UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL

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Student Organizations

American Geriatrics Society Student Chapter
The UM American Geriatrics Society student chapter’s mission is to interest physicians-in-training in the field of geriatrics, to enhance the visibility of geriatric medicine at the medical school level, and to provide educational programs on geriatric medicine. Throughout the year, AGS organizes many activities to serve the elderly population of the surrounding community. Activities such as the annual flu shot clinic, MedShovelers, and Silver Club have been continuing successes.  In addition to those programs, the UM AGS also organizes a senior health fair each spring.  Finally, the AGS has summer research and career opportunities for students interested in all aspects of Geriatrics.  We look forward to meeting you all in August!  Contact: Bethany Schroeder (betaschr@umich.edu).

American Medical Association
The medical student arm of the American Medical Association is an independent, democratic, policy-making body: the American Medical Association-Medial Student Section (AMA-MSS).  The AMA-MSS is dedicated to representing medical students, improving medical education, developing leadership and promoting activism for the health of America.  The AMA promotes awareness on issues of public wellness, community service, ethics and health policy through projects, programs and activities.  The AMA-MSS at the University of Michigan is involved in service projects and particularly active in policy-making at the state and national levels.   There are also a number of leadership development opportunities through the U of M’s chapter of the AMA. 

American Medical Student Association
The American Medical Student Association is the country’s largest medical student-run organization.  Focusing on patient advocacy and improving health care here and abroad, AMSA offers a wide variety of activities for every type of activist.  Locally, our chapter is involved in a number of community service activities, including the Delonis Center homeless clinic, where M1 and M2 students volunteer and help to perform physicals, take histories, and observe patient-physician interaction.  Regionally and nationally, we lobby for change to improve the lives of our current and future patients.  AMSA is looking for motivated M1s to help in every area – there are numerous leadership opportunities as well!  If you’re looking for a place to work on or create projects that address important health issues or to become involved with legislative action and lobbying, AMSA is the place for you.  For more information, visit us at www.amsa.org or www.umich.edu/~amsa.  Contacts:  Adam Castano (acastano@umich.edu) or Michael Kingsley (mkings@umich.edu)

American Medical Women’s Association
AMWA at the University of Michigan is an organization that seeks to create a diverse community dedicated to women in medicine, both as health care providers and health care recipients, through education, leadership, and advocacy.  We are an extremely active group with activities including monthly theme lunches on topics such as HIV/AIDS, Women as Physicians, and Family and Medicine.  We participate in many Community Service Events such as AIDS Walk, Relay for Life, Ronald McDonald House, and Safehouse.  We match women up with faculty mentors and have group dinners with our mentors.  October is a busy month, when we run Domestic Violence Awareness activities.  We actively advocate for women in medical school education, admissions, and the curriculum.  On a more fun note, we have a monthly book club, sell anatomy scrubs, t-shirts, and candy grams, and have great social events.  We also have lots of opportunity for M1 involvement, including the famous M1 run Charity Bash benefit auction.  And of course we are always open to new ideas.  We look forward to having you join us in August!  Contact: President - Laura Taylor (taylorlc@umich.edu)

Biorhythms
Biorhythms is the student dance company of the University of Michigan Medical School.  We perform Fall and Spring recitals each year.  This company is for female AND male students who have danced for years as well as for those who have never stepped foot in a dance class or on the stage.  Our past performance included a wide variety of dances such as hip hop, Indian folk, bellydancing, ballroom dancing, and jazz dancing. We also encourage different types of performing arts to participate in our show, including singing and bands.  Our choreographers include some of our experienced dancers as well as those who have never choreographed before.  We are always looking for fellow students to help with our sound, lighting, videography, and photography.  No matter how much you participate, there is something for everyone and you’re bound to have tons of fun.  This is a great way to meet students in your class as well as older students! Contacts:  Moira Kessler (moirak@umich.edu) or Nitya Prabhakar (nprabhak@umich.edu)

Bisexuals, Gays, Lesbians, and Allies in Medicine (BGLAM)
BGLAM is a student group that serves to unite gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered individuals, and straight allies in the University of Michigan Medical School.  We promote awareness of LGBT medical issues at the University of Michigan Medical School by: regular reviews of curricula, outreach activities including lunch-time discussions and mentorship opportunities in the University undergraduate program.  We work to establish professional contacts and networking opportunities with medical professionals for students through the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), LGBT People in Medicine (AMSA), UMMS and University Health Services,  We provide a socially supportive environment for LGBT students and allies at UMMS and within the University’s graduate schools and serve as a resource for UMMS individuals or groups requesting information about conferences, community activities and supportive venues.  Our events have included workshops on transgender healthcare, lectures on intersex health issues, substance abuse in the LGBT community, panels on same-sex parenting, discussions addressing marginalization in the LGBT community and the myths and misconceptions that help perpetuate and create barriers to healthcare, and social events within our own group and with other LGBT student groups.  Contact:  Kim Vanderzee  (kimvz@umich.edu)

Black Medical Association
The primary mission of the Black Medical Association (BMA) is to recruit and retain African American students at the University of Michigan Medical School.  Formed in 1972, the BMA serves as an academic, social and professional support network for its members, as well as a service organization for the community.  Furthermore, the BMA is a member of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the national organization for medical and premedical students of color, organized around similar issues.  Here at the University of Michigan the BMA is more that just a student organization.  It is a special unique community in which we support, motivate, inspire, encourage and uplift one another as we simultaneously work toward achieving our goals.  Contacts:  Rachel Issaka (rissaka@med.umich.edu) or Richard Thigpen (richthig@umich.edu). Visit our website to find out more about what we do.  www.umich.edu/bmasnma .

Christian Medical Association - UMMS
We are a community of Christian medical students fostering Christian growth in all areas of life, emphasizing the integration of faith into medicine, and witnessing to the truth and love of Jesus Christ in our relationships with our friends, our community, and the world. Regular activities: Weekly Bible Study; Christian Physician Mentorship Program; Big Sib/Little Sib Program; Missions Trip; service opportunities; Global Missions Health Conference; CMDA seasonal retreats; guest speakers, panels, etc. Contact information: Audrey Richardson (audrich@umich.edu), Wagahta Semere (wsemere@umich.edu), Jenny Mas (jmasmoya@umich.edu).

Emergency Medicine Interest Group
The Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) is one of the most active student interest groups at UM, designed to give medical students early exposure to the exciting field of emergency medicine.  We run a series of workshops throughout the year covering topics such as suturing, airway, shock/code management, casting/splinting, IV placement, self-defense, Survival Flight, and EMS.  We also aim to provide venues such as the annual picnic, resident and faculty Q&A sessions, and end-of-year awards ceremony, where students can identify and build relationships with faculty mentors.  If you would like more information please visit our website at http://www.med.umich.edu/em/education/medstudents/EMIG.htm  
Contact: Chelsea White IV (cwhiteiv@umich.edu)

Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG)
As the health care system continues to change, Family Medicine is becoming an increasingly integral part of every patient's experience with medical care.  The Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) strives to educate the student body about Family Medicine’s role in our health care system, dispel myths about the field, and demonstrate how Family Medicine is changing to improve its patient-centered model of medical care.  Benefits to becoming a member of the FMIG include: hands-on learning activities, Family Medicine mentors, special lunch and dinner seminars and FREE membership in the American Academy of Family Physicians with its own benefits (FREE subscription to The American Family Physician Medical Journal, student representation at academy events and access to family medicine resources.)  Please email our faculty advisor Dr. Kent Sheets at ksheets@umich.edu if you are interested in becoming involved in the Family Medicine Interest Group or if you want to learn more.

Galens Medical Society
Galens Medical Society is the University of Michigan Medical School's largest and longest-running service and social organization.  A med school tradition since 1914, Galens members are committed to improving the welfare of local children while making medical school life a little more enjoyable.  With the help of its faculty honoraries, Galens holds the annual Tag Days fundraising campaign, organizes community service and social events, sponsors the annual Smoker theater production, and much more.  Please visit us at www.umich.edu/~galens for more information.

Jewish Medical Student Association
The Jewish Medical Student Association (JeMSA) is a group for Jewish Medical students that provides opportunities to socialize with other Jewish graduate students and offers assistance in organizing service and meal arrangements for holidays through out the year. In addition, JeMSA facilitates volunteer opportunities in the community. This year we will be trying something new: Monthly or bi-monthly Friday night Shabbat meals! We hope to see you in the fall, and Go Blue!  Contacts:  Misha Meerkov (meerkov@umich.edu) or Meera Meerkov (mmeerkov@umich.edu).

Latin American & Native American Medical Association
The Latin American & Native American Medical Association (LANAMA) strives to provide a more welcoming environment for our Native and Latino American medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School and for all those interested in the health care of Latinos and Native Americans.  Beyond nurturing an atmosphere of la familia, we care committed to increasing the enrollment and success of Latino and Native American medical students through our outreach and service efforts.  Our commitments to recruitment and professional development are driven by the pressing need to address the alarming health disparities of our Latino and Native communities and the potential we have to care for our communities.  Contact: Gina Waight (waight@umich.edu)

MedChefs
MedChefs is a student organization whose primary goal is to promote healthy lifestyles and wellness by educating people on how their diet and lifestyle affects their overall health.  We are especially active in Project Healthy Schools, a junior high health education project started by UM faculty.  Med student volunteers can teach one-hour lessons at the local schools on various nutrition and fitness topics, and can also help measure their vitals during the pre- and post-curriculum screenings.  We also have many outstanding amateur chefs in our group who have been known to get together and prepare incredible meals on occasion.  Our dual role as both a service and a social group provides for many different ways to be involved so whether you are interested in learning/teaching healthy habits, you love to cook, or you just like to taste what others are making there is definitely an opportunity for you to be involved.  Last year our activities included cooking demonstrations, pot-lucks, teaching kids about food at the hands-on-museum, Project Healthy Schools, and even preparing over 100 meals for second look weekend hosts and guests.  For more information about MedChefs please e-mail Nava Geula (geula@umich.edu).

MedFitness
Mission: MedFit writes evidence based articles for the newsletter MedFit Monthly in order to benefit the University of Michigan community on the topics of exercise and health.  The group hopes to help establish general guidelines for fitness and nutrition using simple, common sense techniques that are medically supported.  MedFit authors are dedicated to providing medically-sound information you need to achieve your health and fitness goals.  We hope to expand the role of MedFit in the coming year to include sponsoring lunchtime lectures on such topics as sports physiology, human performance, and nutrition as well as promoting student health through weight lifting and cardio seminars.  Contact: Karen Kinnaman (kkinna@umich.edu)

Medical Students for Choice® (MSFC)
Medical Students for Choice® (MSFC) is dedicated to ensuring that women receive the full range of reproductive healthcare choices. We would like to emphasize that MSFC is a pro-choice organization, not a pro-abortion group.  We support a woman’s right to choose what to do with her body.  MSFC recognizes that one of the greatest obstacles to safe and legal abortion is the absence of trained providers. As medical students and residents, we work to make reproductive health care, including abortion, a part of standard medical education and residency training.  More specifically, these are our goals: to bolster MSFC's grassroots network of support and activism, to reform U of Michigan’s curriculum and residency programs to include reproductive health and abortion care, to expand education and training opportunities in abortion and reproductive health, and to support residents seeking reproductive health clinical training after graduating from medical school.  For more information, please contact Ketti Augusztiny (ketti@umich.edu) or Stefan Richter (serichte@umich.edu).

Medical Students of Middle-Eastern Descent (MSMD)The primary mission of Medical Students of Middle-Eastern Descent (MSMD) is to serve the Middle-Eastern population both in this country and in the Middle-East.  Founded in 2004 by three first year medical students, MSMD has become an established, recognized student organization in the UMMS, Ann Arbor, and Southeast Michigan communities.  The group has three main goals: (1) to raise awareness of Middle-Eastern health among the medical community, (2) to increase medical access for Middle-Easterners living in the United States and the Middle East, and (3) to increase the opportunities in the medical field for students of Middle-Eastern Descent.  In addition, MSMD is also affiliated with the National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA), a national organization with a similar mission, serving both Arab and Arab-American communities.  MSMD provides opportunities for service, medical education, health screenings, and mentorship.  To learn more about MSMD or to get involved, please visit http://www-personal.umich.edu/~obeidn/msmd/index.html /.

Contacts:  Maha “Saada” Jawad (jawadm@umich.edu) or
Nabeel R. Obeid (obeidn@umich.edu).

Medstart
Medstart is a child advocacy group composed of students from the schools of Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, Public Health, Dentistry, Law and Business.  The students are dedicated to increase awareness about the critical issues that impact children. We oversee six divisions: Medrhythms, Child Advocacy Week, Medmoms, Medreach, Project H and Medbuddies.  We also hold an annual conference on a particular issue that raises money for a charity. 

 MedArt: make art each month with the children and families at Mott Children's Hospital, to be displayed at the end of the year in the annual patient art show.

MedBuddies:  provide ongoing friendship and emotional support to hospitalized children and their families at Mott Children’s Hospital.

MedMoms:  support expectant mothers during this critical with information and friendship to make a difference in the health of both mother and child.

MedReach:  coordinate informational health fairs for underserved communities, or help expose middle and high school students to the fun of medicine and research through hands on activities like fetal pig dissection (MD’s For-A-Day, PI’s For-A-Day).

MedRhythms: make music with hospitalized children at Mott Children's Hospital with help from a music therapist.  Come December, participate in holiday caroling.  No talent necessary  

Project H:  provide care and education to an underserved population through monthly pediatric and adult clinics at the Wayne County Family Shelter transitional home.

Child Advocacy Promotion:  arrange speakers to help promote child advocacy in the local community.  Recent speakers have included Jonathon Kozol, renowned author and child advocate, and Liz Murray, inspiration for “Homeless to Harvard.”  Other activities have included community service projects, benefit concerts/dinners to raise money for the

Ypsilanti Corner Health Center, educational seminars, and local health fairs for children and their families.

 Contact for Medstart:  Jacob Kurlander (jkurland@umich.edu)

Muslim Medical Students’ Association
The Muslim Medical Students’ Association (MMSA) at the University of Michigan was created in response to the growing need for an organization that caters to Muslim students and their concerns. The MMSA seeks to:

• Enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture, especially with regards to medical care

• Encourage professional interaction between Muslim physicians and other health care providers and physicians

• Facilitate the learning and practice of Islam among students

• Participate in medical community service and other charitable activities

• Provide mentorship to Muslim undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing medicine

Although it is still a relatively young organization, since its creation the MMSA has come a long way. We have a growing number of members, and have arranged a variety of activities of the past few years. These include a day of fasting for non-Muslim students during Ramadan, as well as a Ramadan dinner with a speaker to discuss issues surrounding Muslim patients, helping to establish case studies with Muslims patients for the first year medical school class, and organizing and participating in a free health screening for the Muslim community at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, MI. We hope to establish new ideas and activities in the coming year! We are also affiliated with the Muslim Health Association at the University of Michigan Health Systems, and hope to continue building this relationship in the future.   Contact:  Saada Jawad (jawadm@umich.edu)

Orthopaedic Surgery Student Interest Group (OSSIG)
The main objectives of the group are to provide information, assistance, and mentorship to medical students interested in entering, or simply learning more about the field of orthopaedic surgery.  The OSSIG brings in speakers who comment on current orthopaedic research, shadowing opportunities, Residency and Match information, and the field in general. Contacts:  Jon Godin (jgodin@umich.edu) or Drew Flum (drewflum@umich.edu)

Pediatric Interest Group
The Pediatric Interest Group introduces medical students to the unique field of Pediatrics and Medicine-Pediatrics. This group aims to expand your knowledge of important issues in the field of Pediatrics as well as provide medical students with a Pediatric Mentor. Contacts:  Meera Meerkov (mmeerkov@umich.edu) or Kristina Harrell (kharrel@med.umich.edu).

Project H
Project H strives to improve the mental, social, and physical health of homeless families living at Wayne County Family Center (WCFC) as well as to prepare future healthcare professionals to work with underserved populations.  This goal is accomplished through the administration of a bimonthly free clinic, which is staffed by teams compromised of a pre-clinical and a clinical student.  The pre-clinical student is responsible for obtaining patient histories while the clinical student takes care of physical examinations.  Additionally, Project H directs monthly health education events for the residents of WCFC.  Topics range from asthma awareness to nutrition and fitness.  Student awareness about healthcare issues particular to homeless populations are increased through volunteer education events.  ProjectH@umich.edu   Contact:  Lauren Sanlorenzo (lsanlo@umich.edu)

PsychSIGN
The Psychiatry Student Interest Group is a resident physician and medical student run interest group affiliated with the U of M Department of Psychiatry. We act to educate and enrich the medical community on topics of psychiatry and mental illness as well as promote interest and provide resources on psychiatry as a profession.  We coordinate a lunchtime lecture series on psychiatry-related topics, host movie nights to discuss relevant themes in current films, and coordinate a mentorship program to match interested students with resident mentors.  We are affiliated with the national Psychiatry Student Interest Group Network (PsychSIGN), the mission of which is to "function as a central hub for the exchange of ideas, information, and resources for student coalitions in psychiatry.and promote the discourse for psychiatric education in the medical school community and for advocacy and justice in mental health as an integral part of health overall."  Please contact Emily Deringer (emilyjd@umich.edu) for more information.

Sports Medicine Interest Group (SMIG)
The Sports Medicine Interest Group is an organization established for medical students with a particular interest in the musculoskeletal system and sports related injuries to better explore the field of Sports Medicine as well as to promote health and wellness throughout the health care system and surrounding communities.  The main goals of the group are to:

• inform students on the potential pathways that exist to pursue a career in Sports Medicine

• provide opportunities to attend conferences, lectures, and workshops pertaining to sports medicine

• facilitate shadowing opportunities between medical students and faculty mentors

outreach to the Ann Arbor community through volunteer coaching opportunities and other service projects.

Student Alliance for Global REACH
The Student Alliance for Global REACH (Research, Education and Collaboration in Health) is the medical Student division of Global REACH. The Student Alliance was formed in 2004 in response to a growing desire on the part of medical students to integrate more international health learning into their medical school experience.  The Student alliance helps coordinate international group trips, facilitate 4^th year rotations abroad, organize fundraising, sponsor lunchtime lectures, and identify other potential international activities of interest to students in medicine and other schools around the University.  Contacts:  Nathan Trayner (ntrayner@umich.edu) or Allison Leung (aleungw@umich.edu).

Student Council
The Medical School Student Council is made up of several representatives.  From each class, there are five Class Advocates, two component Representatives, one Curriculum Policy Representative, and two Honor Council Representatives. The council serves to address the questions and concerns of the student body as a whole, while each class plans activities and addresses issues that apply specifically to them.  Student Council serves to represent the medical student body to the administration, working on issues such as library hours, parking, classroom renovations, residency interviewing, financial aid budgets and curriculum concerns.  Student council also strives to unify the classes through programming events, such as Fall Ball.  Please visit our website for more information (http://www.umich.edu/~umedstud/).

Student Interest Group in Neurology
The Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) is a network of 129 chapters in medical schools across the United States and Canada. SIGN fosters medical student interest in neurology by providing opportunities to participate in clinical, research, and service activities in neurology.  The University of Michigan chapter has sponsored neurology exam practice sessions, panel discussions with residents and faculty in Neurology, and hands-on training sessions on EMG.  We coordinate a mentor program that pairs medical students with Neurology residents to provide opportunities for shadowing and career advice.  SIGN also provides weekly updates on Neurology department events that are open to medical students.  Contact:  Michael Huang (monhuang@umich.edu) or Roy Esaki (resaki@umich.edu).

Surgery Interest Group (The Scrubs)
The SIG is a student-run organization designed to offer a well based perspective of the multiple fields within surgery, the life of a surgeon, and what it takes to be a surgeon. Monthly meetings are conducted at a surgeon's home where participants enjoy dinner and a brief presentation by a physician from a particular field within surgery. Meetings also include interesting instructional sessions by the host surgeon that focus on things such as suture tying and medical terminology. Special sessions in the surgery simulation lab are held bi-annually."   Contacts:  Patrick Goleski (pgoleski@umich.edu) or Kelly Collins (kellycol@umich.edu)

United Asian American Medical Student Association
The United Asian American Medical Student Association (UAAMSA) was founded in 1992 to support and represent the growing number of Asian American students entering the University of Michigan Medical School. In addition, our organization seeks to promote awareness of Asian American health care issues among our colleagues in the medical field and to reach out to the members of the Ann Arbor community and beyond. To this end, we organize health and cultural fairs, volunteer in local clinics, provide physician and student mentors, and organize various social events. We are part of the national Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). Membership is open to everyone interested in Asian American health regardless of ethnicity. If you are interested, please visit our website for more information: www.umich.edu/~uaamsa/. Contact:  Wenfei Xie (wenfeix@umich.edu)

 

Victor Vaughan Medical History Society
The Victor Vaughan Society for the History and Philosophy of Medicine is a medical student group intended to promote intellectual inquiry and discourse on important issues in medicine, both past and present.  The Society was established in 1929 by a group of medical students with the help of the chairman of Medicine, Dr. Cyrus Sturgis.  For the next 50 years, members were invited from the senior class.  The Society was named for Victor Vaughan, the dean of the Medical School from 1891 to 1921.

 During its first decades, students and faculty mentors presented lengthy papers at the monthly meetings (all preserved in bound volumes now housed in the Taubman Medical Library).  The format changed in 1980 to include presentations by students or faculty members interested in the history of medicine. 

 The monthly meetings now include invited speakers, student presentations, an annual winter dinner, and annual visits to the Medical Rare Book room at Taubman Library, the Bentley Library, and the Clements Library. Many presentations address pressing issues in public health, social medicine, medical humanities, medical ethics, and the history of medicine and science. The annual program also includes sessions on Literature and Medicine and a field trip to locations rich in medical history.

 In 2003 the society found a permanent home at the Center for the History of Medicine (CHM), which is in the historic Simpson Institute on Observatory Street.  Contact Victor Vaughan medical student presidents: Arthur Hong (arhong@umich.edu) or Ashwin Vasan (avasan@umich.edu). For more information visit
http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/chm/vvs/.

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Women’s Health and Fitness Day
Our goal for Women's Health and Fitness Day is to impact Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and surrounding communities in our annual event to be held in February.  Students involved in this group help to organize this day that features workshops, a keynote speaker, giveaways and more for approximately 300 women from the community.  Workshop topics range from diet and exercise to infertility, diabetes, skin care and many other important health issues.  Activities include writing grants, helping to secure giveaways and prizes from local businesses, advertising for the event, and, of course, helping to run the program on event day!  We’re excited to welcome new faces to the Women’s Health and Fitness Day group. Visit our website: http://www.umich.edu/%7Emedfit/women/

 

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