University of Virginia Health System

 
Nicholas Farber 

It would be an honor to represent the 2012 Class of the School of Medicine as President. As President I would love to be an advocate for my fellow classmates within the Mulholland Society, at the Practices of Medicine committee meetings, and on the Student Medical Education Committee. I will strive to make our voices heard by representing both the positive aspects of our medical education, and especially, the changes and improvements we would like to bring about. I will endeavor to provide an open atmosphere of communication and cohesiveness for our class, creating a positive learning environment we can all enjoy. The concerns of our class will be my focus and alleviating them my main objective. We are all here to get a great education and to become the amazing doctors we know we can be. I simply want to assist in that process for the whole SMD 12 class and make sure we can obtain our goals. It would be an honor to represent my class as President and I hope to be granted that honor. 

Juan Giugale 

The combination of my undergrad experiences here at UVA, volunteer/research experiences in Charlottesville and abroad gives me a unique ability to pursue my primary objective, should I be elected as your class president: to ensure that every single one of my classmates has the tools she or he needs to succeed. I will spare no effort to improve the curriculum, the support systems, financial aid, and the learning environment that will mold us all into top-class physicians. From interest groups to intramural sports, volunteering opportunities to long nights at the Health Sciences Library, I will always be among you, I will always be available, I will always be open to suggestions. My commitment is to make your voices be heard and to be your biggest advocate. Thank you in advance for all your support.

 
Tina Ho 

At UVA, I am privileged to be part of a close-knit community within which I desire to take an active role. As your Class President, I can offer several important individual assets; three of them are:

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Class President encompasses many obligations, most notably heading the class fundraising of $14,000 for the EBSP event and leading and serving as a liaison for 145. At W&M, I was an officer for a philanthropy that raises tens of thousands of dollars annually and other organizations with membership extending to hundreds of students. Furthermore, I served as a student representative to college-wide committees and the Board of Visitors. I understand the responsibilities of Class President and have the experience to execute them.

DEDICATION

My tenacious work ethic propels me in any endeavor I take on, even rancing on the Lawn. I also understand the need for accessibility and approachability and am committed to knowing each of you to best serve your interests.

VISION

I am not ready to settle for the status quo. I will promote opportunities to make SMD '12 the best class we can be. I will work to create activities that support our stress relief and class unity, such as service projects (danceathons, other philanthropic fundraisers) and social events (refreshment study breaks, tabs at Charlottesville venues), and tackle our widespread concerns like the class listserve email volume.

With an experience-dedication-vision trifecta that always works fo' sho', TINA HO is the way to go!

Thank you for your support!

Scott A. Wallace 

Gustavo Elias 

Throughout orientation and the past three weeks of medical school, I have been blessed to get to know many people from the class of 2012, all with something special to offer.  We heard throughout orientation that we are one of the most accomplished medical school classes in recent history at the University of Virginia, both inside and outside of the classroom.  These past few weeks have done nothing but solidify these facts.  It would be an honor and a privilege to represent this class as Vice President.  I would come into office with my ears open, carefully listening to your thoughts, opinions, and ideas and with your help, mold them into the accomplishments that will help define our class.  I will support all of my fellow class officers in their duties and represent our class with dignity and valor both within the Medical School and the greater community of Charlottesville.  And yes, I will spend those extra hours soaking up formaldehyde to help us all prepare for our anatomy practical exams.  A vote for me is a vote for our class achieving great things this year.  I appreciate your support, thank you.

Kaelyn Krook

For those of you I have not had the opportunity to formally meet, my name is Kaelyn Krook and I hail from the arctic tundra of northern Michigan. It would be my honor to represent the Class of 2012 as your Mulholland society vice-president. If elected your vice-president, I will fill the important role of supporting our future president in all of his or her duties, as well as organizing the anatomy lab practice exam for the much feared anatomy midterm that is approaching. As a retired respirator-user, I can assure you that a little formaldehyde will not stand in my way of organizing the practical. In addition to these roles, I am eager to hear any and all ideas, comments, complaints or suggestions that you may have and I vow to work tirelessly to give all 145 of you a voice. I appreciate your support! 

 
Grace Milad

My philosophy on leadership embraces the idea that a leader is a servant. As Vice President, I would work with the President to serve as a liaison between our class and the faculty and administration. Being on the Anatomy SAC, I am also at an advantageous position to create and organize the most beneficial practice practicals, incorporating your feedback and suggestions into action. In undergrad, I was president of a Christian student organization, a site leader for an international trip and a teaching assistant-all experiences that developed my teamwork and leadership skills in different ways.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'm ready to listen and ready to start working for you and with you! ?

Jonathan Abelson 

 
Chris Bailey 

We are lucky to be at a school where the student government plays such a proactive role in serving the student body. That being said, most of the things that the Mulholland Society provides to make our lives as medical students easier depend on a well balanced budget.

I realize few people love budgeting, but at the risk of revealing more of my nerdish nature than I should, I actually like fundraising and managing money. It's true. I enjoy tracking past expenses and making predictions on how to best allocate assets for future spending. As an undergraduate, a flair for finance helped me raise money for NGOs to sponsor medical humanitarian trips. As a medical student I would love to use these same fundraising skills to make sure we have the cash we need for projects, opportunities, and social events that will make our lives more enjoyable during our first year together in medical school.

The service the Mulholland Society provides is a big part of what makes UVA such a great place to be a medical student. A chance to participate in a student government with such an active voice was a major factor in my decision to come to here. Basically if you vote for me, "all of your wildest dreams will come true."

Randy Goldberg 

The University of Virginia was one of the first medical schools to pioneer a complete pass/fail system for their students.  Why did they implement this?  Because they wanted to reduce the amount of stress that the students experienced.  Yet, even with this system, many of us spend an extreme amount of hours at the library daily, resulting in much unwanted anxiety.   In the spirit of the University of Virginia’s revolutionary curriculum, I too want to reduce the pressure in your everyday life.  Whether it be every Thursday at Grand Rounds, or other events scattered throughout the year, I want to help organize events for our whole class.  These will not only serve to reduce stress but also to increase the already strong camaraderie that we share. 

Throughout orientation, and every weekend since then, I have not missed a social event.  I feel this gives me a great perspective as to what aspects of the events were successful, and how we could go about increasing class-wide participation.  One of my ideas is to try to get specials at Grand Rounds due to the large percentage of the crowd the medical school represents.  However, this isn’t my only idea, like a class movie night in Jordan Hall (while recording the lectures I’ve learned some tricks), and I am also very approachable for those that have suggestions.  No matter who is elected social chair, I am certain our class will continue to thrive as a group, and hopefully, I will be in position to help further that progress.  Either way, I’m sure I’ll see you at Zydaco. 
 

Bob Hsia 

Those of you who know me know that I'm a friendly and fun-loving guy, obvious qualities desired in a social chair, but there are many other things you want to look for in a social chair that might not be as obvious.  Planning out good parties and events takes more organization and effort than you'd think.  I've had experience as social chair for my fraternity and was social chair when I worked as an engineering intern (if you think about it, getting a bunch of engineering nerds to go out and party is pretty similar to getting a bunch of hard-working med school nerds to get away from the books.  And don't deny you're a nerd, we all are…)  I'm also willing to live on the edge of the pass/fail border in order to spend extra time ensuring you have the best possible med school social experience.  As social chair, I will plan awesome parties and road trips, peer pressure med students into going out when they had no intention of leaving their anatomy notes for the night, and think of devious ways to get med students to break up with their significant others to increase the number of med students who are single… and ready to mingle.  If these are the kinds of things you want your social chair to bring to the position, then vote for me as one of your SMD12 social chairs!

Nosheen Reza 

Sam Zhao 

As your social couch, I will do my best to plan activities that will be fun for everyone. In addition to coordinating Grand Rounds, the Halloween Party, and the New Year's Party, I would like to have events like apple picking at Carter's Mountain, hiking in the Shenandoah National Park, playing broomball at the Charlottesville Ice Park, taking a trip to Monticello, and even watching a movie in the AFC hot tub (it seats over 50 people). I am open to suggestions as well, and I welcome any ideas you might have. However, you may not take naps on the social couch.

I promise, if elected as social couch, to continue carrying my camera around at all times. As long as you come to the social events, rest assured that the next four years of your life will be VERY well documented. And just as you can't get rid of that beer stain on your couch at home, you won't be able to prevent me from showing all of these photos, good and bad, at our ten-year reunion.

Ehsan Benrashid

After graduating a couple years ago, I landed a job as a lab tech, which was gravy until various work-related issues arose in the entire lab and research building, some due to hospital policy, etc. Unfortunately, there wasn't any real mechanism to induce actual change, never mind the fact that people weren't very receptive to the idea of it. Consequently, a lot of my coworkers ended up frustrated with work, which quickly manifested itself as animosity and inefficiency. It was essentially these past two years in a static work environment that have led to my desire to be involved with advocacy and change in the field of medical education.

I think that my combination of maturity, confidence, and previous teaching and leadership experiences make me a viable candidate for first-year SMEC representative. On a final note, I'd like to encourage everyone to be be cognizant of the fact that our medical education has an immediate impact on the careers of not only ourselves, but our colleagues already involved in the medical profession, as well as those yet to enter. Let's not be complacent in improving the quality of our education. Good luck on exams!

Rajesh Jain

Ultimately, the SMEC first-year representative has one job: to make us more competent doctors through a stronger curriculum. Our curriculum is not perfect, but with your help, I will work towards making it so.

As an undergraduate, I helped lead to changes for the student body. As a writer for the student-run Cavalier Daily, my input led to direct changes in what was happening on campus. For example, I helped facilitate extended library hours during final exams to help ease the stress students were facing. Through these experiences, I have learned to observe aspects that can be improved upon and to listen to any and all of my peers' concerns.

As your first-year SMEC representative, I could be counted on not only to use your final course evaluations to change a course for the following year, but to listen to your mid-course feedback so we can reap the benefits of improved teaching methods. Anatomy serves as a prime example: as the course undergoes huge changes, many of you have concerns about what we are learning and how we are learning. Using your feedback as a guide, I would attempt to eliminate time-consuming, inefficient exercises and give more time to students for independent study. I have ideas for other courses as well and look forward to hearing your feedback about our curriculum. I believe I could substantially improve our curriculum and am asking for your vote to make it happen. Thank you for your support.

Evan Lapinsky 

I am running for 1st-Year SMEC rep and would love the opportunity to represent our class. For those who don't know me, I'm the tall, lanky kid with all the annoying Dartmouth paraphernalia. Yes, it's the coldest place on Earth. No, Meredith Grey was not a classmate of mine (it's a fictional show guys, come on).

Now, I think I would be a good fit as SMEC rep for a couple of reasons. I'm a little bit older than most of our classmates at 26, and I really think that my maturity is one of my most valuable qualities. I know that I would be very comfortable representing our class's interests to the upperclass students, professors, and administrators who oversee SMEC. Additionally, my previous leadership experience both in college and as a healthcare consultant has given me a depth of perspective rare for a 1st year medical student. I've served in roles from freshman representative to manager and president, and I know I've
learned a lot about teamwork and life in the process.

With the business of my statement behind me, here is the main reason I am running. It has only been a month, but it is clear that my classmates are what I love most about UVA med. I also know how vital the quality of our medical education is to our time here and to our careers in the long run. I am ready to be our voice on this most important of issues!

Paul Reynolds 

While it might be a lot of empty words at other schools, I'm convinced after the first few weeks here at UVA that student feedback is an important part of the faculty's decision-making process when they plan course modifications each year. Beyond just the presence of SACs in every class, I have heard from 2nd years that our courses are different in small ways from theirs, and that these were based on suggestions from students.

I've heard a lot of comments from you all already about our classes this year, and I have become really interested in seeing firsthand how these comments can be relayed to the faculty and how curriculum modification really works. I think this will be even more relevant as we continue into second and third year, and I am excited to put my name out there to help relay your suggestions and discuss with others how our school can keep its academic dynamism (relatively, of course... it's still going to be medical school).

I've enjoyed meeting you guys the past few weeks, and I hope you'll put in a vote for me. Thanks.

Colleen Bressler 

Like everyone else who is running for a leadership position has expressed, it would be an honor to represent the first year class to the rest of the medical student body and faculty as Mulholland Society secretary. I think that it is fantastic that our classes' interests are given such a large voice in the student government at such an early time in our medical education. I feel that I have ideas to contribute to the Society on behalf of the first year class; however, I would like to collaborate closely with the SMD 2012 officers. I believe that I have the organizational skills and dedication to meet the tasks head on.

Patti Frost 

Adeeb Aghdassi 

My experiences over the past few years have given me what I believe to be a unique perspective and experience in resolving disputes and bringing together people of differing opinions or beliefs. As an undergraduate I had the opportunity to work with various interfaith/belief groups both in Charlottesville and in my own community where often times the most disparate of groups could come to appreciate the diversity between themselves. Having also worked for a few years in multiple departments of a hospital, both during school breaks and during my year off, I was able witness and experience the dynamic interplay between bosses and workers and ways to institute bilateral communication that promotes an overall better working environment.

While my hope is that none of us will encounter any form of gross mistreatment or abuse during our time here, rest assured that if given the chance, I will make a consecrated effort to work diligently and tactfully to resolve these potentially invasive issues.

Shawna Kettyle

My parents always tried to instill in me a sense of obligation to stand up to injustice in the world, and to protect those who were vulnerable. I have attended lobbying days in DC, gone to the state legislature to attend a hearing about public university student health center pharmacies, and organized events that promote awareness of different groups. I spent two years after undergrad (at William and Mary - Tribe Pride!) working at Georgetown University Hospital, closely affiliated with the medical school. I spent a lot of time talking with the G'town med students, and met the clinicians who are our greatest advocates, as well as the ones we all hear horror stories about... and it isn't always the old white guy. Medical student abuse comes in many forms, and I will work with the advocacy committee to address and counteract it.

As a member of the Student Advocacy Committee, I want to stand up for all of us so that we can receive the best education and training possible. I want to be an open, accepting, and confidential resource for you to bring your concerns to, and I assure you that I will do everything I can to effect change to improve our system.

Matthew Kinney 

Moreover, the position requires the candidate to be approachable by each and every student, tactful in dealing with potentially "messy" situations, and above all confident enough to approach Residents, Attendings, and Professors accused of discriminatory behaviors and demand answers from them.

I believe that I have the qualities and experiences necessary to fulfill the requirements of this position, and work to ensure that each and every medical student is treated fairly. In the past, I have had significant interaction with college administrators working to further curriculum issues. Though it would be a stretch to equate the two roles, I do think I gained valuable experience dealing with "more powerful" figures in the academic hierarchy and making sure my voice was heard. Furthermore, I consider myself to be a very approachable person, and am very empathetic towards the needs of my fellow classmates, whether they be large or small. And I will take this position extremely seriously, so confidentiality will never be an issue.

Ultimately, then, I believe I possess the qualifications to serve as a strong and powerful advocate for the student body against issues of discrimination from other students, faculty, and the hospital staff.

Sharon Rubin 

Working for a large firm gave me the firsthand insight on what it is like to be a woman in a changing (and challenging!) workplace. As students, many of us are not exposed to these issues, but in the workplace there are often blurry lines surrounding discrimination and mistreatment. I will work with the other members of the committee to ensure a positive learning and working environment for us all.

Furthermore, my experience has lent me the ability to distinguish the difference between abuse and simple cases of a demanding workload coupled with managers with a tendency toward perfection. I've learned quite a bit about the chasm between a professional and a superior with a lack of respect or tolerance. I believe that these realizations will help me to best serve as your voice on the Student Advocacy Committee, and I would be honored to have your vote.