Event of the Month Award
New this year, the AMA's Section Involvement Grant (SIG) program will select one AMA medical student section every month as recipient of the "Event of the Month" award. To be eligible for the award, sections must submit a follow-up form and photos within 30 days of the event. At the end of the school year, all monthly awards will be showcased at the AMA Annual Meeting and will be voted on by students for one "Event of the Year" winner. An award will be given to the section winner.
Congratulations to the following monthly winners!
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
IU School of Medicine, Indianapolis is the latest winner for their Post-Match Celebration held on March 15. The celebration immediately followed the IUSM Match Day Ceremony and more than 300 graduating medical students and their family members attended. Every year, businesses and organizations are invited to join the event and this was the second year the AMA attended and hosted a table in conjunction with the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA).
The graduating seniors were eager to speak with the AMA and ISMA to learn about resident membership and benefits. Many students expressed how membership helped them with the match process, including Jamie Johnson, who described how being an AMA member "played in integral role in making [her] a competitive candidate during the residency application and interview process because of leadership, volunteer, and advocacy experiences." The AMA hopes to have a presence at additional medical schools’ Match Day celebrations in the future.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) is the latest winner for their Healthy Living Project at Madison Elementary event held from October through February. The medical students worked with second graders from a local elementary school and they hosted eight sessions on healthy living. The sessions included yoga, nutritional information, dental hygiene, and more. The medical students coordinated this event series to help the surrounding community where the low-income preschool obesity rate is growing.
The local medical student section at UMDNJ-NJMS received positive feedback from the principal and teachers at Madison Elementary, and they hope to expand their event to other elementary schools in the area. The AMA provided funding for food and supplies for the event series, and three students joined as a result of the event.
IU School of Medicine, Evansville campus is the latest winner for their Skills Lab event held on January 12. Their 2nd Annual Skills Lab provided first- and second-year medical students with the opportunity to learn the skills of suturing, intubation, drawing blood, starting an intravenous access line and using an ultrasound from local physician volunteers. Medical students spend the majority of their first two years studying and receive very little hands-on clinical experience, and this event helped to prepare students for their upcoming clinical rotations.
Student attendees really enjoyed the opportunity to receive personal training and meet physicians in the area, and IU looks forward to continuing this annual event. The AMA provided funding for food and supplies at the event.
UT Southwestern is the latest winner for their Holiday in the Park event held on December 15. Holiday in the Park is an annual winter carnival and toy drive held by the local AMA and Texas Medical Association sections at UT Southwestern. This year, the local sections partnered with Center of Hope, a shelter for women and children. More than 200 shelter residents attended the carnival which consisted of several activities and games, including face painting, cookie decorating, crafts, beanbag toss, soccer and basketball. The toy drive collected more than 200 toys that were distributed to children at the shelter.
This has become a well-known event at the UT Southwestern campus, and every year the students enjoy giving back to the local community. The AMA provided funding for the activities and games, food and beverages at the event.
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine is the latest winner for their Medical Specialty Speed Dating event held on December 6. Sixty students attended a reception on-campus and participated in five, 15-minute rounds of networking with local physicians from various specialties. While speaking with the physicians, students received a personal overview of their work life including families, work flexibility, realities of loan repayment, and more. The AMA provided funding for food, supplies and decorations for the event.
Through this event, students received exposure to a wide range of specialties and they had the opportunity to network and build relationships with local physicians. The event experienced a great physician turnout and the physicians were enthusiastic and personable during their conversations with the students. Marshall University's student paper highlighted the event in their December 6 issue.
The latest winner is the University of Florida College of Medicine for their Sugar-free Halloween for Diabetic Children event held on October 31. Through this project, student volunteers distributed candy-free Halloween packages to children with type 1 diabetes in the Diabetes Clinic at Shands hospital at UF. The AMA provided funding for the Halloween packages and they were delivered to more than 50 patients and their families with the message "Treats provided by the AMA-MSS at UF." This event increased AMA visibility among the hospital staff, patients and UF students and faculty, and the students spoke about their local patient advocacy efforts to all the health care professionals through this event.
The AMA SIG program was thrilled to receive five grants from schools that coordinated a sugar-free Halloween event for diabetic children. When selecting the monthly award, it was noted that UF went above and beyond in their planning and event follow up. They strengthened their relationship with the Diabetes Clinic at Shands hospital, submitted a press release to the school magazine and e-newsletter, and provided membership information to all non-member student volunteers. Lastly, they plan to make this an annual event and look forward to more involvement in the future.
The September winner is University of Missouri School of Medicine, Kansas City, for its Year 1 Recruitment Social that resulted in more than 20 students joining the AMA. The AMA provided funding for food at the event which spanned two days and targeted the incoming medical students. The first day included a presentation from UMKC's AMA Advisor, Dr. Van Way, on how to survive in medical school and his involvement with the AMA. The second day included an interactive Q&A session with upperclassmen students and the Missouri State Medical Association attended and promoted joint AMA and MSMA involvement. The event was successful in promoting membership and providing an informal setting for the incoming students to socialize and receive guidance from the upperclassmen.
The August winner is Emory University School of Medicine, for its AMA Recruitment Event for the M1 Class. The AMA provided funding for appetizers at the event, which was held during the summer Olympics at a local sports restaurant. The event was an opportunity for first-year students to socialize with their new student peers and upperclassmen AMA members while watching the Olympics and enjoying good food. Section officers and upperclassmen talked about the benefits of AMA membership throughout the event and distributed flyers and applications to the attendees. The AMA banner was also displayed and the informal restaurant setting during an evening of the Olympic games allowed for students to attend at any time throughout a three hour period. At the event, more than 40 students signed up for AMA membership and members discussed upcoming community service and additional event opportunities.
The July winner is Texas A&M University College of Medicine, College Station campus, for its AMA First Years Recruitment Event. The AMA provided funding for appetizers at the event, which was held during orientation before classes started, resulting in an excellent turnout among the first-year class. A promotional flyer announcing the event was included in the first-year orientation packet distributed by the school. The event provided the first-year students with an opportunity to mingle with their new classmates as well as upperclassmen students. AMA membership was actively promoted throughout the event by the upperclassmen. A table displayed the AMA banner, applications, pens and medical reference lab value cards, and approximately 50 students signed up for AMA membership.
