The Power of Alumni in Action

 

The Geisel alumni community is vibrant and filled with a diversity of life experiences and expertise that enrich the opportunities of current students. A wide range of programming hosted nearly every month ensures students are connected to our alumni and have a chance to learn from their wisdom.

Prior to COVID-19, a majority of alumni engagement with students around careers in health care and medical specialties was limited by proximity to Hanover and through curriculum efforts. But with visitors to campus prohibited, the pandemic challenged us to think creatively about how alumni volunteers can engage with students virtually. The pandemic enabled us to expand current programming into a virtual environment and develop additional programming. From this, Med Mentoring was born.

Med Mentoring has allowed us to expand volunteer opportunities for alumni. It houses all our alumni-student engagement programs which include:

Careers in Medicine: This series introduces first, second, and third year students to a wide variety of medical specialties, with a focus on the reality of the day-to-day in each field and why the specialty might be a good fit for the students.

Residency Prep: This program taps into the varied expertise and geographic diversity of our alumni body to support third- and fourth-year medical students as they prepare for residency interviews. Alumni speaker panels cover a wide range of topics, including choices of specialty, program, and location.

URM Alumni Connects–Unity, Resilience, Mentorship: In this series, alumni and thought leaders from underrepresented backgrounds in healthcare share lived experiences in medicine, community engagement, public health, and leadership.

Alumni Spotlight: Through these programs, distinguished alumni share their experiences in academia, medicine, and industry, highlight innovations and research, and address current events and challenges in healthcare. Consider how you can share your passion and experience in medicine and healthcare by volunteering to join our Med Mentoring program so you can make an impact with current students!

Consider how you can share your passion and experience in medicine and healthcare by volunteering to join our Med Mentoring program so you can make an impact with current students! Alumni Volunteers continue to contribute and add value to the Dartmouth experience through coordinated efforts in programs like Med Mentoring and The Dartmouth Institute’s Career Services.

For more information on how to get involved email Annette Achilles at Geisel.Alumni.Relations@Dartmouth.edu.

 

 

Vivienne Meljen, MED’2017

“Before attending medical school my only interactions with the healthcare system were through the generalist disciplines of EM and primary care. I didn’t know what options were available to me and had never met someone “like me,” a LatinX surgeon before. It is an honor to participate in the Careers in Medicine sessions both to expose students to the realities of our incredibly versatile specialty and life as a young member of the field.”

 

 

 

 

Max Bowman, MED’18

“I was fortunate enough to benefit from advice from a variety of mentors throughout my time at Dartmouth, and many of these included alumni. There are incalculable lessons each of us have learned along our path. Passing these lessons to the next generation of physicians is important not only to foster their growth and development, but to strengthen the field of medicine as a whole and guide those that come after us toward a trajectory of success and fulfillment.”

 

 

 

Naphtali Odongo, MPH’20 

“My lessons at TDI went beyond what is listed on the curriculum. The amazing leaders and team taught me lessons I didn’t expect to learn from an institution like caring for others, the importance of taking the high road, benefit of second chances, and humility. The best way for me to thank them is through actions. So, I don’t see it as volunteering, I see it as a solid thank you and way of paying it forward by providing opportunities so graciously afforded to me by The Dartmouth Institute community.”

 

 

 

Written by Amanda Bassett