Alumnae Newsletter Johns Hopkins WPHLS

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1 Dear WPHLS Alumnae, We are very excited to share with you all that WPHLS has been up to this Fall semester! This past year, WPHLS has become more committed to reflecting our mission in our programs and service events, with a stronger dedication to projects that motivate young women and empower those in the Baltimore community through a pre-health lens. We are very proud to share with you all that our hardworking executive board and members have accomplished this past Fall. Based our successes last year, committees have worked to strengthen existing projects, develop new initiatives, and foster greater cohesion within the group. Our expanding presence on campus is in large part due to continued efforts to collaborate with other student groups and create more impactful initiatives. In addition, we unveiled our new logo just last month: the WPHLS crest embodies our pledge to knowledge, compassion, and healthcare. Lastly, we are pleased to have a new website that better reflects our goals and can unite our past, present, and prospective members. We are currently planning our Spring semester events and looking forward to meeting our new members shortly. We hope to stay connected with you and will be hosting a WPHLS Alumnae event during Homecoming, so stay tuned! Sincerely, Yi Shao & Mahima Sukumar WPHLS Co-Presidents Alumnae Newsletter Johns Hopkins WPHLS

2 Alumnae Updates Since graduating Hopkins I've completed 3 years at Harvard Medical School, and I'm currently pursuing a year of research in medical education at the Center for Primary Care at HMS -Diane Wohler 11 I am currently serving with Americorps at Reading Partners, a non-profit tutoring organization that works with elementary school students who are reading below grade level. I'm applying for medical school this year! -Abby Wang 14 Diane Wohler 11 I'm a third year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine -Sheila Razdan 12 I took a year off to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA Site Coordinator with Communities In Schools of the Nation's Capital. I am a fourth year medical student at Johns Hopkins. -Jean Suh 10 Spent a year doing research in India on the Fulbright and then started medical school. I am currently in my second year at Hopkins. -Anita Ram 11 Sheila Razdan 10 Medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia -Laura Livaditis 11 Medical school at Johns Hopkins. -Allie Miller 12 Alexandra Ladd 14 volunteered medical aid in Honduras. Shadowed a dermatologist for several months and is now studying at Icahn Medical School at Mount Sinai, in New York City. Laura Livaditis 11

3 Advice for Current Members Don t be afraid to ask for help. It is really important to reach out to others for advice and mentorship. Whatever your goals may be, don t be intimidated by the big picture. Take things one step at a time and have confidence in yourself! I wish you all the best! -Alexandra Ladd 14 Carpe diem! Take advantage of all the unique opportunities Hopkins and Baltimore have to offer, whether it be groundbreaking research, volunteering with the amazing local organizations, or just kicking back and enjoying the art and restaurant scene. Life is too short to be cooped up studying all day. -Jean Suh 10 I would highly recommend taking 1-2 years off before starting medical school. There's no rush, and in the grand scheme of life, a couple years is a drop in the bucket. In fact, nearly half the people in my medical school class have taken time off after college, and those that haven't often end up taking time off between 3rd and 4th years anyway. Use the extra time to explore personal and academic interests that you were not able to explore during college. -Anita Ram 11

4 WPHLS Updates Conversations in Medicine(CiM) Symposium WPHLS has collaborated with the Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) Premedical Honors Society & Post-Baccalaureate Program at JHU to host a variety of programs and service projects. These speakers addressed their careers in medicine from scientific, economic, and humanitarian perspectives. Dr. Danielle Ofri: October 9th, 2014 In addition to her positions as an attending internist at Bellevue Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at New York University, Dr. Ofri is a prolific writer, with currently four published books. During her talk, she drew on various chapters from her most recent book, exploring what it means to be aware and in touch with emotions in the medical profession. Dr. Albert Wu: November 19th, 2014 Dr. Wu is an internist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and holds joint appointments at the School of Medicine and School of Public Health. His talk explored the idea of the second victim, which describes the emotional trauma that the medical provider(s) suffers after an adverse patient event. In his presentation, Wu outlined strategies for supporting healthcare providers when they face loss, trauma, or stress in their daily work.

5 WPHLS: Committee Updates Community Engagement Projects: Bringing Ladies and Science Together (BLAST): This fall, we continued our wonderful partnership with the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women through BLAST, a STEM mentoring program for young girls. This year, in addition to conducting science experiments, we offered tutoring and homework help at the end of BLAST sessions. Both the mentors and girls forged lasting bonds this past fall and are looking forward to another great semester! Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI): This past semester was the first time WPHLS organized monthly visits to the Kennedy Krieger Institute near JHMI. We spent Saturday mornings playing with the kids who werestaying at KKI, and were even able to celebrate a few birthdays! In addition, we helped playroom staff decorate for the Fall and Holiday season. Project PLASE: An average of 4,000 Baltimore residents find themselves without shelter on any given night. Project PLASE offers WPHLS members a chance to run workshops at the co-ed, male, and women's shelters about sexual health, alcohol/drug abuse, and other topics that the residents may find useful and interesting.

6 WPHLS: Collaborative Work Pre-med Panel for Freshmen In early September, WPHLS collaborated with Alpha Epsilon Delta and Lambda Epsilon Mu to host a "What I Wish I Knew" informational panel for pre-medical freshmen. STI Testing Campaign In order to increase awareness about the importance of regular STI Testing, WPHLS collaborated with CHEW and the Hopkins Feminists to organize a breezeway table in late October. We plan to continue advocating STI testing by holding a free testing day in February. BCDC Hygiene Drive For the first time, the programming committee organized a December hygiene products drive for the women of the Baltimore City Detention Center to receive a care package and hand-written holiday cards. WPHLS: Social Meet WPHLS Study Break On November 6, WPHLS held a study break on Q level of the library, serving coffee and healthy snacks along with massages courtesy of JHU Stressbusters. We offered personal insights and advice on Spring course selections, and it was a great opportunity to meet potential future members of WPHLS! Peer Mentoring Program A new initiative of WPHLS, the Peer Mentoring Program was established as a means to encourage camaraderie among among under- and upper-class members, by establishing bi-monthly coffee/lunch dates. This has been quite a success thus far, and we intend to continue it throughout the remainder of the year.

7 Save the Date Annual WPHLS Conference Collaborations in Medicine 1pm-3:30pm Saturday April 11, 2015 Mudd Hall Johns Hopkins University Campus Hope to see you there!