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Medical Student Council

2023-2024 Student Council Leadership

President – Grace Mendros-Ruffner, MS3

Vice President – Erin Barnes, MS3

Secretary – Paul Lasiter, MS2

Treasurer – Taylor Niznik, MS2

Interest Group Chair – Brandon Holler, MS2

Interdisciplinary Education Chair – Grace Townsend, MS2

Research Chair – Kelsey Allen, MS3

Social Chair – Marianne Kimmell, MS2

Aesculapian Chair – To be announced after the Fall elections.

Travel Scholarships

Guidelines

  • For the purposes of student travel, only students presenting research will be approved for travel scholarships.
  • All travel scholarships approved by Student Council are pending final approval by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
  • Travel documentation must meet or exceed the approved scholarship amount (airfare and hotel are the preferred documents).
  • Travel Scholarships are always reimbursements.
  • Many departments have funds set-aside for medical students who are going to present research on behalf of their department, and we ask that students check with your department before coming to Student Council for funding. If the department is helping to support your trip financially, you are still eligible to apply for Student Council funds as well.

Process

BEFORE FILLING OUT PAPERWORK:

1. Students should ask a related department in the area of research what funding is available to students who are going to present research.

2. Students should obtain written documentation (e-mail, letter, etc.) of allotted departmental funding.

AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO TRAVELING:

3. Students should complete the Travel Scholarship Application available on the All Medial Students - Student Affairs Leo page.

4. Students should upload the completed Travel Scholarship Application to the Travel Scholarship Submission link available on the All Medical Students - Student Affairs Leo page.

PRIOR TO TRAVELING:

5. At the next Student Council meeting (held on the first Tuesday of each month), Student Council members will vote on each applicant as well as the amount of funding.

6. The Student Council Treasurer should print the completed forms and bring them to the Student Council meeting. Immediately following approval, the treasurer should solicit the President’s signature.

7. The Student Council Treasurer will submit all signed Travel Scholarship Applications to the Director of Student Services for final approval.

8. After final approval, the Director of Student Services will e-mail the travel scholarship recipient and Dean’s Office Finance Department with the attachment of:

i. Signed Travel Scholarship Application

ii. Signed Scholarship vs. Wages Designation Form

iii. Blank Scholarship Payment Form

iv. Blank Student Participant Supplier Form

v. Blank Form 3

vi. Instructions for submitting travel documentation

AFTER ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE:

9. Gather required materials and documentation and submit to Dean’s Office Finance.

i. Signed Travel Scholarship Application

ii. Signed Scholarship vs. Wages Designation Form

iii. Signed Scholarship Payment Form

iv. Completed Form 3

v. Travel Documentation (see below)

Travel Documentation

Required

  • Conference Agenda
  • Conference Registration and Receipt
  • Hotel/Lodging Receipt
  • Airfare - Itinerary
  • Airefare - Receipt

Optional (to reach $500 or other scholarship amount)

  • Other transportation receipts (Uber, Taxi, Shuttle, etc.)
  • Toll receipts
  • Parking receipts
  • Baggage receipts

Residency Interest Groups

Anesthesiology

The objective of the AIG shall be to increase the opportunities for students at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine to better learn about and prepare for a career in the field of anesthesiology. The AIG shall promote individual membership in the American Society of Anesthesiologists and Oklahoma Society of Anesthesiologists by acquainting the student body with the ideas, purposes, and objectives of these two organizations.

Dermatology

Inform students about the specialty of Dermatology and provide guidance in earning residency spot for interest students; provide service and research opportunities to students to enhance their educational experience.

Emergency Medicine

The purposes of the Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) are: 

  • Promote and foster student interest in Emergency Medicine (EM) and related fields; 
  • Provide leadership opportunities for students who are interested in EM as a career; 
  • Disseminate information relating to preparing for and applying to an EM residency program; 
  • Disseminate information about current trends in EM as reported in various journals of the field; 
  • Encourage students interested in EM as a career to become student members of national EM organizations 
  • Provide workshops through which students can be introduced to various clinical skills used in EM; and 
  • Secure funding for various workshops and activities.

ENT (Otolaryngology)

The mission of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Interest Group is to:

  1. Serve as a primary source of information to medical students interested in learning more about the field of Otolaryngology, with particular focus on the following:
    1. Educate students, and any other persons who demonstrate interest, about Otolaryngology and its sub-specialties.
    2. Advise students pursuing a career in Otolaryngology about recommended goals to strive toward during each year of medical school.
    3. Assist third- and fourth-year students with the residency application and interview process.
    4. Connect students with faculty and residents in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 
  2. Communicate with the University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Medicine Student Affairs to provide students with updated information regarding opportunities on campus, USMLE score data, NMRP residency application and match data, and so on.
  3. Support the Oklahoma City community through student volunteer efforts as well as healthcare education to increase awareness about diseases relating to the head and neck.

Family and Community Medicine

The purpose of the FCMIG is to:

  • Promote the specialty of family medicine.
  • Provide opportunities for medical students to interact with practicing family physicians.
  • Facilitate presentations that provide medical students with information regarding the practical aspects of medical practice; encourage the development of clinical skills in medical students.
  • Encourage OU medical students to take an active role in state and national organizations that promote the advancement of the medical profession.
  • Foster participation amongst incoming medical students.
  • Promote opportunities for medical students to share their knowledge and skills with members of the community.

Internal Medicine

The purposes of this organization shall be to:

  • Foster professional growth and career development in Internal Medicine.
  • Introduce and educate medical students to the various subspecialties of internal medicine.
  • Promote communication among members and faculty.

Internal Medicine - Pediatrics

The objective of MPIG shall be to increase awareness of and interest in the medical specialty of Internal Medicine-Pediatrics, to contribute to the education of OUCOM students and to provide interactions between medical students and med-peds physicians.

Neurosurgery

The Neurosurgery Interest Group was established by a group of students interested in learning more about the exciting field of neurosurgery. By hosting faculty/resident talks and hands-on workshops, we hope to facilitate discussion about advancements in the field of neurosurgery and what it is like to be a neurosurgeon. We also have an active research group, where students work with residents and attendings on various clinical projects to gain research experience and prepare for the residency application. Students from across the campus, including the Neuroscience graduate school colleagues, are all welcome to join us.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

The purpose of our organization is to introduce medical students to the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology and its subspecialties. Faculty from several of these disciplines will give presentations about their clinical practice as well as their research interests. We will also provide educational resources for medical students and introduce them to faculty for shadowing and research opportunities.

Oncology

The purpose of the Oncology Interest Group will be to:

1) Provide learning and community service opportunities to students interested in multidisciplinary cancer care. Provide students valuable insight into the career options and lifestyles in academic and clinically oriented Oncology.

3) Organize panel discussions in which physicians and researchers are invited to share their experiences in medicine, specifically in the fields of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncology.

4) Organize networking opportunities with faculty members, residents and fellows within the general field of Oncology.

Ophthalmology

The purpose of our organization is to introduce medical students to the field of Ophthalmology and its subspecialties, including Retina, Glaucoma, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Cornea, Oculoplastics, etc. Faculty from several of these disciplines will give presentations about their clinical practice as well as their research interests. We will also provide educational resources for medical and introduce them to faculty for shadowing and research opportunities.

Orthopedic Surgery

The purpose of the Orthopedic Surgery interest group is:

  • To foster interest in the field of orthopedic surgery.
  • To promote opportunities for research involvement.
  • To allow students to meet orthopedic residents and faculty
  • To provide information on training paths and durations

Pathology

The purpose of the organization is to:

  • Promote and cultivate an interest in pathology and its subspecialities
  • Expose students to research opportunities
  • Outline a plan for matching in Pathology residency programs

Pediatrics

The purpose of the organization is to educate students about the field of Pediatrics and provide opportunities for them to gain more exposure to its patient’s and faculty by arranging informational meetings, assigning faculty mentors, and organizing philanthropy events.

Pediatrics Subspecialties

The purpose of this organization is to:

  • Provide student awareness to the vast scope of pediatric specialties available.
  • Act as a consolidated group, representing specialities that may not have the membership numbers to survive as individual interest groups.
  • Provide information regarding the training paths and durations of various fields, i.e. particular fellowships that follow particular residencies.
  • Act as a medium, giving students exposure to physicians in various fields who can provide detailed information now that it takes to match in their respective fields, as well as what their day-to-day life encompasses.
  • Discuss how to match in different specialties, as well as to promote research opportunities.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

The purpose of this organization will be to:

  • Educate students on the medical practice of Plastic surgery
  • Facilitate interaction between medical students and the staff of the Plastic Surgery department
  • Provide students with opportunities and resources to help successfully match into Integrated Plastic Surgery residency programs

Psychiatry

The purpose of this organization is to support student with an interest in psychiatry and mental health. The objectives are as follows:

  • Identify students of the College of Medicine with an interest in psychiatry and mental health
  • Provide an educational forum for students to learn and discuss psychiatry and mental health issues
  • Provide a framework for students to pursue psychiatry and mental health interests in the form of group sponsored projects within the health sciences center and the community
  • Support and contribute to the educational programs of the College of Medicine
  • Promote student involvement in the local, state and national organizations involved in psychiatry and mental health
  • Foster relationships with psychiatry interest groups at other institutions
  • Provide a mentor list for those student interested in establishing a mentor/mentee relationship with a psychiatrist
  • Foster support of research in psychiatry

Radiology

RIG was established with the purpose to educate and inform medical students about the field of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, including information pertaining to research and residency, particularly the IR/DR residencies approved in 2016. RIG is dedicated to providing students with engaging seminars, hands-on demonstrations, research experiences, and networking opportunities within the exciting field of Radiology.

SIGN (Student Interest Group in Neurology)

The purpose of the organization is to provide information by way of speakers and/or workshops on the medical specialty of Neurology and Child Neurology.

Surgery

The purpose of the organization is to:

  • Raise student awareness about all aspects of careers in surgical fields
  • Expose students to research opportunities
  • Outline a plan for matching in General Surgery residency programs

Surgical Subspecialties

The purpose of this organization is to:

  • Provide student awareness to the vast scope of surgical specialties available.
  • Act as a consolidated group, representing specialties that may not have the membership numbers to survive as individual interest groups.
  • Provide information regarding the training paths and durations of various fields, i.e. particular fellowships that follow particular residencies.
  • Act as a medium, giving students exposure to physicians in various fields who can provide detailed information on what it takes to match in their respective fields, as well as what their day-to-day life encompasses.
  • Discuss how to match in different specialties, as well as to promote research opportunities.

Urology

The purpose of the organization is to:

  • Raise student awareness about all aspects of careers in Urology
  • Connect students with mentors within the OU Medicine Department of Urology
  • Expose students to research and presentation opportunities
  • Outline a plan for matching into Urology residency programs

Non-Residency Interest Groups

AMWA (American Medical Women’s Association)

 

APAMSA (Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association)

APAMSA exists to explore the unique challenges and responsibilities specific to Asian Pacific Desi American medical students and physicians. We also work to address the healthcare needs of our community by highlighting disparities in care, access, and prevalence to bridge those gaps for our community and better connect them with the healthcare resources they need.

AWS (Association of Women Surgeons)

The AWS mission is to inspire and support women in all stages of medical training and to inspire, encourage, and enable female surgeons to achieve their personal and professional goals. To that end, the student chapters at medical schools both will facilitate the success of aspiring women surgeons by 1) highlighting practicing role models at local institutions and within the community, 2) providing networking and mentorship opportunities with surgeons and surgical residents, and 3) providing a forum for open discussion and collaboration on strategies related to professional development and the challenges woman surgeons face. Ultimately, this unique focus will provide opportunities in which personal and professional interests, concerns and common experiences can effectively be addressed.

BNGAP (Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians)

BNGAP’s mission is to help diverse medical students and residents become aware of academic medicine as a career option and to provide them with the resources to further explore and potentially embark upon an academic medicine career.

  • Explore academic medicine careers to fit with trainees’ personal and professional interests;
  • Navigate the array of academic medicine career paths and opportunities;
  • Develop and enhance trainees’ academic medicine portfolio;
  • Expand trainees’ network among academic medicine colleagues and role models.

Benjamin Rush Institute

Coming soon.

Christian Medical Dental Association

  • To aid Christian physicians, dentists, medical and dental students, and others in the medical and dental professions to gain mutual strength, encouragement, and blessings to be attained in meeting one another
  • To present a positive witness of God our Father and our Savior Jesus Christ to the medical and dental professions.
  • To emphasize the essential duty and privilege of every Christian to take a definite interest and share in world-wide evangelism.
  • To encourage students in the manner they are called to live as Christian medical and dental professionals that represent our Savior Jesus Christ’s love for mankind.

Environmental & Sustainable Health

The purposes of the organization include, but are not limited to:

  • Promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices in OU-COM and the community.

  • Spreading awareness of environmental health.

  • Engaging students in beautifying their campus and neighborhoods.

  • Forming partnerships with local community sustainability organizations.

  • Providing students with an opportunity of active volunteerism and environmentally-friendly practices/workshops.

Global Health

The purpose of the organization is to promote awareness and inform students about global health issues, while also creating opportunities for international volunteer work.

Life and Medicine

Purpose of the Organization:

  • Promote a balanced lifestyle in medical school and beyond.
  • Provide resources and advice for medical students, significant others, and their families.
  • Act as an inclusive support group.
  • Expose students to physicians who can provide information on how they manage to balance their occupational and personal lives.
  • Run workshops about life balance and couples matching for residency.
  • Organize social events for parents and couples.
  • Set up community service events for students to participate in.

Lumina

Purpose:

  • Lumina is an organization dedicated to supporting the OUHSC lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (hereinafter LGBTQ) community and providing necessary educational and volunteer opportunities on LGBTQ+ health for all students.
  • Within OUCoM, Lumina seeks to increase awareness and visibility of LGBTQ issues by offering AAMC vetted educational resources in LGBTQ health that does not currently exist in the curriculum, fostering an LGBTQ presence in the  OUHSC student body, faculty, and staff, collaborating with other student groups on LGBTQ issues, and promoting LGBTQ resources and programming on campus and in the Oklahoma City area.
  • Lumina seeks to connect students who are interested in research with projects relating to LGBTQ medicine and/or health of LGBTQ populations.
  • Lumina seeks to provide a safe and supportive community for OUHSC students who are LGBTQ or quesitoning. Lumina aims to coordinate social activities for prospective and current students. Lumina offers its members information regarding campus resources and the LGBTQ community of Oklahoma City.

Lumina strives to maintain, promote, and advocate for active discourse on LGBTQ issues at the campus, local, and national levels.

Medical Ethics

The purpose of the Organization includes, but is not limited to:

  • Provide students with an understanding of the ethical principles that govern medical practice

  • Foster a positive discussion concerning the ethical issues medical providers face

  • Connect current healthcare students to healthcare providers and other individuals related to the medical field

Medical Humanities

The purpose of this organization is to promote student interest in the humanities (e.g. philosophy, ethical theory, social aspects of health, narrative medicine, and the history of medicine).  We strive to integrate students from across campus for the purpose of gaining awareness of the importance of humanities in the treatment and evaluation of patients and the conduct of the health professional.

Medical Spanish

The purpose of our organization is to provide Medical Spanish education, materials, and resources to students across the Health Sciences Center campus.  We will also promote awareness of Latino culture and promote healthy lifestyles within local Latino communities through our featured speakers and our participation in Health Fairs throughout the year.

Medical Students for Choice

N/A

Money and Medicine

The purpose of this interest group:

  • To foster medical student interest in money, finance, and business as it pertains to being a physician and working in the medical field
  • To serve as a conduit for the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Student Affairs to promote financial wellness
  • To expose students to financial, business, and economic concepts otherwise absent in traditional pre-medical and medical curriculums
  • To bring medical students into contact with practicing physicians passionate about teaching financial wellness

Musicians on Call

The purpose of this organization is to provide service to the community and healing to ourselves and our patients through music, whether by shared music appreciation or performance. We want to recruit the musical talent on our campus to give back to our community through music.  We will also educate medical and HSC students on the benefits of music through guest speakers, scientific literature review, and personal interaction.

Oklahoma State Medical Association (Student Chapter)

The purposes of the organization will be to educate and promote organized medicine to the medical student body and promote professional career development, create an environment conducive to the discussion of the issues of the day pertaining to healthcare, and to provide a means for the student body to voice their opinions and concerns to be noted and presented by the delegate to the Oklahoma State Medical Association Board of Trustees and the American Medical Association.

OU MedTech

The purpose of the organization is to:

  • Expose research opportunities made possible by medical technologies
  • Explain how various medical technologies are changing clinical practice and the potential benefits and downfalls for the patient
  • Demystify medical technology that is currently established

OUCHA

The mission of the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center Community Health Alliance is a dual effort to:

  • Assist Oklahoma City community clinics in providing quality healthcare to people who are otherwise unable to obtain healthcare.
  • Support the Oklahoma City community through volunteer efforts and healthcare education.

We are a group of Health Science Center students who aim to better the Oklahoma City healthcare system through our volunteer efforts. We hope to help, educate, and empower citizens. The Community Health Alliance will expose students to challenges in providing healthcare with limited resources, and develop more compassionate and empathetic healthcare professionals.

PACE (Peers Advancing Culture and Education)

The Organization seeks to 1) address aspects of culture that lead to burnout and decreased quality of life in medical schools and other educational institutions; 2) facilitate discussions among peers about the prevalence of depression among medical students and residents, physician suicide, and other topics that might not occur in a regular learning environment; 3) foster the creation of habits now that improve resilience, communication and efficacy among future physicians and other healthcare providers; 4) act as a bridge between students who are struggling and resources that could help them; and 5) help students develop the skills to not only take care of themselves but also their future colleagues.

Reach Out and Read

The purposes of the organization include, but are not limited to:

  • Promoting early childhood literacy in the pediatric community of Oklahoma
  • Spreading awareness of reading aloud to children as a health and wellness initiative
  • Engaging students in promoting early literacy in both the community and clinic setting
  • Brightening family and patient experiences within the clinical setting
  • Providing students with an opportunity of active volunteerism and patient interaction

SASH (Student Alliance for Serving the Homeless)

Coming soon.

SNMA (Student National Medical Association)

The purpose of the organization shall be:

  • To serve the community through service and education
  • To provide fellowship among students and faculty
  • To engage underrepresented minorities in medical activities
  • To provide a forum for the presentation of innovative ideas that benefit surrounding
  • communities
  • To provide opportunities to medical students and pre-medical students for mentorship and the sharing of knowledge and skills with members of the community
  • To serve as a voice of advocacy for legislative policies affecting medical education and healthcare systems – both domestic and foreign

Sports Medicine

The purposes of the organization include, but are not limited to: 

  • Promote awareness of sports medicine as a career 
  • Facilitate student-faculty interaction 
  • Facilitate medical student involvement in sports med grand rounds,  journal club and pre-participation physicals

STAT (Students Today Alumni Tomorrow)

The goal of STAT is to develop stronger relations between prospective students, current students, and alumni, which will serve to create a stronger community between future, present, and past College of Medicine (COM) members. The mission of this organization shall be to support the idea that students are “Alumni” at matriculation in an attempt to promote and foster a strong bond between the students, administration, Medical Alumni Association, and the Office of Development with the University of Oklahoma, STAT members shall also serve as liaisons to COM alumni, as well as ambassadors for the COM to prospective students.

SWAAT (Students Working Against Abuse and Trafficking)

Coming soon.

Wilderness Medicine

The purposes of the organization include, but are not limited to:

  • Promote awareness of wilderness medicine as a career
  • Educate students on basic wilderness medicine skills that are applicable to an abundance of emergent situations
  • Facilitate student-faculty interaction
  • Encourage healthy lifestyles through participation in outdoor activities including, but not limited to: hiking, rock climbing, camping, sailing, and skiing.