch Provided. RSVP at https://coogan_lewis.eventbrite.com.
• Diversity Dialogues in Medicine (DDIM): Navigating Gender in Medicine.  Join the Peer Dialogue Facilitators in a dinner discussion on navigating gender and gender dynamics in the world of medicine on March 27th 4:30-7:30 PM in SEB 3. This event is open to GUSOM Students only. Dinner will be provided! RSVP Optional: http://bit.ly/DDIMGenderinMed
• Health Equity Forum: Anybody Listening? Real Talk: Resiliency in Medicine. An interactive group discussions facilitated by faculty panel on mental health in medical school. March 28th from 12:00-1:00 PM in SW 107 RSVP Optional: http://bit.ly/realtalkHEF. 
• Open Community Space: No agenda. Space as a community to connect, reflect, and process. Members of CAPS team will be on hand to support and listen April 3rd 12:00-1:00 PM in SW 107. RSVP Optional: http://bit.ly/openspaceODI
• GUSOM Film Night & Panel Premiering the film The Hunting Ground. Following the film a panel discussion will be held featuring Title IX representatives, Ombuds, & Student Health Counselors. April 3rd 5:00-7:30 PM in Proctor Harvey. RSVP: http://bit.ly/GUSOMfilm

Interview with Medical Muslim Student Association Leader Nazifa Rahman

Transitioning from high school to college can be an uncertain time for many students, especially for a seventeen year old. Aisha Harris had just begun her career aspirations as an engineering student at the University of Michigan.

“I first graduated in ‘07, right when the recession happened. But the recession happened a few years earlier for Flint”, Aisha’s hometown.

While Aisha knew very little about her career choice at the time, she knew that she needed stability.

“My motivation to go into engineering was financial security. That’s all I wanted. I wanted to go into a field that I could get a job.”

Almost a decade from that moment, Aisha, sits patiently, looking off onto the warm February day. Months from graduating medical school, and then weeks from receiving word back on where she will complete her residency.

“It [Medicine] wasn't on my radar, and it wasn't something I felt like I could do. When you’re 17 or 18 [years old], another 4 years of medical school sounds like a really long time, and you’re thinking: Why would I do that when I can make money right out of school?”

Throughout her matriculation, Aisha realized that what she really wanted to do was go into medicine. Senior year of college Aisha pulled herself away from her future career as an engineer and began her new career path into medicine.

“There’s a point [where] you realize that your skillset and your trajectory can benefit a lot of people. Where I’m from a lot of it has to do with exposure, so just being able to expose people to someone successful in the medical field, that looks like them, who came from where they came from, is something I’m really excited about.” She expressed her strong affiliation to the village mentality- which she described as being able to work together to uplift yourself and your surroundings. This idea that she could help those in her community really drove her career aspirations.

Shortly after graduating from University of Michigan with a bachelor degree in chemical engineering, Aisha joined the Georgetown Experimental Medical Studies (GEMS) Program Class of 2013. She completed the GEMS Program and was accepted into Georgetown University School of Medicine, Class of 2017, interested in primary care. Aisha’s path, though non-traditional, shaped her decision to specialize in Family Medicine.

“While I’ve been here I met family physicians that were doing things that I wanted to do or thought were amazing, but the broad spectrum of family medicine opened my eyes.. the flexibility of Family Medicine completely motivates me.”

When it came to giving advice to future and current medical students Aisha wanted students to know that knowing the right people and asking the right questions is important.

“Being curious will get you a lot of answers that you weren’t expecting, and get you a lot of opportunities that may not have presented themselves if people didn't know that you were concerned or curious about something.”

Update! As of Match Day 3/17/17 Aisha will be completing her Family Medicine Residency at University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago!

By: Jasmin Lara Coordinator for The Office of Diversity & Inclusion

2016 GEMS Participate in Community Health Fair

On Saturday, November 4, 2016 several members of the 2016 GEMS cohort participated in the Second Annual Alexandria Community Health Fair at the George Washington Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia. The event, mostly the work of the Alliance for Alexandria’s Uninsured, was hosted by more than 60 community based, faith-based and health care partners.  This second annual Fair was funded by several community donors and served roughly 400 adults and children, mostly uninsured residents of the City of Alexandria. 

The Fair included more than 15 preventative health screenings provided by various organizations including dental screens by the Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, hearing and vision screens by the Alexandria Lions Club, glucose and cholesterol testing provide by the Kaiser Permanente Mobile Health Van, and kidney health screens provide by the National Kidney Foundation.  Free flu vaccinations were also provided by Walgreens. The Fair also included opportunities for participants to register for Obamacare and to qualify for primary care benefits funded by the City of Alexandria through the Neighborhood Health organization.

GEMS students served as one of the many volunteers for the event. Given the diverse multicultural background of GEMS students, several students were able to serve as medical translators in Spanish, Khmer, Vietnamese, and Mandarin Chinese. Other GEMS provided general logistic support for the Fair. Collectively the GEMS cohort recognized the need to remain connected to underserved communities. Stanthia Ryan, one of the GEMS volunteer co-organizers, stated “Participation in the event was important for me because it allowed me to take a much needed break from the rigorous GEMS workload and reconnect with the reason why I came to Georgetown. It reminded me of home.”  Another GEMS co-organizer reflected, “Participation from future GEMS cohorts, perhaps in a more substantive manner, could both reinforce our connection to the underserved and allow students to develop more understanding of how we as future clinicians can make a difference in the community.” Continuation of the Fair in future years is uncertain given that it was funded solely by individual donors. Richard Merritt, founding member of the Alliance for  Alexandria’s Uninsured and an organizer of the Fair, was asked by the Alexandria Gazette if the Fair would be repeated. Merritt replied, “If you had asked me that before the election, I would have said I’m not sure. But now, I feel we will need more expressions of community concern and compassion, like the health fair, for our most vulnerable residents, not less.”

Individual GEMS student reflections on the event include the following: 

“Being in a space that seemed so familiar to me-one where I used to guide my mother to get health care- allowed me to reaffirm my commitment to serving disadvantaged populations. I was able to enjoy the many conversations I had with participants as I was guiding them and learning about the community. I hope to continue volunteering at these events as a physician.”
Heng Nhoung
2016 GEMS 

“Participating in the community health fair reminded me who my community really was. As a Spanish translator, I had the privilege of interacting with many Spanish speaking families. Even spending as little as five minutes made it seem like we had always known each other. Each family/individual that I encountered was very friendly and were grateful that I was there to assist them with the activities. There is no replacement for getting to know your community and reminding yourself that you are serving a great cause.”
Jason Chavez
2016 GEMS 

"The energy and enthusiasm that I felt from other volunteers was definitely palpable -- we learned that an event as large as the Alexandria Health Fair required a lot of team-based coordination and flexibility. I enjoyed relaying provider information to many individuals within the community and being a part of the effort to navigate and facilitate access to specific healthcare services."
Yen Phung
2016 GEMS

By: L. Tamara Wilson, GEMS Class of 2017

Penn Visiting Clerkship Program for Students Underrepresented in Medicine

Deadline May 12, 2017
^th year medical students to explore rotations at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Presbyterian Hospital (Presby), and Pennsylvania Hospital (Pennsy) in a number of sub-specialties. The clerkship include both sub-internship and elective experiences in top-ranked residency programs. Students not only have the opportunity to spend time learning first-hand what it is like to be a resident at these institutions, but they are paired with resident and faculty mentors and meet with Residency Program Directors to aid in their recruitment and preparation for the interview season and Match Process. Funding is given to all accepted clerkship students and include up to $1,500 for reimbursement of housing and travel.

Application Requirements and information
The application can be found at www.allianceofminoritypphysicians.org. All applicants must be rising 4^th year medical students and should apply for the clerkship program that correlates to the sub-specialty they are pursuing in the match. We ask for your general information, your curriculum vitae, a medical school transcript, a personal statement/letter of interest, a photograph, and one letter of recommendation. Applications are due on Friday, May 12^th and acceptance notifications are given in June.

The Visiting Clerkship Program for Underrepresented Minority Medical Students encompasses numerous opportunities for 4

Program Highlights

• Each student is paired with a Faculty mentor in an area of their interest
• Each student will be given the opportunity to have a personal meeting with the Residency Program Director in the program of their interest
• Funding up to $1,500 for reimbursement of travel and housing
• Opportunity to interact with current UIM residents, fellows, and faculty at social events

• Emergency Medicine Sub-internship
• Family Medicine Sub-internship
• Family Medicine Electives
• General Surgery Sub-internship
• Internal Medicine Sub-specialty and Ambulatory Electives
• Obstetrics & Gynecology Sub-internship
• Orthopedic Surgery Sub-internship
• Pediatrics Sub-internship
• Pediatric Subspecialty Electives
• Plastic Surgery Sub-internship
• Psychiatry Sub-internship
• Urology Sub-internship

2017 Rotation Dates (rotation availability varies by specialty)

• July 3- July 28
• July 31- August 25
• August 28- September 22
• September 25- October 20
• October 23- November 17

AAMC Mid-Career Minority Faculty Seminar
Faculty & Academic Affairs is coordinating applications to attend the 2017
In support of the development of GUMC minority faculty, the Office of
Deadline March 31, 2017

Apply here:https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/diversity/portfolios/431764/mid-cminfacleadershipseminar.html

The Office of Faculty and Academic affairs (OFAA) is excited to provide support for one GUMC Minority Faculty Member to attend the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2017 Mid-Career Minority Faculty Seminar. Registration, meals and daily travel to and from the seminar will be supported.

If you would like to be considered for support and are at the rank of Associate Professor or above and identify as faculty who are under-represented in medicine, please consider applying. A faculty committee composed of GUMC previous participants to the mid and junior-career Minority Faculty Seminar program will review applications and make a recommendation to the EVP Office for final selection. The AAMC defines populations underrepresented in medicine as "those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.” Please see: https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm

The seminar will be held from June 15-17, 2017 in Washington, DC and is designed for senior faculty who aspire to become leaders in academic medicine, focusing on building skills, networking, and strategizing.  The selected candidates will be asked to attend an OFAA Faculty Development Committee Meeting Fall 2017 to discuss his/her experience at the June seminar and engage with the faculty selection committee for future participants. 

If you are interested in applying to attend the seminar, please send a copy of your CV/Biosketch and one page letter detailing your interest for attending to Priscilla A Furth, Associate Dean for Faculty Development, GUMC paf3@georgetown.edu by March 31, 2017.

Questions about the program?  Who attends? Please feel free to contact previous participants Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble alfiee.brelandnoble@georgetown.edu and Dr. Amy Park amy.j.park@medstar.net  and/or Dr. Priscilla Furth paf3@georgetown.edu.

"What A Doc Looks Like” Explores Identity Challenges In Medical Careers

“I, Too, Am GUMC” Encourages Reflection, Empathy In Action