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April 2017

OSA News
Graduation Volunteers
Would you like to come to graduation and help out? Graduation will take place on May 18, 2017. We need volunteers between 8:45 am and 1:00 pm! You will receive FREE breakfast and lunch. Email the Office of Student Affairs if you would like to help!

School News & Events
For a listing of all news and events for the School of Medicine, please visit: http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/news/

The Writing Center at UMB
Do you need help with writing a scientific paper or personal statement? Work with the Writing Center’s consultants to get a second pair of eyes to review your written work. They strive to provide a safe and comfortable environment where writers at any stage of the writing process can get feedback on how to become more effective writers. They are available for face-to-face consultations as well as online video/audio session. Check out their website for directions on how to make an appointment and other useful writing resources as well as upcoming events and programs. For further questions, please contact the Writing Center’s director, Dr. Isabell May.

The writing center is also hosting an Educators in Training (EdiT) Spring 2017 Workshop Series: “It’s All about Writing.” Light lunch will be served during each workshop.

Writing for Publication
Thursday, April 6, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
SMC 349
Dr. Cheryl LaRoche will speak about publishing her dissertation as a monograph as well as publishing academic work in a multidisciplinary context with a wide variety of audiences.

Introduction to Blog Writing
Thursday, April 13, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
SMC 351
Malissa Carroll from the School of Pharmacy will speak about reaching different audiences with blog writing.

Writing a Grant Proposal
Thursday, April 20, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
SMC 353
Phallon Perry from the Graduate School will speak about useful tips and strategies for grant writing.

Grant Proposals: What Works Well
Thursday, April 27, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
SON 150
Marilyn Hatza from Maryland Humanities and Dres. Sally Amero and René Etcheberrigaray from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will discuss general selection criteria for successful grant proposals.

UMB Endowed Scholarships
The endowed scholarship application process for students is now open. You can apply directly for these scholarships here: http://www.umaryland.edu/fin/awards/scholarships/.

NHSC Scholarship Program
2017 Application and Program Guidance has the detailed information that you need to apply. Please read carefully before you start your scholarship program application. You can apply to the scholarship program if you are committed to primary care and accepted to or enrolled in an accredited U.S. school in one of the following primary care disciplines:  

  • Physicians (MD or DO)
  • Dentists
  • Nurse Practitioners (post graduate degree with clinical practice focus)
  • Certified Nurse-Midwives
  • Physician Assistants

The scholarship pays tuition, fees, other educational costs, and provides a living stipend in return for a commitment to work at least 2 years at an NHSC-approved site in a medically underserved community.

The Scholarship Program accepts applications once each year. To learn more about how NHSC reviews applications and determines who receives a scholarship, please watch this short video. Applicants chosen to receive the scholarship are notified no later than September 30th. 

Baltimore City Medical Society Foundation, Inc. - Baltimore City Resident Scholarship
Scholarships are awarded annually to medical school students who have Baltimore City as their permanent address and who have completed at least one year at an accredited United States medical or osteopathic school. Persons qualifying for these scholarships must have lived in Baltimore City for a minimum of three years while attending high school. For more information on the application, please visit: Baltimore City Resident Scholarship

in-Training
in-Training, the online magazine for medical students, is looking for medical students of all class years to submit articles and essays about their experiences in medicine for peer-edited online publication. We are also accepting applications for medical student editors, a managing editor, social media managers, and graphic designers.

  • For potential writers: With an emphasis on humanism in medicine, in-Training is run entirely by medical students and serves as an outlet for budding physician-journalists and writers at all medical schools around the globe. They are seeking articles on any topic relevant to the medical student community, including reflections, opinions, policy, research, poetry and art. Please fill out the interest form if you are interested in contributing. 
  • For potential editors: in-Training is looking for medical student editors to join our 40-member Editorial Board, as well as a supervising managing editor. If you are interested in editing and working with a dynamic staff to produce in-Training, please contact us at editorinchief@in-training.org
  • For graphic designers and social media managers: If you have experience with graphic design or social media and are interested in producing a new mobile app for in-Training, please contact in-Training at editorinchief@in-training.org.

ACOEM's Inaugural Residency Fair
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) cordially invites medical students to attend our inaugural Residency Fair, which is being held in conjunction with the American Occupational Health Conference (AOHC) in Denver April 23-27, 2017. To register, please visit: http://www.acoem.org/aohc.aspx

Class of 2017

Match Survey
OSA would like for you to fill out a survey about your match experience. To complete the survey, please visit: https://goo.gl/forms/c79F5iPvcYs0ev0x2

Graduation
Ceremony/Procession: 
The graduation ceremony will take place between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm on Thursday, May 18, 2017, at the Hippodrome Baltimore located at 12 N. Eutaw St. Baltimore, MD 21201. Students should arrive at the M&T Pavilion (which is part of the Hippodrome) no later than 9:00 am to line up with their class. Our procession will start promptly at 9:30 am, so it is important for you to be in line and in the appropriate order. There will be chairs in the M&T Bank Pavilion with your names on them. Please find your chair when you arrive. There will be a light lunch following the ceremony.

Tickets: Graduation tickets are available for pick-up in the Office of Students Affairs. The maximum is 9 total tickets. (Don’t forget that one of the tickets is for you.) Please leave the tickets you will not be using for your classmates. Waitlist tickets are available.

Wheelchairs: Please let OSA know if you will need wheelchair seating for your guests. Wheelchair seating is limited and must be reserved.

Hearing Impaired: If you or someone from you guests needs a sign language interpreter, please contact OSA as soon as possible. 

Regalia/Graduation Accessories: Any student that is participating in graduation is required to wear a cap and gown. Please visit https://oakhalli.com/colleges/umaryland to order regalia. To order, please follow these instructions:

Click on 'Doctoral Regalia'
Click on 'All Other Doctoral Degrees'
Click on Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Fill in your height and weight and click 'Add to Cart'

The deadline is May 4, 2017. 

Graduation Fair: The graduation fair will be on April 4th from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm outside the University Store in the SMC Campus Center. They will be selling rings, announcements and diploma frames. Announcements, rings etc. can also be purchased from Herff Jones.

Attire: Please dress in business or at least business casual attire. Wear sensible ‘walking’ shoes and arrive in your regalia and tams. Carry your hoods on your left arm. There should be no adornments or embellishments of your regalia. Honor cords should not be worn during the SOM ceremony. You can fit a small cross body purse under the gown. Any larger bags should be given to family members or friends. Coat check will be available.

Campus-Wide Commencement: UMB will hold its University-wide commencement ceremony on Friday, May 19, at 2:00 pm in the Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St. Join Dr. Perman for a Party in the Park before the ceremony from 11:30 am to around 1:00 pm. The procession starts at 1:00 pm. Look for the ‘MEDICINE’ banner. Please see the UMB Commencement website for more information.

Diplomas: Students may claim their diplomas at the end of the university commencement ceremony. Diplomas not claimed at the commencement ceremony may be claimed for a period of two weeks from the Office of the Registrar with a valid photo ID during normal business hours. After the two-week period, the Office of the Registrar will mail any remaining diplomas directly to the students beginning the week of June 5.

Graduation Questionnaire: If your class has 80% completion of the graduation questionnaire, each of you will get a wonderful gift, which has been donated by the Medical Alumni Association. Look for the email message from GQ@aamc.org to get started or email GQ@aamc.org for the link!

Other: If you will NOT be attending the University of Maryland School of Medicine graduation on Thursday, May 18, 2017, please let OSA know.

Class of 2018

Residency Applications
There will be an Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) Tutorial that will take place on May 5th at 1:00 pm in the Taylor Lecture Hall. Please plan to attend to find out about the residency application service and the National Residency Matching Program. Please be sure to look over the Residency Application Manual. This website has a lot of tips and tricks that will help you during this process. 

CV and Unique Characteristics
Please send your CV to studentaffairs@som.umaryland.edu in PDF format in a file named ‘LastName, FirstName’ by May 15, 2017. A sample CV can be found in the Residency Application Manual. Please complete your unique characteristics bullet points by May 15, 2017. To access your unique characteristics click on the ‘career’ tab on MedScope. A sample can be found there, as well as in the Residency Application Manual - Writing the MSPE. We suggest that you create your bullet points in word and copy and paste into MedScope. Only ‘●’ or numbers can be used. No other special characters can be used.

4th Year Photos
To get your complimentary VSAS/ERAS photo taken, you should report to the Photo and Graphics Group.

Photo and Graphics Group
Bressler Research Building
1st floor, Room 1-009
(Beyond Hosick Lecture Hall)
Phone x6-7808 (410-706-7808)
9:30 am – 3:00 pm 
Monday – Friday (Closed between12:00 pm and 1:00 pm)

Call the day you plan to have your shoot to confirm the photographers are available.
Remember to dress professionally. Wear what you would wear to a residency interview.
Your potential, future program directors will be viewing these photos. The background is usually white.
Guys: Please arrive at the photo shoot prepared. Wear your jacket and tie. Shave/get haircuts etc. before the photo shoot.
Ladies: Please dress appropriately for the photo shoot. Most students wear shirts (not low-cut) and jackets. The photographers can’t completely re-touch your hairstyle, so come with your hair looking very nice.
Everyone: Scrubs are not appropriate.
Also, the photographers are very busy…No re-shoots!
Don’t wait until the last minute!

Visiting Externship in Internal Medicine for URM Students Sidney Kimmel Medical College Philadelphia
This rotation provides an opportunity for underrepresented minority students to have a month-long clinical experience in the Department of Medicine at Jefferson where they can get to know the institution, department, and residency program. This opportunity is for students who anticipate applying for a residency in internal medicine. This rotation may be done in the months of June, July, August, or September. For more information, please visit: http://www.jefferson.edu/university/skmc/departments/medicine/residency/resident-resources.html

2017 Minority Senior Scholarship Program at Children’s National Health Center in Washington, DC
The goal of this scholarship is to expose senior medical students from minorities underrepresented in medicine to careers in academic pediatrics. Applications are due by April 30th. For more information, please visit: https://childrensnational.org/research-and-education/healthcare-education/medical-student-education/minority-senior-scholarship-program

The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Diversity in Medicine Visiting Student Scholarship
The Diversity in Medicine Visiting Student Scholarship is an opportunity for qualified underrepresented (URM) students to participate in clinical electives in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Internal Medicine. Participants will interact with residents and faculty and will receive mentorship from the members of the Brown Minority Housestaff Association (BMHA). For more information, please visit: https://www.brown.edu/academics/medical/diversity/office-diversity-and-multicultural-affairs/diversity-medicine-visiting-student-scholarship

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)Underrepresented in Medicine Visiting Student Program
The MUSC Underrepresented in Medicine Visiting Student Program provides financial support to 4th-year students attending a U.S. medical school who are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. For more information, please visit: http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/com/education/diversity/programs/Underrepresented%20in%20Medicine%20Visiting%20Student%20Program

Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) Visiting Elective Program
The Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) Visiting Elective Program is looking for applications to participate in one four-week elective. In addition, applicants should demonstrate a background and experience in activities related to providing care to the underserved as well as reducing health inequities. For more information, please visit: https://mddiversity.wustl.edu/educational-programs/visiting-medical-students/

UAB School of Medicine Research Fellowship
UAB Orthopaedic Surgery is offering a one-year research program for medical students interested in applying for orthopaedic residency. For more information, please visit: http://www.uab.edu/medicine/surgery/orthopaedics/education-training/research-fellowship

Class of 2019

Student Council Elections
If you are interested in a Student Council or 2019 Class Council position, please send the Office of Student Affairs a paragraph statement that will be included in the election information by Friday, April 14, 2017, at 5:00 pm. Students must be in good academic standing and must maintain a minimum level of academic performance in order to continue in an elected role. For more information about the academic requirements, please click here: http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/osa/handbook/Student-Activities/Student-Government/ If you are unsure if you are able to run, please email OSA. We will verify your eligibility. Depending on interest, we will hold elections on MedScope. Please feel free to email OSA with any questions about specific duties.

Reminders and Events

April 4, 2017
Class of 2017
Graduation Fair
12:00 - 6:00 pm
SMC Campus Center

April 4, 2017
AOA's Annual Theodore E. Woodward Lecture
5:00 pm
Davidge Hall