SMD '13 Fall Elections
Voting will open 9/21 at 8 AM and run until 9/25 at midnight.
Click here to Vote!
SMD '13 Class Positions (position descriptions) Candidates for President:William Carroll:
First and foremost, thank you for your time and consideration in reading my statement.
My pledge to you:
Corporate interests will not sway the politics of our class; although if apple were to sponsor everyone with an iPod touch, it would be hard not to listen.
I will work hard for us to go green by creating a cap and trade system for absences. Those who go to class and lab will be awarded credits that can then be sold to those who had rather stay home.
All jokes aside, I am running for class president, and below are some goals that I would hope to accomplish. I will draw upon my undergraduate leadership experience, which taught me to run meetings and coordinate large events. If elected, I will act to ensure that all voices in our class are heard equally and represented to the faculty and administration. Below are some specific ideas that I would bring to the table.
- First, I would work diligently for free copies and printing in the library.
- Second, I would work for a student discount in the hospital cafeteria.
- Third, I will work to ensure that slides for all of our classes are posted at least one day in advance for those who prefer to take notes on them with an ultimate goal of having the slides included in our bound notes.
- Fourth, I would work to coordinate a class retreat to further develop the strong bonds of friendship within our class.
- Fifth, I would work to provide a more accessible recycling program and raise awareness of what steps we can take to promote a cleaner environment.
In addition, I would work to incorporate new and different ideas from across the spectrum of our class. If elected, my door will always be open and my phone will always be on for anyone that needs to talk. It would be an honor if you gave me the opportunity to serve as president of our class. Again, thank you for your time, and good luck on exams.
Weldon Diana:
Over the past two months I have had the privilege of getting to know a majority of our class. These bonds, formed both inside and outside of the classroom, have given me a strong desire to give back to our school. As such, I would find it an honor to be the President of our First Year Class.
Were someone to ask me why he or she should come to UVA for medical school, the first thing I would do is highlight the strong sense of community found among the members of our class. As your President, I would like to add to this strength and build on it as we complete our first year.
Ways to do this: I propose more intra-UVA community events, such as lunch time events, study breaks, and more interactions with other classes in the med school. I will also work hard to galvanize the Class Board in planning the many fundraising events for our end of basic science party next year. I also feel that planning and setting up a second anatomy practice practical for all of us before the actual exam should be a big priority.
A strong class is a happy class, and as your President, I will try to make SMD 13 the strongest class of all.
Candidates for Vice President:
Cliff Cutchins:
Here at The University, we have tremendous pride in our school and environment. We have made a great start in building solid class unity this year, and as your Vice-President I will work to continue to develop this camaraderie. As exciting as separating out random nerve A from confusing artery B is in the anatomy lab, it is easy to forget we have a life outside of class. One of the major things I will focus on as VP will be to give opportunities to break up the monotony of class and studying as well as enhance class unity - wouldn't free brunch a few times during exam week brighten your day, just a little bit? Everyone loves a good brunch!
As a graduate of the University, I am very familiar with the unique aspects of the greater UVA community and Charlottesville as a whole. I take great pride in this school, and I never pass up a chance to brag about how amazing it is (minus football). Energy and excitement can be infectious, and as your VP I will work to prove to you just how incredible this community can be. Charlottesville and UVA have tons of opportunities and events, and it will be very beneficial to add my experience with the outside community to the leadership in our medical school.
Finally, as medical students we have an amazing opportunity to have a positive impact in our community. My work as Public Relations Officer for the volunteer rescue squad in Virginia Beach has provided valuable experience for this purpose. As your VP I will work to establish a positive relationship and build a strong reputation for our class with the greater Charlottesville/Albemarle area.
Medical school is about so much more than classes and labs - it is also about connecting with each other and forming lasting friendships into the future. We are all in this together, so let's enjoy the ride! I would really appreciate your vote this week - good luck on exams and go Hoos!
Kunal Patel:
In looking over the duties required by the vice president, the overriding theme appears to be the massive amount of responsibility associated with the office. Some might go so far as to say that vice president is the most important officer. I believe Sarah Palin expressed it best when she said, "A Vice President has a really great job because not only are they there to support the President's agenda, they're, like, the team member -- the team mate -- to that President, but also they're in charge of the United States Senate. So if they want to, they can really get in there with the Senators, and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon, and his family, and his classroom. And it's a great job, and I look forward to having that job."
This is all that I want to do, make life better for Brandon (Dickinson), and his family (SMD13), and his classroom (Jordan Hall 1-5). If given the opportunity, I would probably also make one of the best anatomy practice lab practicals this school has ever seen. Failing the first one has given me all sorts of insight into how to make a challenging test. Additionally, I am very willing to sacrifice my free time to attend any and all Mulholland sponsored events. It is important for the vice president to see and be seen, and be seen looking good - all things I can execute phenomenally.
In considering me for office, I would like everyone to consider the following accomplishments: Student Council representative for my class in 3rd grade and half of 4th grade, and Best Smile in 8th grade. Also, my high school did not elect a prom king, but I went home with the queen, so that does make me de facto king. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone that I am not Vinod.
Thank you for your time in reading this, and remember these famous words by Terry Bradshaw when casting your vote, "You may lose with me, but you won't win without me."
Ann Peters:
I would like this opportunity to take a dynamic role in our class by representing you as the Class of 2013's Vice President. If selected, I will work to voice our class's view and to fulfill all the duties associated with the VP position. I will serve to improve communication within our class, as well as with the administration and the Principles of Medicine Committee. I will help and support our President, and will ensure that you are represented at all Mulholland Society meetings. I will work diligently with all the other committee chairs to ensure that you will have a rewarding first year, and will be able to continue your past and future medical, extracurricular and social activities and interests.
I believe that the variety of leadership positions I have held and committees I have served on in the past will allow me to successfully fulfill the broad role of the Vice President. I have experience in fundraising, community service, intramural sports, mentoring and tutoring, event planning, research, and other medically relevant activities, among others. This broad spectrum of experiences will enable me to address any problems or suggestions that you may have to improve our medical education and student life at UVa.
Thank you for your consideration. I would be honored to serve as your Vice President.
Katie Snyder:
To SMD Class of 2013:
My name is Katie Snyder, and I am running for the office of Vice President of our Class Council. I would like the opportunity to serve in this position because I believe in having an active role in the organizations I belong to. I care about our class and would work diligently with other members of our council to make our experience as first year medical students a positive one. You can trust me to be responsible and organized, as well as dedicated to this job. I am aware of the duties and responsibilities required of this position, which include serving on the Mulholland Medical Student Lounge Committee, the Principles of Medicine Committee, organizing the anatomy lab practice exams, and attending Mulholland Society meetings, and I believe that my energy, strong work ethic, and attention to detail will help me be an effective vice president. I will help to ensure that all of our first year events and activities are well-planned and executed. As well, I believe that communication amongst our class is vital, and I will put forth my best effort to keep everyone apprised of all class events.
As an undergraduate, I was involved in several extracurricular activities that will help me be an effective leader: I served as Vice President of the UVA chapter of the AED Pre-Medical National Honor Society and was a Program Director for Madison House Medical Services, where I coordinated volunteers in the Primary Care Center at UVA Hospital. I also tutored general chemistry, which has helped me to be a good communicator. If selected for this position, I will take the skills I've learned through these experiences and apply them to my role as Vice President.
In closing, we get out of life what we put into it, and I would consider it a privilege to serve as Vice President of our class to ensure that what we get out of our first year of medical school is a positive experience! Thank you for your time and consideration.
Candidates for Treasurer-Secretary
Derek Pae:
My name is Derek Pae. If you don't know who I am, you probably don't recognize me anymore because I used to have really long hair (as seen in Student Directory). I know everyone is currently busy with exams so I'll keep this as brief as possible. I am running for class Secretary/Treasurer as I feel I will best serve the class in this position. The responsibilities attributed to the Secretary/Treasurer follow suit with my own strengths, including the organization of the funds as well as involvement in planning and organizing fundraisers. During my four years at Penn State University I was on the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC), which served to adequately and fairly dispense of the student activity fee to groups on campus. Also, I was the Business Manager/Treasurer for my co-ed a capella group for two years. My responsibilities included the management of funds as well as developing fundraising opportunities to support our group. Thanks for reading and good luck on exams!
Opal Prevatt:
I believe that an integral aspect of being a medical student is to have an active role in both the events and organizations that help mold our medical school experience and education here at UVA. As First Year Class Secretary/Treasurer for the medical school class of 2013, I would like to do all I can to ensure we are getting the most we can out of our time here.
I believe that I am an excellent candidate for this position because I know what it takes to succeed in this role. Being Treasurer/Secretary requires being trustworthy, responsible and experienced. I have shown these qualities as Treasurer/Secretary of my International Activities Club at NYU for two years. It was a role I thoroughly enjoyed and allowed me contribute to the members I represented. I diligently executed my duties of creating budgets for yearly expenditures such as fundraisers, filing reimbursements, and keeping detailed logs of all monetary transactions for our activities, among many other duties.
I understand the level of detail and organization that will be asked of me. I have no doubt that my skills and experiences can be extrapolated to the needs of the First Year Class in running the class funds. I look forward to listening to your ideas and being the person you count on.
Candidates for Social Chair (2 positions available):
Courtney Chou: No longer running for office.
David Colen:
I believe it was Darwin who once said, "work hard, play hard." This maxim defines the evolutionary spirit that has taken us to the top of the food chain. For thousands of years, Homo sapiens has relied on this "work hard, play hard" attitude to triumph over the most challenging obstacles; be it evading a saber-tooth tiger or barely passing an anatomy exam. Man is a social animal, an animal that if caged up in the Claude Moore library for too long, will begin to gnaw on his own leg and have hallucinations of his cadaver coming to life. Don't let this happen to you.
For this reason, I ask for your support in my campaign to make the class of 2013, the coolest class in school. It is vitally important that we blow off the proverbial "steam" after exams, quizzes, or even just CTS lab; lest we go insane. I am a very motivated person (especially when my motivation is a party) and I look forward to the opportunity to help everyone celebrate every possible occasion in Med School, even if its just with a simple high five (I love to give high fives and am really good at it, so hit me up). As a recent UVa graduate, I can say that I know Charlottesville like the dorsum of my hand and believe that my experience will be invaluable in putting together a diverse social schedule. I even have some friends in the nursing and ed schools, so I hope to put some mixers together. Long story short, I hope you trust me to take care of our social planning for the year; you won't regret it.
Sonny Duong:Hello. I would like to be a social chair because I think we should all hang out and have fun. If you elect me, I will install ice cream dispensers in mullholland lounge, if that's legal. Also, I will convince the school to let us have an allotted nap time after lunch. Hah, that's a joke. No but really, I went here for undergraduate and I am familiar with some of the fun things to do around here, which helps. I enjoy organizing parties and will make Halloween and New Year's the best parties in the world. I also have in mind some other fun class activities we could do, like:
A trip to Carter's Mountain for Apple Picking
Video Game Tournament!
Football tailgates and Basketball games
Barbecues and potlucks
Board Game nights
"Who's line is it anyway" Improv night
A series of 1st year/2nd year challenges..in anything!
Karaoke nights
After-exam celebrations
Friendly interclass sports tournaments (wiffle ball, Frisbee, anything)
Want something not on that list? I will make sure to make myself open and approachable to everyone's ideas. And if you don't elect me, I'm still open and approachable to your ideas because we should all hang out and have fun.
Brian Mahon:
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of socialization in the history of our medical school.
Five score years ago, a great American [Henry Mulholland], in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Socialization Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of medical students who had been seared in the flames of withering loneliness. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their studying.
But one hundred years later, the medical student still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the medical student is still sadly crippled by the manacles of faculty and the chains of staff. One hundred years later, the medical student lives on a lonely island of debt in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the medical student is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to UVa to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, even women, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Levity." It is obvious today that our medical school has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her students are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, UVa has given medical students a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient FUNds."
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.Elect me and make this dream a reality.Jason Nellis:
I am running for Social Chair of the 2013 UVA SOM Class for several reasons. First, the current social chairs did an amazing job of organizing events to not only introduce us to Charlottesville, but to help our class grow closer. By using them as a model, serving as a social chair will allow me to give back to my class. I believe that forming these connections not only proves important in medicine, but also is a crucial part of being human.
My goal as social chair would be to help improve the ties within the 2013 class, and help my class make more connections with other classes. Furthermore, social events should also integrate the faculty and other health professionals to support forming relationships that could allow us to have mentors throughout our continuous medical education.
My previous experiences as social chair for my lacrosse team and serving as a social chair for Terpcorps, a group dedicated to connecting different service groups, have already taught me important lessons in how to effectively bring people together. With my knowledge, I will ensure that the variety of events will include everyone to come participate and that there will be an event for everyone to enjoy.
Last, I want everyone to have fun. Medical school is very stressful and demanding requiring much hours of hard work. However, after finishing the work, there is always time to relax and have fun. Nothing is better than having a great time with your class and sharing new experiences. I've already been having a blast with my classmates and would love to help arrange events for everyone using not only my experience, but also the input from my class.
Christina Portal:
Charlottesville and UVa have so many great things to offer. Apple picking at Carter's Mountain, Final Fridays at the art museum (free hor'dourves and cocktails!), stargazing at the Observatory, wine festivals, great bars for Grand Rounds, and Foxfields. I event planned in undergrad here so sadly, I thought all the bus rental companies, party locations, and free activities which I have stored in my brain from college would slowly be replaced by anatomy. Nope! I realized I can just use them all again in medical school! I would love to organize events for the class so we can better get to know each other and enjoy downtime when we have it. As class social chair, I would try to plan a variety of events from large post-exam celebrations to smaller more low key events around town. I see class of 2013 trips to the rope sing on the Rivanna, great hikes, Lighting of the Lawn, downtown theater performances, and weekend trips to DC or the beach. Heck, sometimes we don't even have to go anywhere - who doesn't love a good theme party?
University-wide Positions (position descriptions) Candidates for Honor Council Representative:
Timothy Huber:
I would like to be your medical school representative on the Honor Council. Professors and students take the Honor System seriously, and I think ensuring its integrity is crucial. My training in philosophy and ethics will help me to be a better representative on the Council. It is important to have the perspectives of medical students on the Council, and my background will allow me to represent the Medical School well.
The Honor Code of our school is symbolic of the trust that we have in each other. We must work to educate the student body about the Code so students can act appropriately. If our trust is broken, we have a duty to act justly for the sake of all parties involved. Only through proper and fair enforcement of our Honor Code can we hope to maintain the collegial atmosphere that makes the University such a special place.
Before I decided to go into medicine, I was considering a possible career in law and bioethics. This has grown into an interest in the connections between medicine, ethics, and law. I have taken many philosophy courses, and they have helped to shape my thinking of the nature of ethical debate. This will help me convey the thoughts and feelings of the Medical School to the Council, and news from the Council to the Medical School.
The Honor system at UVA is a very special thing. It engenders a community of trust within the student body and between students and teachers. We need representatives who will work to enforce the current Honor Code and to educate the student body as to their rights and responsibilities under that code. As your representative on the Honor Council, I will do both of these. I will also work to see that the Council's actions are in accord with the principles of humanism, neutrality, and compassion that are so important to our medical ethics.
Thank you.
Tim Huber
Taylor Richardson:
Thank you for the opportunity to run for an Honor Committee seat from the School of Medicine. Although a first year medical student, I have been involved with the University of Virginia's Honor system as a support officer for the last three years as an undergraduate. In that time, I served as an Honor Advisor where I worked with students who were being investigated for Honor offences. In my role, I provided confidential support, information, and advice to these students during what is often an emotionally difficult and time consuming process. In all, I have worked on ten investigations, seven trials, and five appeals; allowing me to gain considerable experience.
This election is also unique, in that it is replacing a vacant seat half-way through the normal term of the Honor Committee. For this reason, I feel that my experience with the system will allow me to quickly become oriented and begin working effectively with the rest of the Committee members who have been seated since last April.
As a committee member you are expected to take part in regular case processing and also oversee and improve the current system and its by-laws. Priorities that I foresee for the coming year and that are currently being pursued include:
+ Reaching out to student groups that have traditionally felt underrepresented by the Honor system or who have traditionally expressed unfamiliarity with the system (i.e. athletes, international students)
+ Maintain close relationships to faculty departments, especially those who have traditionally felt less comfortable using the Honor system
+ Ensuring that students are realizing and receiving tangible benefits from living in a unique community of trust (i.e. flex exams, benefits from Corner merchants)
As graduate and specifically medical students, we often may find ourselves at a distance from the rest of the University and also Honor. However, if elected, I would hope to bridge that gap and provide ways for medical students to get involved, explore their own opinions about "honor", and hopefully realize the benefits that I truly believe the University of Virginia's Honor system brings each day.
Brett Pettett: no statement submitted
Candidates for Student Council Representative:
Erik Criman:
Dear Classmates,
At the University of Virginia, we are daily blessed with opportunities to effect meaningful change. We are fortunate to find ourselves in a place that respects us for being the big girls and boys that we are-and that largely treats us, along with our opinions, as such. Having spent four years as an undergraduate here, I can not only testify to the veracity of the above but also vouch for the University's Student Council as another means by which we can leave our mark on grounds. Every school at UVA is represented in this forum (yes, all nine of them) and the dean's office has trusted Student Council (or "StudCo" for short) to make an impact. Beyond the five hundred thousand dollars that the all-student CIO (Contracted Independent Organization) committee manages annually for clubs at UVA, this year StudCo is providing water at all home football games in excess of ninety degrees. Suffice it to say that StudCo provides real opportunity to better this place-I promise that I won't use a Jefferson quote to close this paragraph.
I provide this brief synopsis of what Student Council is because the position of "Student Council Representative" is NOT about the representative. Rather, it is about the diversity of opinion from which that individual hails. It is about ensuring that the voices of those furiously studying while the representative is stuck in a protracted StudCo meeting are not muted. All you need to know about me is that I love the University of Virginia (even when it hurts-usually on football Saturdays) and would like nothing more than to see it bettered. There are a lot of very smart people in our class and in our school. It would be a distinct privilege to carry your thoughts, complaints, suggestions, etc. to the greater University community. In this, I can promise to be casual, concise, and competent. As your representative, I will strive to be good and to be good at it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for your consideration!
Respectfully,
Erik Criman
Mulholland Society Positions (position descriptions)
Candidates for Mulholland Secretary:
Kathleen Cardinale:
I have been looking for an opportunity to get more involved with my class and my school, and I think this is a perfect way to step into a more active role. I have some experience with leadership as the treasurer, then president of a club at my undergraduate university and by designing and implementing research projects at NIH (including grant and manuscript writing). I am responsible and professional, and believe I would be an excellent spokesperson for our student body through correspondence with faculty and staff. Through meticulous but concise note-taking I can ensure transparency of the discussions and decisions made by the Mulholland Society so that you know you are being properly represented.
Candidates for Mulholland Community Service Co-Chair:
Evan Mulvihill:
Hey everyone! This is Evan Mulvihill and I'm writing to tell you all why I'm interested in serving as the Community Service Chair for the Mulholland Society. By enrolling in medical school, we have all devoted the next four years of our lives to gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to eventually serve people in very specialized (or general) manners. While we are obviously far from developing all of those skills, I think we still have a responsibility to ourselves and to our community to leave the Claude-Moore-bubble and become visible in the surrounding Charlottesville community. The way I see it, serving the community as medical students is an important step in humanizing medicine and, as a result, developing a relationship between community members and whatever physicians they might see in the future.
One reason I'd be a good Community Service Chair is that after spending four years as an undergrad at UVA I have a decent grasp of the needs of the Charlottesville community. More important, though, is the fact that I recognize that I do not know even close to everything about this town. As Community Service Chair, it will become incredibly important for me not to just plan awesome service events, but for me to plan them with the input of my classmates. There are people in our class who were born and raised in Charlottesville while there are others who are still figuring out how to get to the Downtown Mall. There are people in our class who will have tons of input about possible events while others will be happy just to show up and get their hands dirty. My goal as Community Service Chair is to incorporate the great ideas and the wealth of knowledge and man-(and woman)-power in our class to plan effective events that we can all enjoy.
Thanks for your consideration!
Evan Mulvihill
Candidates for Webmaster:
Eve Privman:
I have experience with designing websites and ferreting out HTML
issues. If you want to see an example of a website I helped design,
please see www.improvVIP.com which is the website for my old improv
troupe in Rochester, NY. I rarely leave the house without my laptop,
so I know how important a good, up-to-date website can be. My other
main duty will be running elections. I am organized and trust-worthy
enough to handle that, for sure. I have run elections for my
undergraduate Greek organization multiple times, so I also have
experience in that regard. Before I take office, I will be sure to
speak to prior webmasters to ensure that I am fully aware of all of my
responsibilities, so that I can learn from their experiences with the
position. Thank you for your consideration!
Candidates for Student Advocacy Committee (2 positions):
Emily Kinsey:
Throughout our years of medical school many of us will be faced with abuse. Be it from our fellow classmates, physicians, professors, or even patients, this ill-treatment should be addressed immediately. Abusive acts can debilitate a person, and they can handicap us from succeeding. When the abuser is a person of authority, such as a professor or attending physician, we may be too scared to seek help. The victim may think that their grade or reputation will suffer if they expose the perpetrator. We need to find solutions to these problems. Students who are victims of abuse, or think they might have been mistreated, should be able to come to the student advocacy committee representative for advice and help.
I would like to be a member of the Student Advocacy Committee in order to address these important issues. I understand the seriousness of these issues and the extreme importance of confidentiality. I would not only attend the committee meetings, but I would propose ideas to fight racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, and any other form of discrimination at UVA. I have experience with facing these issues through my work as a facilitator for a multicultural education class where I led a small group discussion on these sensitive and personal topics. I also counseled many young girls about personal issues for the summer of 2006. My goal as a representative would be to make it known that I am trustworthy and understanding, so each one of you would feel comfortable coming to me with any concern.
Krisztina Moldovan:
We live in historic times: the first black president of the US was elected, for the first time a Latina was appointed to the Supreme Court. Even though these are unprecedented achievements, there is still a lot of tension regarding racial and sex discrimination issues in our society. Given my own background, I have a deep understanding of these issues and a sincere desire to represent and fight for the rights of every single student in our class regardless of race, sex or sexual orientation.
As first year medical students, these four upcoming years might be the most important years of our lives, as they will represent the basis of all future achievements. It is up to us to make these years as useful, enjoyable and productive as we possibly can. For this very reason, I think it is imperative that we make sure that the needs of each student in our class are met and that everybody has an opportunity to work and learn in an environment where they feel safe, respected, and valued.
As a Student Advocacy Committee Representative I would work to make sure that each medical student is treated as a valuable member of the medical team, no matter how far removed we are from the top of the hierarchy. I would also strive to be as approachable and available as I possibly can to fellow students, and make sure that any unprofessional or offensive treatment that a student experiences is addressed in a fair, unbiased, and fully confidential manner.
Lastly, I just want to say that it has been such an amazing experience meeting and getting to know all of you over the past month, and I would consider it such a privilege to be chosen to work with you further during the next four years.
Ryland Salsbury:
We are all extremely dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled. Individually, we have put ourselves into position to become medical students at UVa. Together, we have come to these hallowed halls to learn from a wonderful faculty and from one another in order to become the best physicians that we can be. Each day in our lives is filled with activities that further these goals, be it lecture, laboratory, clinical rotation, or simply unwinding from it all. Every student is given the opportunity to learn and shall not be denied such an opportunity by any person, especially at a school that has such pride in its' students and their moral code as UVa.
In order to hold up a high moral code and protect our opportunity to learn, I intend to become a representative on the Student Advocacy Committee. In this way, I can help to protect us as students from vicious attacks on our learning, be it from verbal abuse, discrimination, or harassment. Any type of unprofessional behavior, whomever it may come from, will not be an obstacle to our mission while we are here at UVa. It is for this reason why the Student Advocacy Committee exists.
That is why I am drawn to the Student Advocacy Committee. I want to be on the front lines to protect all of us as students and give our future patients the benefit of being treated by physicians who were supported throughout medical school. None of our patients should be denied any bit of our care because of some atrocious abuse in medical school. I want all of us, patients and students, to benefit from a safe environment. That is why I wish to become your Student Advocate. I look forward to protecting our opportunities to learn so that others may benefit from our knowledge and skill.
Candidates for Student Medical Education Committee:
Daryl Banton:
Hello fellow classmate, I'll make this brief. I already overanalyze the curriculum, how it's taught, and how the class reacts to it so naturally I would like to be the SMEC officer. Vote for me.
Ali Hemyari:
I am interested in running for this position because I believe that I can be an integral part of our education here at the University of Virginia. I have always been interested in how medical knowledge is passed on from the previous generation of physicians to the new generation, and I hope that I will help our class gain the most from what we can. Medical school is like drinking from a fire hydrant, and I'll try my best to find out ways in which we can funnel in that information.
While I don't have previous experience in a pedagogically oriented committee, I do have prior experience working as a representative of several student-run committees and organizations. As an undergraduate, I was the secretary and programs chair of UVA's branch of IEEE, an Electrical Engineering professional association. I was also the co-chair of the Diversity Committee, a branch of the student government at the University of Virginia. I know that results come from hard work put in by each member of that committee and I am committed in doing my part to improve everyone's medical education, including my own.
I am highly organized and try to always look at problems from a different perspective. Our class of 2013 is an example of how medical education is changing to cover a wider spectrum of students: we have less students coming from strictly biological sciences as their undergraduate majors, and more students coming from other disciplines. As an Electrical Engineering graduate, I understand that not everyone comes from the same background, and I will always consider that when making suggestions for how to improve our education here at UVA.
Ali Hemyari
Class of 2013
Justin Mutter:
I would be delighted and privileged to serve as the representative for the Class of 2013 to the Student Medical Education Committee (SMEC). As the practice of medicine has changed over the years in response to therapeutic and technological advances, the organization of medical education has evolved in tandem. I firmly believe that these last few years and the immediate years ahead together represent a critical period for progress in medical education in the United States. Health reform from Washington may bring new emphases to medical practice, and it may also de-emphasize older aspects of clinical medicine. Medical education will need to stay abreast of these transformations. These are exciting, and perhaps also challenging, times in which to begin a medical career.
As we all know, the UVa School of Medicine will institute its comprehensive curriculum reform next year, and has already initiated a few changes this year. I would be delighted to help bring your voices to the table, in conversation with our student colleagues as well as with faculty, regarding current, pending, and yet-unconsidered improvements to the SOM's educational experience. Prior to medical school, I worked in international public health and national health policy settings, and studied in an allied health discipline (history of medicine). With this background, I hope that I could serve as an effective representative for our class, not only for improving our experience in the medical sciences, but also for further developing the social issues in medicine course and other aspects of our education that concern the wider context of medical practice.
Krisztina Moldovan:
One of the things that initially drew me to the University of Virginia School of Medicine was the sense of change and transformation that the students and faculty seemed to continuously partake in. Every student I encountered spoke so positively about the willingness of the administration to not only listen to students' input, suggestions and complaints about the curriculum, but also to quickly and efficiently implement changes based on these suggestions. I believe that it is this willingness to improve and reinvent oneself that keeps our school and our curriculum so vibrant and relevant to the present state of medical education.
I would truly love to play a part in the continuous development and improvement of our medical school curriculum by serving as your 1st Year Student Medical Education Committee (SMEC) representative. I think our class can not only work to maintain and build upon the parts of our curriculum which we are most fond of, but can also transform and change those aspects we are less pleased about, improving the medical education and experience not only for the class of 2013 but also for future classes of UVa students. Especially at the present time, when our school is about to embark on a major revision of the medical school curriculum, switching over to an organ-system based, integrated learning approach, I believe that our input and involvement is essential to our school's administration.
I know most of you already have many opinions and ideas about all aspects of our curriculum and classes. If selected as the 1st year SMEC representative, I will work very hard at voicing all of these opinions and suggestions, those related to me on an individual basis, and also those communicated through the SACs, with an effort to bring on improvements as quickly as possible. I will also strive to keep each of you updated on the activities and discussions of the SMEC Executive Committee and the Principles of Medicine Committee.
The essence of change lies in believing that change is possible. Small steps, small interventions can lead to major changes, which in turn are the igniting force of progress. I would be truly honored if you would select me as your representative in our class' efforts to make this progress possible.