The following column was written by UNMC medical students Ryan Boyland and Austen Washington.
In December, we attended the Regional Medical Education Conference (RMEC) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. RMEC is sponsored by the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), an organization committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students and addressing the needs of underserved communities, and our attendance at RMEC was motivated by a desire to establish a local chapter of SNMA here at UNMC.
For years, students and faculty have discussed restarting our own chapter. (See sidebar from alumnae.) After we attended RMEC, the value and utility of such an organization at UNMC became even more apparent to us.
The theme for the weekend was “Legends Outlive Moments: Inspiration from Our Past; Vision for Our Future.” As each speaker took the podium, the truth in this statement shone clear. We were treated to lectures from past and present changemakers in the field of medicine, both at various local levels as well as the national level. We heard from Priscilla Mpasi, MD, who discussed her experience being at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia and her experience with treating children and combatting medical misinformation, with communities of color in particular. There also was a powerful talk given by Michellene Davis, who spoke about the value of leading the fight for health equity from a legislative level. But perhaps most moving were the anecdotes from various speakers chronicling their hardships and triumphs dealing with racism in medicine and how they overcame these obstacles.
The overwhelming number of shared experiences discussed, and connections formed illuminates the most critical benefit of SNMA: the community. Through this community, those who came before us had the opportunity to affect change at their own institutions, which they were then able to translate into statewide or even national improvements to the experiences of medical students, residents, faculty and patients. Even beyond this, in Rochester we were afforded the amazing opportunity of interacting with other students of color from throughout the region. We laughed with them, broke bread with them and learned from them, and we will forever be changed as a result.
SNMA fosters community and collaboration. It encourages us to better ourselves together. And it is this change we hope to bring to UNMC. After attending the RMEC conference, we realized the importance of establishing an SNMA chapter on UNMC’s campus and are attacking the task with renewed vigor. Now, we have momentum. All we need are more people committed to making change and being part of a national community of like-minded individuals.
So, stay tuned. You’ll hear about recruitment drives, mentorship opportunities and more. We hope to have our own UNMC Chapter rolling this spring. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to Ryan Boyland, or Austen Washington with any questions you may have.
To learn more about SNMA, visit the national website.