Student Groups

Aerospace Medicine Interest Group

Sara Baird MD'09
Connie Lee MD'09
The Aerospace Medicine Interest Group serves to promote the field of aviation (civilian and military) and space medicine and is open to the entire Alpert Medical School community. In the past, the group has sponsored or promoted speakers, research projects, and involvement in the Aerospace Medical Association.

Alpha Omega Alpha Society

Brown has an active chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha. Founded in 1902, AOA is a medical honor society whose mission is to enhance professionalism, scholarship, leadership, and service within medicine.
> View Alpha Omega Alpha

American Medical Association—Medical Student Section (AMA—MSS)

Anthony DelSignore MD'09
Jeremy Boyd MD'09
Secretary: Sara Baird MD'09
The Brown AMA-MSS aims to give medical students an opportunity to participate in national legislation/policy development as well community service. AMA members have an opportunity to attend the bi-annual national conferences which focus on health policy development and concerns. This allows students to write and present resolutions/legislation and network with other student leaders.

American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

Lauren Goddar MD'11
Krista Hachey MD'11
The American Medical Student Association is dedicated to the improvement of medical education, health care, and health policy. We aim to achieve these goals through a variety of community programs, medical student advocacy, and health policy work. Other activities include Lobby Day at the State House, medical student debt reform, AIDS Awareness week, and general education on current health policy issues. We welcome everyone to get involved with AMSA.
> American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

American Medical Women's Association (AMWA)

Sandy Chira MD'08
This Alpert Medical School student chapter of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) provides an opportunity for members to explore interests in women's health and the experience of being a female physician, and be involved in community service projects related to the issues. To that end, we work to bring speakers to educate the student community about various issues involving women's health in the United States and internationally. We work closely with the Office of Women in Medicine and with the RI Medical Women's Association to create a supportive environment for women physicians' professional development.

Breeze Against Wheeze

Isis Burgos MD'09
Hanae Fujii-Rios
Anna Halpern MD'09
Breeze Against Wheeze is an annual 5K fun run/walk that raises money for a summer asthma camp for Rhode Island children. The asthma camp is run by Hasbro Children's Hospital's Community Asthma Programs, and the proceeds from Breeze Against Wheeze allow children with severe asthma to attend the camp for free. Medical students work with and within the community to lead and organize this charity event. Breeze Against Wheeze is dedicated to the mission of expanding asthma education in the community, while providing a forum for students to gain leadership skills, community service opportunities, and meaningful interactions with health care professionals who care for patients with this chronic disease.

Buddies Mentoring Program

Co-Sponsored by AMSA and Hasbro Children's Hospital Hematology/Oncology Social Workers Farrah Wolf MD'08
Lauren Geller MD'07
BUDDIES matches a medical student volunteer one-on-one with a chronically ill child for a long-term, supportive relationship. Our goals are:

• to provide pediatric patients with a special friend at and away from the medical facility who can provide them with companionship and emotional support;
• to provide pediatric patients with a special friend at and away from the medical center who does not participate in the patient's medical therapy but is there to support and encourage the child through his/her course of treatment;
• to allow medical students to gain exposure to pediatric patients‚ experiences, and to develop empathy and understanding from these experiences;
• to allow medical students to gain insight into how children and their families cope with illness, and to understand how illness affects them.

Community Health Advocacy Program (CHAP)

Coordinator: Bettye Williams, 863-1751
The Community Health Advocacy Program (CHAP) works cooperatively with various Providence populations to promote the physical, mental, and emotional health of individuals and the community as a whole. Composed of community participants and student volunteers, our teams identify relevant health issues and then create programs drawing on community resources to address these issues. CHAP provides the opportunity for communities and future health care professionals to meet the health care needs of areas that are often underserved due to a variety of social, economic, and cultural barriers.

Complementary And Alternative Medicine Interest Group

Zachary Ginsberg MD'09
Nicole Herschenhous MD'07
Faculty advisor: Bonnie O'Connor MD
The Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Interest Group is for students who are interested in different aspects of non-conventional or non-allopathic medicine. Through workshops, conferences, retreats, and community resources, we try to educate and instill awareness for those practices of medicine not addressed in the curriculum by creating a community of students that promotes personal practice & facilitates self-education by connecting students to community & national resources. This fall we plan to bring together students of similar interest from around New England for a Circle of Healers retreat. With the assistance of faculty, both clinical and non clinical, this community has already helped design an elective open to medical students and undergraduates which introduces students to various complementary and alternative modalities prompting us to conceptualize the integration of these practices into allopathic realms to keep pace with current trends in CAM usage, and critically evaluate the issues and research surrounding the efficacy of these modalities.

Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG)

Zachary Ginsberg MD'08
Michael Lee MD'08
The Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) is a student organization dedicated to further educating and exposing medical students to emergency medicine prior to and during elective clerkships. It is our hope to help students in deciding the direction of their future careers as physicians. Members of the group and workshop participants only need to have some interest in EM, not to have already decided on it as their specialty. EMIG runs a few workshops each semester. Some of these are hands on, such as intubation techniques and suturing techniques. Others are presentation style, with guest lecturers from EDs and EM residency programs. The workshops are open to all students.
> Emergency Medicine Interest Group

Family Medicine Interest Group

Jessica Chan MD'09
Marcella Villa MD'09
Emily Shaw MD'09
The Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) promotes the discipline of family medicine within the Alpert Medical School community. Providing an opportunity for interactions between fellow students, residents, faculty, and community physicians involved in family medicine, the FMIG organizes lectures, workshops, and other programs to advocate for the specialty and educate students about the field. Community outreach projects for students serve to complement and reinforce the core values and principles of family medicine. The group also provides useful information about the residency application process, especially as it applies to family medicine, and encourages additional educational experiences, mentorships and an on-going discussion of the issues and philosophy that make good family physicians.

First Steps (Breast Feeding Education for High School Students)

Julie Taylor MD, MSc
In this program, medical students meet with students at the MET (Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center) High School to teach them about breastfeeding and formula marketing. Students also provide mentoring for students who are interested in a career in the health services.

Health Professional Students For Substance Abuse Training (HPSSAT)

Adam de Havenon MD'09
HPSSAT is a group formed by students for students from a variety of health-related disciplines. Our goal is that all graduating health professional students have the skills to appropriately screen, diagnose, and provide intervention for patients with substance abuse problems. This goal arises out of awareness that substance abuse is a vitally important public health issue which significantly impacts the social and economic health of individuals and society. HPSSAT is a project of the Physician Leadership on National Drug Policy (PLNDP) and is supported through funding from the Hanley Family Foundation, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Interest Group

David Elson MD'09
Adam de Havenon MD'09
The Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Interest Group brings speakers to campus to discuss their experiences, interests, and training in the respective fields. We focus on both domestic and international aspects of infectious disease and accompanying pathologies. We welcome all students' input in recommending speakers and participating in the process of bringing them to campus. Furthermore, we aim to facilitate the direct involvement of interested students with clinical and research opportunities. These range from attending case conferences or Infectious Disease rounds at the Brown-affiliated hospitals to working with faculty on independent research projects.

Internal Medicine Interest Group

Nancy Brim MD'07
The mission of the Internal Medicine Interest Group is to foster interest in the field of internal medicine and its subspecialties, to provide resources to acquaint students with internal medicine and its subspecialties at all levels of training, and to serve as a liaison between the medical student body and the ACP—ASIM (American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine).
Sarah Wakeman MD'09
This group was established to 1) help students learn more about international opportunities in medicine including research, volunteer, clinical elective, and residency options; 2) to further awareness and exchange about topical issues in international health; and 3) to introduce students to faculty and local physicians who may provide insight and mentorship for those interested in pursuing careers in international health.

Interpreter's Aide Program (IAP)

Cameron McClure MD'07, BMS Liaison
Yamil Flores MD'08, 1st- and 2nd-year Rep
Jason Ferreira MD'09, Treasurer
Dr. Alicia Monroe, Faculty Advisor
The Interpreter's Aide Program is dedicated to the alleviation of the language and cultural barrier prevalent in health care today. Many non-English speaking communities are unable to vocalize their needs and concerns due to the lack of interpretation services in Rhode Island. This program attempts to help remedy this situation by targeting student volunteers to supplement the professional interpreters working at Rhode Island Hospital. Volunteers are needed to interpret mainly in Spanish and Portuguese, but also other languages. In joining this program students are asked to commit to a 4-hour time slot each week, however the interpreters are very flexible and know that school comes first. When you join, students begin by shadowing professional interpreters for roughly 16 hours or until both you and your interpreter feel you are ready to begin interpreting by yourself. In addition to the 4-hour shifts, there are bimonthly lunch and dinner seminars designed to train students about cultural issues and how to be a competent interpreter.

Medical Student Aging Interest Group (MSAIG)

Matthew Brumbaugh MD'09, Co-Pres
Ashlynne Harris MD'09, Co-President
David Zinn MD'08, Treasurer
Drs. Besdine and Murphy, Faculty Advisors
The Medical Student Aging Interest Group meets throughout the year to discuss topics related to aging and geriatrics in a journal club format. The group also sponsors dinners and symposia for medical students to explore the field of geriatrics. Last year, we ran a series of lectures on death and dying as well as our traditional "Careers in Geriatrics Dinner."In prior years we adopted the Charlesgate Nursing Home and hosted activities at the nursing home during the semester. Our faculty leader, Dr. Besdine, is the former interim dean of medicine and president emeritus of the American Geriatric Society, and he serves as resource for the students and attends many meetings.

Medical Student Senate

Neel Shah MD'08, President
James Wilkerson MD'08, VP
Bethany Stafford MD'08, Secretary
Zachary Ginsberg MD'08, Treasurer
email to: bmss@brown.edu
The Senate is the governing body of the medical students and comprises representatives from each of the four classes and the MD/PhDs. The Senate's goal is to assess and represent the opinions of the medical student body. It also serves as a primary source of initiatives to improve all aspects of the Medical School.
. Medical Student Senate

Medical Students For Choice (MSFC)

Anna Groskin MD'09
Makini Chisolm-Straker MD'09
MSFC is an international student organization started in 1993 by medical students who recognized the need for reproductive health education in medical schools. The goals of MSFC are: curriculum reform to include abortion; expanded educational and clinical opportunities; increased awareness of the issue among policymakers; and support of the students' grassroots efforts around the world. The Brown Chapter of Medical Students For Choice provides a number of educational and service opportunities including a clinic shadowing program (ClinicView), educational workshops, movies, speakers, and opportunities to go to regional and national conferences. Everyone is welcome and we are very open to new ideas.
> Medical Students For Choice

Medical Students' Outreach to Mothers-to-be (MOM)

Anna Groskin MD'09, Anna_Groskin@Brown.edu
Lindsay Kuroki MD'09, Lindsay_Kuroki@Brown.edu
Faculty Sponsor: Julie Taylor MD, Julie_Taylor@mhri.org / 729-2980
Medical Students' Outreach to Mothers-to-be (and their newborns) (MOM) is intended to be an educational tool that will heighten the awareness of medical students regarding the clinical care of pregnant women and their newborns. Students will increase their knowledge of medical needs as well as the social, economic, and cultural issues that are unique to this population. MOM is a place where students form an individual student/patient relationship and follow the medical regimen of a pregnant patient, attend diagnostic tests, doctor's appointments, and the birthing process itself. Students meet with patients through their own personalized schedules; however, a minimum of once a month is required. Program bi-monthly meetings are held to assess progress, reflect, and troubleshoot, in order to maintain an educational and professional environment. MOM not only provides a unique opportunity for a sample of the pregnant patient population of Rhode Island, but also serves as an enriching, learning experience for medical students who are considering careers in the health care fields of obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine or women's health. The MOM program can also be done for course credit and qualifies for beginner and intermediate Ability VII credit.

Medicine and Technology Interest Group (MTIG)

Jae Lim MD'07, Jae_Lim@Brown.edu
This group is interested in improving technological resources (i.e., wireless networking, PDA accessibility, etc.) for the Medical School. They work closely with the CIT, Faculty Advisory Committee on Computing, and the medical school webmaster to improve and implement technological and informatic tools that are useful to Brown medical students. In the past, they have created the "Digital Pathology"website, and successfully introduced wireless networking to first- and second-year classrooms.

Musculoskeletal Interest Group (MSIG)

Albert Ahn MD'08, Albert_Ahn@Brown.edu
MSIG was started five years ago by a current orthopaedic resident at RIH while he was a medical student. The group is devoted to exploring topics and activities related to the musculoskeletal system, including orthopaedics, radiology, rheumatology, and sports medicine. Activities have included lectures, glove and gown workshops, and splinting/suturing/casting workshops. We try to offer help in navigating medical school and bring hospital faculty to campus to discuss research, give presentations, and form a link between classroom and clinic.

Neurology Interest Group

John Kelleher MD'07, John_Kelleher@Brown.edu
The goal of this group is to promote interest in the field of neurology. Please contact us if you would like to take charge of the group and/or if you want specific speakers to come lecture.

OB/GYN Interest Group

Lindsay Kuroki MD'09, Lindsay_Kuroki@Brown.edu
The goal of this group is to promote interest in the field of ob/gyn and women's health care. The activities include Deliver-a-Baby week, mentoring, research opportunities, and lectures.

Patient Advocacy Coordinating Council

Kirsten Spalding MD'08, Kirsten_Spalding@Brown.edu
Coordinator: Bettye Williams, Bettye_Williams@Brown.edu, 863-1751
The Patient Advocacy Coordinating Council is an umbrella group for student-run community service and patient advocacy groups. It is made up of leaders and representatives of student-run community service and patient advocacy groups as well as medical school faculty and staff involved in community service learning and patient advocacy. The council aims to inspire and train future physicians to become effective, informed, and compassionate advocates for their patients at the individual, community and legislative levels. The Council also administers grant money for collaborative group projects.

Pediatrics Interest Group

Eden Kahle MD'07, Eden_Kahle@Brown.edu
Vivian Tang MD'07, Vivian_Tang@Brown.edu
The Pediatrics Interest Group hosts speakers on various pediatric-related topics and provides a forum where students interested in pediatrics can meet and discuss career options and pediatric related community service activities.

Physicians for Human Rights/physicians for Social Responsibility

Stephanie Tecun MD'09, Stephanie_Tecun@Brown.edu
Jack Rusley MD'09, Jack_Rusley@Brown.edu
Physicians for Human Rights a national organization, active in health and human rights issues. Alpert Medical School's chapter seeks to promote human rights by getting involved in local and national activities. Examples in the past include anti-landmines campaign, anti-gun violence campaign, juvenile justice issues, environmental issues, and the anti-nuclear arms campaign. Currently, the group is active in global AIDS issues, physician advocacy education, and human trafficking among others.

PLME Senate

Jenna Kahn, PLME'08, Jenna_Kahn@Brown.edu, Co-President
Carly_Seidman, PLME'07, Carly_Seidman@Brown.edu, Co-President
Geolani Dy, PLME'08, Geolani_Dy@Brown.edu, Secretary
Elizabeth_Rodriguez, PLME'08, Elizabeth_Rodriguez@Brown.edu, Secretary
Thomas Kim, PLME'08, Thomas_Kim@Brown.edu, Treasurer
Brian Chang, PLME'09, Brian_Chang@Brown.edu, Treasurer
The PLME Senate is student organization that serves as the voice of the undergraduate PLME community. It consists of a community service committee and a social committee, as well as committees to plan the Whole Patient and Whole Physician programs. The PLME Senate is involved in planning a wide array of community service and social events for undergraduates, such as trips to the Hasbro Hospital, the Breeze Against Wheeze Race, ER Nights, guest speakers, and study groups. Members of the Senate include co-presidents, treasurer, secretary, medical school liaison, community service chairs, social chairs, Whole Patient Program chairs, Whole Physician Program chairs, and representatives from each class, but all undergraduate PLMES are welcome to participate in its bi-weekly meetings and planning of events.

Project HEALTH (Helping Empower, Advocate, and Lead Through Health)

Jennifer Andreozzi, Jennifer_Andreozzi@Brown.edu, Campus Coordinator
Anna Levine, Anna_Levine@Brown.edu, Campus Coordinator
Lori Leibowitz, Lori_Leibowitz@lifespan.org, Site Director
Project HEALTH is a national non-profit community health organization with three major components: mentorship, reflection, and service. Project HEALTH is affiliated with the Lifespan Network (through Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children's Hospital), the South Side Boys and Girls Club, Roger Williams Middle School, and Brown University. Established programs include: 1) the Asthma Swim Program, a mentorship program that teaches children how to swim and manage their illness; 2) the Fitness and Nutrition Program (FitNut), a mentorship program for middle school girls at-risk for obesity or type II diabetes; 3) the Family Help Desk, a program that works to refer underserved families to community resources in issues of housing, adult education, childcare, etc.

Psychiatry Interest Group

Pebble Kranz MD'07, Pebble_Kranz@Brown.edu
The Psychiatry Interest Group explores the field of psychiatry from many different angles. We connect students interested in psychiatry with residents and other professional mentors. The group also sponsors lunch lectures and other activities that explore various psychiatric issues such as substance abuse, eating disorders, and identity disorders.

Queer Grad/Med Student Body

Melissa Donovan MD'07 (President—Med School), Melissa_Donovan@Brown.edu
John Kelleher MD'07, (Vice President—Med School) John_Kelleher@Brown.edu
Sara Leone (President—Graduate School), Sara_Leone@brown.edu
The Queer Graduate and Medical Students of Brown serves as a resource for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered graduate and medical students. We hold educational as well as social events specifically for GLBTI students as well as other opportunities for the entire medical and graduate school population. There is a GLBTI graduate student listserv; if interested email Sara_Leone@brown.edu.
In addition there is an undergraduate listserv and website.
If you are a medical student interested in the program please feel free to contact Melissa or John.

Reach out and Read (ROR)

Judy Jang MD'07, Judy_Jang@Brown.edu
Coordinator of ROR/RI: Sarah Gleason, rorri@cox.net, 521-1266
Reach Out and Read/RI is the state coalition of the national Reach Out and Read program. Reach Out and Read/RI's twenty-one sites include nearly every health center and hospital pediatric clinic in the state plus several private practices. More than eighty physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners practicing ROR at these sites provide books to more than 20,000 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at every regular health visit, and literacy guidance to their parents. In addition, volunteers reading to children in clinic waiting rooms share the pleasure of books with children and parents alike. Working with these physicians, Reach Out and Read/RI helps prevent the many reading difficulties that arise from lack of books and reading aloud experiences in the preschool years Nationally, Reach Out and Read distributed 3 million books to 1.5 million children in 2002.

REMEDY (Recovered Medical Equipment For The Developing World)

Eden Kahle MD'07, Eden_Kahle@Brown.edu
Faculty sponsor: Rochelle Strenger MD, The Miriam Hospital
REMEDY at Brown is a volunteer organization of Alpert Medical School which works in close cooperation with the staff of Brown University-affiliated hospitals in Providence. REMEDY identifies and collects recyclable medical supplies and channels them to recognized charitable organizations. Our mission is to support underserved communities and to decrease medical waste while saving money for our participating hospitals.

RI Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (RIMLPC) (Formerly RIFAP)

Rebecca Kislak, JD, rkislak@rils.org
Patricia Flanagan MD, pflanagan@lifespan.org
The Rhode Island Medical-Legal Partnership for Children is a unique medical, legal and academic collaborative to improve the health of low-income children in Rhode Island. RIMLPC addresses legal issues that impede the health of children and families through trainings for health care providers and legal clinics in medical settings. Medical students interested in volunteering can work (under attorney supervision) directly with clients on legal matters; plan or assist with various evaluation studies and projects; help create training for health care providers in various legal/medical subject matters; assemble handouts and fact sheets for health care providers; or other projects that may interest the volunteer. Past medical student projects have included a pilot study of patients' legal needs and assembling patient education materials on a variety of topics.
> RI Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (RIMLPC)

Rhode Island Free Clinic

Stephanie Tecun MD'09
Erin McDermott MD'09
Alpert medical students are working in cooperation with local physicians, nurse practitioners, pharm students, and Brown undergraduates at the Rhode Island Free Clinic, in order to provide health care to an uninsured patient population. The RI Free Clinic was established by Dr. Bruce Becker and Stephanie Chafee with support from the Chafee Foundation. Alpert medical students participate in patient care, health education, and the general functioning of the clinic. We are appreciative of the outstanding attending physicians who make this student endeavor possible.

Rhode Island Physicians for Breastfeeding

Julie Taylor MD, MSc
Students may join in a monthly meeting of this group of physicians from different specialties throughout the state whose purpose is to advocate for breastfeeding in Rhode Island. One outcome of their work in 2003 was the passage of legislation supporting a mother's right to breastfeed (or pump) in the workplace. Students may volunteer to act as community liaisons to physicians in a variety of specialty practices or to advocate in support of breastfeeding rights in a variety of situations.

Saving Sight with Early Eye Exams (SSEEE)

Dina Gewaily MD'09
Hana Kwan MD'09
SSEEE provides eye exams, eye tests, and eyeglasses for low-income preschool children. Volunteers learn how to use a photoscreening camera, take pictures of children's eyes and scan the photos for disorders/diseases of the eye. Sites for screening include daycare centers throughout the state.

Steere House, Brown Medical Students at

Nicole Herschenhous MD'07
A group of Alpert medical students and PLME students organize art projects every weekend for the residents at Steere House, a long-term care facility affiliated with Rhode Island Hospital. Projects are inspired by art history and organized with a hint of "art therapy"in mind.

Student Health Council

Pebble Kranz MD'07
Michael Joseph MD'08
The Student Health Council is an organization composed of student advocates from all four years of medical school who work along with faculty members in addressing issues including drug and alcohol abuse, psychiatric disorders, and emotional stresses experienced by PLME and medical students. Medical students should be able to pursue academic interests, provide patient care, and function as healthy members of their families, social networks and communities. To facilitate this, the SHC seeks to foster a supportive medical school environment within which medical students are encouraged to use a variety of support systems. The SHC establishes confidential relationships with students through self-referrals, and student and/or faculty referrals.
> Student Health Council (SHC)

Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Daniel Hale Williams Medical Society

Montoya Taylor MD'08
Lydia Engwenyu MD'09
Faculty Advisor: Dean Alicia Monroe
SNMA is the nation's oldest organization that specifically addresses the needs of medical and premedical students of color. The SNMA is dedicated to community service. Through its national protocols it addresses topics such as teen pregnancy, violence prevention, smoking prevention, and health professionals recruitment.

Surgery Interest Group (SIG)

Clifford Voigt MD'09
Anthony Del Signore MD'09
Carmelle Romain MD'09
The mission of the Surgery Interest Group is to provide an atmosphere for pre-clinical medical students to be exposed to clinical surgeons of varying specialties. During the 2004-2005 school year, we held a Summer Research Panel, a Glove ‘n Gown Workshop, a lecture by Department of Surgery chair Dr. William Cioffi, a lecture by Rhode Island Hospital president, CEO, and surgeon Dr. Joseph Amaral, a Suture and Knot-tying Workshop, a presentation about the surgical clerkship by co-clerkship director Dr. Thomas Miner, a post-match panel, and a "Guide to the Residency Application Process" lecture. We also taught eighth- and ninth-grade students in the Young Doctors Program how to suture and tie surgical knots.
> Surgery Interest Group (SIG)

Taste Buds

Eden Kahle MD'07
John Ly MD'08
Taka Kawana MD'08
Taste Buds is for students interested in learning gourmet cooking with an emphasis on good nutrition. With first-hand instruction of chefs from some of Providence's best restaurants or students who want to share their knowledge, the group integrates cooking and nutrition in a way that is fun, delicious, and practical. Here is a list of our past events: Mediterraneo: baked cod and steamed spinach; Haruki East: traditional Japanese salmon stew; Diakon radish side dish; Al Forno: Caesar salad, baked pork loins with pomegranate infusion, appletart; student-led salsa event (8 different salsas); Masataka Kawana (MD'08): Ton-jiru (miso soup with pork), Niku-Jaga (beef and potato stew), shrimp salad, tsukemono (pickled vegetables).

Unite for Sight

Dina Gewaily MD'09
Hana Kwan MD'09
Jennifer Staple, Founder & National President
Unite For Sight is a nonprofit organization that works nationally and internationally to develop sustainable solutions to reduce health disparities. Each of Unite For Sight's fifty chapters works with local community infrastructures to improve access to health programs. The organization is dedicated to preventing blindness through free community vision screenings, vision education programs, health education programs, an eyeglass drive, and a speaker series.

• Vision screenings are offered to medically underserved children and adults to detect eye diseases such as lazy eye, strabismus, visual acuity problems, and others.
• Free preliminary vision screenings for children and adults in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, schools, and libraries.
• Enrollment in insurance and free health coverage programs (Children's Health Insurance Program, Academy of Ophthalmology's National Eye Care Projects, Academy of Optometry's VisionUSA, Sight For Students, Medicare, Medicaid, VA Insurance).
• Additional health education initiatives include HIV/AIDS education, smoking cessation, and nutrition programs.
• An eyeglass drive collects eyeglasses to send to clinics in developing countries.
• A speaker series educates students about medicine, ophthalmology, and public health.

Wilderness Medicine Interest Group

Jim Wilkerson MD'08
Jeremy Boyd MD'09
The Wilderness Medicine Interest Group promotes the practical application of medicine to challenging outdoor settings. WMIG is a registered Student Interest Group of the Wilderness Medical Society (www.wms.org). Our activities in previous years have included whitewater rafting trips, presentations on Native American medicinal plants, high altitude medicine, and cold injuries as well as rock climbing and day hikes.
> Wilderness Medicine Interest Group

Specialty Societies Open to Medical Students

American College of Preventive Medicine

Benefits include American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Local Contact: Vincent Mor, PhD (863-1106)
> American College of Preventive Medicine

American college of Physicians—American Society of Internal Medicine (Medical Student Division)

Benefits include discounts on products/meetings; access to www.anals.org, student newsletter Local Contact: Mark Fagan, M.D. (444-5344)
> American college of Physicians—American Society of Internal Medicine

Infectious Diseases Society of America

Benefits include Journal of Infectious Diseases; Clinical Infectious Diseases
Contact: Tasha Robinson (703-299-0200)
> Infectious Diseases Society of America

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Benefits include access to research documents, educational pamphlets, ACOG Clinical Review, a Guide to Writing for Ob/Gyn, newsletter, and more Contact: Colleen Flood (202-863-2404) Local Contacts: William Metheny, PhD (274-1122 x1845) Patrick Sweeney MD, PhD (274-1122 x2721)
>American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American Psychiatric Association

Benefits include free registration to APA meetings; discounted subscriptions to American Journal of Psychiatry
Contact: Office of Membership (202-682-6000) Local Contact: Jane Eisen, M.D. (455-6417)
> American Psychiatric Association

American Academy of Family Physicians

Benefits include free membership to AAFP through RIAFP, meeting scholarships, Family Medicine Interest Group Contact: Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians Nancy Leggat (508-336-5416) Local Contact: Susanna Rhodes, 12 Bassett St., Prov., RI 02908 (453-4176)
> American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

Benefits include free admission/reception at AAP Annual Meeting, resource lists for residency training programs, discounts on Pediatrics in Review, and Pediatrics Review and Education Program, and more.
Contact: 800-433-9016 By joining the national organization, the student gains membership to the local organization
Produced by the Office of Medical Education August 2006 863-1618
> American Academy of Pediatrics
> American Academy of Pediatrics, RI Chapter