October 18, 2012
Volume 1, Issue 1 The PC Connection
Panther Communities:
• Anderson
Community:
Northwest Miami
• Hippocrates
Community:
Miami Gardens
• Pasteur
Community:
Opa Locka
• Semmelweis
Community:
Northeast Miami
Student Highlights:
White Coat Ceremony
Mentorship Program
Fit & Well Program
Mammography aRt Initiative
Heart Walk
MedSWISH
Dean’s Cup
Student Highlights
The White Coat Ceremony is
a time-honored, medical
school tradition that marks the
beginning of a first-year
medical student’s life in
medicine.
On Friday, August 10, 120
new medical students were
cloaked for the first time in
their crisp white coats -- the
attire that physicians have
traditionally worn for more
than 100 years -- followed by
the recitation of the
Hippocratic Oath. The
students also received their
first stethoscopes, a gift from
Leon Medical Centers, one of
the college's clinical partners.
"Our young medical school
continues to attract
outstanding students who are
Class of 2016 - White Coat Ceremony
looking to make a difference
in the community," said
College of Medicine
Founding Dean Dr. John
Rock. "This class is a great
reflection on our school's
commitment to developing
physicians who are
culturally competent and
community based."
Since the College of
Medicine’s inaugural class
was welcomed in 2009, the
class of 2016 is the largest
inducted to HWCOM as it
marks its 4th year of
presence among South
Florida’s medical schools.
The class of 2016 has an
average GPA of 3.6 and is
made up of 60 men and 60
women who come from as
far away as China,
Trinidad and Tobago.
Above: Herbert Wertheim scholarship recipients Daniel Lewis, Timothy Holley, Jeffrey Savin with Dr. Herbert Wertheim Below: Matthew Sussman, Alexander Fagenson
Dean John Rock
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Class of 2016
Editor: Jessica Lewis Panther community Coordinator
A newsletter created to promote and share the activities and experiences our students gain from opportunities provided to them by the Herbert Wertheim college of Medicine and the Panther Communities (PC).
The PC Connection Page 2 of 6
“Attending this program is guiding me towards my
dream of becoming an aeronautical engineer.”
- Booker, Glades Middle School 7th grader
attending a “Project Pipeline event in Miami
Gardens led by Panther Community Hippocrates.
Panther Community
Coordinator, Carmen Ellis,
has been busy developing
the Herbert Wertheim
College of Medicine’s new
Medical Mentoring
Leadership Program
(MMLP). This new
program was started with
the intentions of bridging
currently enrolled FIU
Herbert Wertheim College
of Medicine medical
students with voluntary
faculty. Recognizing that
it is important for students
to develop a working
relationship with a doctor
NEW – Medical Mentoring Leadership Program
Research suggests that
student burnout is
increasing in U.S. medical
schools. In response, the
FIT & WELL Task Force
committee was formed,
led by Dr. Jorge Mora, Dr.
Heidi von Harscher, Dr.
Nathaly Shoua-
Desmarais, Dr. Suzanne
Minor, Scarlett Aldana,
Jessica Lewis, and Gina
Guzman. FIT & WELL
promotes student health
and well-being by
sponsoring monthly
fitness and wellness
classes to help students
achieve and maintain
Medical Student Fit & Well Task Force Program
Panther Communities – Know the Facts!
in the community to receive
insight, advice, and
guidance – this program was
designed to encourage,
define and achieve
academic, personal, and
career goals throughout
students’ experience in
medical school and
thereafter.
One of the highlights of the
program is the new online
registration database that
allows mentors and mentees
to register online at
http://medicine.fiu.edu/mentorin.
Once the online registration
is complete, students and
mentors will be matched to
each other based on
professional and personal
interests.
The MMLP will also hold its
mentee orientation on
November 1st, from
12:00pm-1:00pm in GC 243.
During orientation, mentors
and mentees can network
and learn more about the
program. For more
information, please contact
Carmen Ellis: [email protected]
or 305-348-6074.
optimal physical,
emotional, and spiritual
health.
An essential aspect of our
students becoming doctors
is learning to take care of
their own health and work-
life balance, thus allowing
them to become the best
healers that they can be to
their future patients. The
wellness skills learned
during the formative years
of medical school will help
our students continue to
grow personally and
professionally over long
careers as practicing
physicians. Student wellness
activities include: nutrition
assessments, yoga, mixed
martial arts, zumba, adapting
to change, tai chi, pilates,
kickboxing, and hip hop
classes.
At a glance:
@FIUMedicine Instagram
Second year student, Melissa Cardenas
being interviewedby Univision after
hosting a suturing clinic.
M3 students Heather Miller, Jinny Gunn, Alejandra Alvarez
Second year student, Katherine Raczek, practicing intubation on one of HWCOM’s
new patient simulation dolls.
Anderson - Named after Dr. Elizabeth G. Anderson, the first female physician in Britain. Official PC color is green and their mascot is the Green Alligator. Their assigned NeighborhoodHELP community is Miami Northwest. Fun fact: Anderson was home to the first annual HWCOM ping pong tournament in 2011 won by Anderson student, Christian Gutierrez-Morales. Hippocrates – Named after Hippocrates of Cos, the Western father of medicine. Official PC color is silver and
their mascot is the Hippo. Their assigned NeighborhoodHELP community is Miami Gardens. Fun Fact: In
addition to winning Panther Community of the Year award in 2010 and 2012, Hippocrates remains the
loudest community lounge since its inception.
Pasteur – Named after Louis Pasteur who confirmed the Germ Theory and is known as one of the main
founders of microbiology. Official PC color is red. Their assigned NeighborhoodHELP community is Opa-Locka.
Fun Fact: Pasteur won Panther Community of the Year award in 2011, and is in a desperate search of a
mascot.
Semmelweis – Named after Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who discovered that hand washing could reduce the
spread of infections. Official color is blue and their mascot is the Wise Owl. Their assigned
NeighborhoodHELP community is Miami Northeast. Fun Fact: Semmelweis won the all-around Panther
Puzzlers (medical trivia) trophy in 2012, which is why they chose the Wise Owl as their mascot.
The PC Connection Page 3 of 6
Saturday September 29th marked
the first annual Mammography
aRt Initiative. In conjunction with
The Green Family Foundation
President Kimberly Green, the
keynote speaker, 21 medical
students worked together to make
this a successful affair. The
Mammography aRt Initiative
effectively raised over $10,000 to
supply over 80 mammograms to
underserved women in the local
NeighborhoodHELP communities.
Project founder Robert Guido
explains (M2), “The initiative is
basically a combination art
show/fundraiser that aims to
initially raise enough money to
provide mammograms for 80
women who are enrolled in The
Green Family Foundation’s
NHELP program. The theme is
Radiology Meets the Arts, and in
a way it springs from my time as
president of the Radiology
Interest Group at FIU’s College of
Medicine. I thought it would be a
great idea to hold a benefit art
show that fuses radiology images
with traditional art.”
The event hosted over 160
attendees, and was held at the
FIU Frost Art Museum with
participation from 18 professional
and amateur artists, art students,
and breast cancer survivors.
Mammography aRt Initiative
For the third consecutive year, thousands of
supporters of the American Heart Association
gather on FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique campus
to walk and raise money to fight heart disease
-- the No. 1 killer of all Americans. Dean John
Rock and Wayne Brackin, Chief Operating
Officer of Baptist Health, are co-chairs of the
American Heart Association’s signature event,
which is created to raise lifesaving funds and
encourage people to embrace physical fitness.
This event is a favorite of the FIU students it
provides them a hands-on experience
volunteering with at the Baptist Hospital tent on
site. This year, the American Medical
Women’s Association (AMWA) and PC
Pasteur ranked in the top five groups for
fundraising at FIU.
American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk – Oct. 6th
Images were displayed that
portrayed either a personal
encounter with breast cancer or
support breast cancer awareness by
using images from CT scans, X-
rays, MRI’s and ultrasounds. The
students have already started to
plan next year’s event by selecting a
team of first-year medical students
to carry on the project that the
current second- year students
began. The goal is to have the
Mammography aRt Initiative become
another HWCOM student annual
event.
Money raised will help:
• Provide doctors’ with the latest research so
they can better prevent and treat heart
disease.
• Fund groundbreaking pediatric heart
research. About 36,000 babies are born with
heart defects each year —research is the
key to saving babies’ lives.
• Get life-saving information to those who
need it most – information that can save
lives, such as how to eat better, how to
recognize the warning signs of heart attack,
and how to talk to a doctor about critical
prevention and therapeutic options.
Above: M1 student volunteer, Anna Kuan-Celarier
Above: M1 student CJ Kwan shows art to participants
Top Left: LeAnn Shannon, Robert Guido, Natalia Echeverri-Botero
Top Right: Green Family Foundation President ,Kimberly Green
Above: M2 student and Medical Student Council President, Christian Nagel, checks Roary’s pulse at the American Heart
Association’s Start! Heart Walk.
The PC Connection Page 4 of 6
This month, a group of
HWCOM medical students
will attempt to “break the
law,” and keep the coveted
Deans’ Cup in its rightful
home at the College of
Medicine.
The Dean’s Cup is an
intense annual rivalry
among university medical
schools and law schools
from all over the country
2012 Deans Cup – College of Law vs. College of Medicine
MedSWIS (Medical Students
Working to Improve Society
and Health) is a community
service organization founded
by students at the Herbert
Wertheim College of
Medicine. Last spring,
MedSWISH gained access
to the FIU mobile health
MedSWISH, Mobile Clinic visits the Breast Health Symposium
that dates back to the early
1980s. The second annual
Dean’s Cup competition
taking place Saturday, Oct.
20, consists of three athletic
events; kickball (which faculty
are invited to play with the
students), flag football and
softball – softball being the
main event. The med school
is hoping to extend its overall
record to two wins over the
law school.
In addition to the games the
MSC will also host a family day.
This is a great opportunity to not
only cheer on the medical
students, but bring your family
and children for a day of fun
and games. There will be a
bounce house, face painting,
and other activities. Student
organizations from both schools
will be in attendance with food,
games, and fundraising/bake
sales.
clinic that will be used to
attend to the health needs of
the underserved in local
communities. On Sept. 22,
MedSWISH and the Mobile
Clinic attended the Breast
Health Symposium in Opa-
Locka, sponsored by the
Beautiful Gate – a non-profit
group whose mission is to
provide education and support
services to all cancer patients.
Medical students performed
glucose and hypertension
screenings, and breast cancer
awareness activities.
MedSWISH hopes to go into
the communities to provide
free clinic services to each
community. Medical students
will be seeing patients in
NHELP neighborhoods who
are not yet involved in the
program to eventually get
them enrolled. Their goal is to
have their first free clinic at the
Royal Country mobile home
park in the Northeast
neighborhood in early
November.
Aug. – Sept., American Medical
Women’s Association (AMWA) visits to
Lotus House for educational programming
(STIs, Menstruation and Menopause)
Sept.19, American Medical Student Association (AMSA) screening of
Escape Fire, a documentary focusing on health care issues Sept. 24, American Medical Association (AMA) held a fundraiser/social mixer with
UM's AMA group at Tobacco Road Sept. 27, Latin Medical Student
Association (LMSA) hosts Medical
Spanish Workshop
Sept. 30- Oct. 2, Surgery Interest Group
attended the American Collegian of Surgeons Conference in Chicago, IL Oct. 2nd – Neuroscience Interest Group
hosted “Mechanisms of RNAi: Implications for Huntington Disease Lecture” Oct. 3, AMWA hosts lunch and learn with
Dr. Martinez on Women’s Cardiovascular Health Oct. 5-6, OB-GYN Interest Group (OGIG) American Congress of
Obstetricians and Gynecology conference in Charleston, SC Oct. 8, AMA Primary Care Social
Oct. 9, “The Traditional South Beach Diet” hosted by LMSA and Internal Medicine Interest Group
Oct. 10, Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) will host a program on gender and
orientation by the Yes Institute Oct. 10, OGIG attended the screening of
“The Business of Being Born” Oct.12, Public Health and Your Patients presentations by AMSA, FMIG, Non-Profit and Global Health (NPGHIG), Pediatrics Interest Group (PIG), and Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
Oct. 13, Patient Education and Primary Care Volunteer Clinic at UHI hosted by NPGHIG
Oct. 20-23, PIG students attending the
AAP conference in New Orleans, LA Oct. 27, AMWA and OGIG participating in
Breast Cancer Health Fair Oct. 29 – 30, AMWA hosts
Burnout/Empathy Assessment
Nov.13, SNMA and LMSA collaborating
with NHELP on the Health experience
Highlights:
Student Interest Groups
Above: Elena Rueda-de-Leon (M3) Marlen Rodriguez (M2) Clare Stevens (M3) Karla Diaz-Ayllon (M3), Alejandra Alvarez (M3)
Cory McLaughlin (M3)
COL Dean Acosta and COM Assistant Dean of OSA, Dr. Dollinger Dante Sorrentino (M3)
Members of PC Pasteur and MedSWISH at the Beautiful Gate event with the Mobile Clinic.
Above: the 2011 winning team
The PC Connection Page 5 of 6
Wednesday September 19th,
first year students of PC
Anderson toured their
community of Northwest
Miami. They stopped to visit
their community partners
Royal Country mobile home
community, and the UHI
clinic. In addition, to get
familiar with the area, they
drove by other partners --His
House, Sandor Weiner
School of Opportunity,
Charles Wyche Elementary
School, and Betty’s
Preschool. Saturday Sept
22nd, PC Anderson students
participated in the 2nd annual
Global Health and Outreach
ministry’s health and
wellness event, “Our
Community in Health and
Wellness”, at Miami Lakes
United Methodist Church.
ANDERSON – MIAMI NORTHWEST
Sept. 15th, 12 members of
Hippocrates spent their
Saturday morning at Miami
Garden’s New Life Church
participating in their Project
Pipeline. Project Pipeline,
which is led by the medical
students in PC Hippocrates,
takes place monthly and is
designed to encourage
students from elementary to
high school to pursue
education opportunities,
especially in math and
science fields. The project
involves teaching the kids a
new topic each month.
September’s session
involved a short science
lesson and a review of a
scrapbook medical students
created that shows their
past activities and
accomplishments.
The next Project Pipeline is
HIPPOCRATES – MIAMI GARDENS
Students helped distribute
information to participants
regarding osteoporosis,
cholesterol, and blood
sugar. PC Anderson also
has a few things to be
proud of; they had the
most students who walked
at the October 6th
American Heart
Association’s Start! Heart
Walk, and was the PC to
collect the most socks for
the “The Odd Life of
Timothy Green Sock
Drive.” Inspired by Walt
Disney Pictures’ new
family film, the sock drive
was started to collect
socks for needy families
depending on Rescue
Missions across the nation.
set for October 20th, where
students will be assisting
the students in a Civil
Engineering project.
Later that week on Sept.
18th, the new M1s took a
bus tour of Miami Gardens
to visit some of the
NeighborhoodHELP
community partners --North
Dade Health Center, Miami
Gardens Neighborhood
Enrichment Center, Norland
Elementary School, Betty T.
Ferguson Recreational
Complex, and the Antioch
Missionary Baptist Church.
On Oct. 13th, members of
PC Hippocrates will also be
participating in a health fair
sponsored by the Center for
Advancement, Restoration
and Empowerment in Miami
Gardens, “Healthy Habits,
Healthy Bodies: An
Investment for a Lifetime.”
There they will volunteer
with members of
MedSWISH at the Mobile
Clinic to offer community
members BMI and blood
pressure screenings, as
well as glucose
screenings.
Panther Community Highlights
Above: Hippocrates M2s Kamen Kutzarov and Louis Carriillo give a science lesson to kids at the Miami Gardens Project Pipeline event on Sept. 15.
Hippocrates M1 students at Norland Elementary School during their community tour of Miami Gardens.
Members of PC Anderson in front of the UHI clinic during their community tour on Sept. 19.
M1s Aws Al-Abdulah, Eric Knott, and Daniel Castro at the American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk
Page 6 of 6 The PC Connection
September 20th, 2012 the
members of the Pasteur Panther
Community participated in their
yearly bus tour to Opa-Locka. This
was an enriching and educational
experience where the students got
to tour elementary schools,
daycare centers, and retirement
homes in their surrounding
neighborhood. They visited Robert
Ingram Elementary School where
they got to see the facility and
engage in conversation with the
Principal Dr. Susan McEachin,
teachers and students.
Pasteur also participated in the
American Heart Association
annual Heart Walk on October 6th
,
2012 where they raised a total of
$404.00 for the American Heart
Association.—5th
highest total of
all FIU teams!
Members of the Pasteur
Community also participated in the
Beautiful Gate Foundation
Women’s Health Symposium on
PASTEUR – OPA-LOCKA
On Sept. 19th, first year
students from PC
Semmelweis toured their
NeighborhoodHELP
community of Miami
Northeast. They met with
community partners
Jackson North Medical
Center, Community
Partner City of North
Miami Beach’s Highland
Village Mobile Home Park,
Children's Academy Pre-
School- ELC Center, to
Toussaint L'Ouverture
Elementary School, and
Church of Saint Martha.
On September 29th,
members of Semmelweis
participated in a health fair
coordinated by one of
their community partners
called “Colombia Nos
Une” at The Fair Expo
Center where they
presented nutrition
education and conducted
BMI screenings for the
SEMMELWEIS – MIAMI NORTHEAST
September 22nd
, 2012 at Robert
Ingram Elementary School in Opa-
Locka, FL. They engaged in blood
pressure screenings and participated
in a panel discussion about the
navigation of health care and how to
obtain resources about breast cancer
and women’s health.
participants. In addition to these
events, Semmelweis is also
coordinating a School Supply Drive
for all of September for the Big
Brothers, Big Sisters non-profit
organization.
Above: Members of PC Pasteur at Robert Ingram on their Sept. 20
th community tour.
Left: Medical students at the Beautiful Gate
event in Opa Locka
Right M1 Kelsey Schweiberger, Cecily Koppuzha, Nibras Chowdhury, Krista Miller Left: M1 Krista Miller Top: M1 Cecily Koppuzha, M2 Faisal Rahim
Above: members of PC Semmelweis touring their community of Miami Northeast