December 21, 2016
Dear Medical Student to be!
I am writing to wish you “Happy Holidays” and to congratulate you again on your acceptance to the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
Over the next few months we will introduce you to some of the key members of our Medical Education team. In this newsletter we will start with our Student Affairs Deans.
In lieu of a formal “Revisit Day” we invite you to participate in some of the events we are hosting in the upcoming months. If you plan to attend anyone of these events please contact us at [email protected]. You can find a listing of our student events at the end of this e-mail. These will be updated as we progress through the rest of this academic year.
Do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.
Take Care, Ellena Peterson, Ph.D. Associate Dean, Admissions Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Happy Holidays
-The Admissions Team!
Greetings from the Associate Dean for Student Affairs Welcome to the UC Irvine School of Medicine! As the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, it is my job to support every aspect of your experience these next four years. Student Affairs assists you with academic skills, career
advising, student activities, financial guidance, wellness and psychological health. We even assist you with parking! Student life is very busy at UC Irvine. We want to provide an environment where you can mature, discover your passions and make wonderful friendships with your future colleagues. We also want to help you find the balance between your professional
and private life. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 39 years and have three children and seven grandchildren. I understand the challenges you will face during busy study times and yet know that it can be done! Defining your priorities, knowing your limitations and surrounding yourself with people who love and support you is the secret. I have spent my entire career at UC Irvine-my undergraduate education, medical school, residency in Ob/Gyn, fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine and as faculty and Associate Dean. I am committed to your personal success and to the success of the School of Medicine. It is my honor to welcome you to our school. I look forward to meeting each of you and learning about your goals and dreams. See you in August! Julianne Toohey, M.D. Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Associate Dean, Student Affairs
Meet Dr. Fox, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Welcome to UC Irvine!
I grew up in Irvine and live in San Clemente. I am married to Danielle, a physical therapist, and we have one son, Nick, who at the age of eight loves surfing, skiing, snorkeling, fishing, and playing soccer. After graduation from UC Irvine, I received my MD from Tufts University, and did my residency training at UC Irvine in Emergency Medicine and then went to Chicago for a
Fellowship in Ultrasound at The University of Illinois. In 2001 I joined the faculty at UC Irvine and am currently a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs for Emergency Medicine and direct the emergency ultrasound fellowship. As the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, I help students find their career in medicine. My passion for ultrasound is evidenced by my authorship of three textbooks and over 70 articles on the topic. With over $1.5M in grant funding to teach ultrasound in medical education, we are able to ensure students at UC Irvine are taught this exciting portable imaging skill!
In my "free" time, I am in the ocean - swimming in open ocean races, surfing the breaks in South Orange County, and fishing for tuna - these activities serve to balance my busy life at UC Irvine.
As to my role in helping you choose your career in medicine, at UC Irvine we start thinking about career planning from the first week during orientation! Choosing the wrong career in medicine has devastating financial and life consequences. This is one decision you want to get right THE FIRST TIME! While there are many facets to this decision, what remains most salient is to have a genuine realization of who you are and what drives you. Be prepared to meet one-on-one with me, because "its about to get real" - at least that's how its routinely described by literally hundreds of medical students. I am known to have a knack for getting students to be dead honest about which aspects of a career in medicine are critical to them - and also which are not. The results of these characteristics are then given a "reality check" to ensure the applicant has both the academic prowess and necessary mentors to make for a successful match come March of the final year of medical school.
Our mentors are where UC Irvine really excels. This is done through small groups or "Academic Societies". We handpick 16 clinical faculty members who have proven track records of dedication to medical students. The function of these societies is four-fold:
• Form a mentor-mentee relationship with the students allowing for mentorship ranging from work-life balance, financial, and also just to serve as a friend during times of stress.
• Begin the process of early clinical exposure in various specialties. In addition to the monthly real-deal specialty talks given by the societal directors, we also have quarterly specialty "speed dating" where the directors rotate to other societies. Furthermore, societal directors have a wide network of clinicians throughout the house of medicine to put their mentees in contact with.
• Formal programming within the societies covering topics from practicing patient presentation skills, to solving interesting clinical conundrums,
to residency interview critiques.
Choosing a correct specialty in medicine while having a stimulating and rewarding experience in medical school is just another way the UC Irvine School of Medicine excels. As you can see, UC Irvine School of Medicine is not just about dancing with iPads and ultrasound probes (although we do that)! I look forward to meeting and working with you! Chris Fox, M.D. Professor of Emergency Medicine Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Recent Events: Med AppJam 2016 Winners Twenty-four teams competed in this year’s 5th Annual Med AppJam competition hosted by the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) and the School of Medicine. These teams were comprised of over 175 students from ICS and health sciences programs and collaborated over a two-week period to create innovative mobile health apps. This was the first year the competition was opened up to include both iOS and Android apps. The apps were judged at the judging event on Nov. 22, 2016 where teams rotated to give short pitches to a panel of judges. Dr. Maxwell Jen, from the Department of Emergency Medicine, represented the School of Medicine on this panel. The winning teams announced at the awards ceremony that day were as follows: Overall Winner: Alzheimer's Buddy Alzheimer's Buddy is an application that aims to help Alzheimer's patients stay better connected with their families and friends. It uses facial recognition software to identify people in real time and display relevant information about them from their profile. Team members: • Sasha Mirabi • Pasha Khosravi • Lucas Erb • Akash Idnani • Sharof Abdugapparov • Jenny Tang, MS1 Most Start-Up Potential: MediPal MediPal is an application that aims to familiarize children with medical
practices such as getting vaccinations before they go in. This app was created as a solution to the problem of children seeing doctors and medical visits as scary situations. Team members: • Amanda Jiang • Andrew Chio • Carina Ma • James Purpura • Waitaya Krongapiradee • Inbal Epstein, MS1 Most Innovative: Face2Face Face2Face is an application that uses facial recognition software to keep track of how much face time a doctor has with their patients. It hopes to use this information to create a higher quality patient experience. Team members: • Samuel Lin • John Ko • Xin Hu • Wes Trevino • Lidia Flores • Thomas Vo, MS4 Congratulations to all teams for their dedication during the competition!
Upcoming Events. We invite you to participate in some of the student events we are hosting in the upcoming months. If you plan to attend anyone of these events please contact us at [email protected].
MEDAPALOOZA: Revue and Talent Show Medical Student Talent Show Saturday, January 28th, 2017
Come watch our students show off their hidden talents. Do not expect “So You Think You Can Dance” or “America’s Got Talent” but whether the act is good or bad we will love each one because they are our family!
5:30 pm Reception (Food and Drinks) 7:00 -9:00 pm Show
Crystal Cove Auditorium Student Center UC Irvine Irvine, CA
UltraFest Saturday, February 4th 8:30 am- 3:30 pm
http://uciultrafest.com/ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/uci-ultrafest-2017-tickets-28406972018 https://www.facebook.com/events/315692888822851/
UC Irvine School of Medicine will host its fifth annual UltraFest: a free ultrasound symposium for medical students. Ultrafest seeks to teach and develop students’ skills in bedside ultrasound, through hands-on practice and small-group instruction with live models and clinician instructors. If you are interested in attending, spaces are limited and you need to register using the link provided. In addition if you register please also inform the admissions office using [email protected]. The excitement at this event is electric!