In this Issue...Stories from January/February (Pages 2-3)

Upcoming Events for March (Page 4)Upcoming Events for April (Page 5)Interest Groups and Clubs (Page 5)

Message from the President and Founding DeanAs the temperature rises and the snow melts, we look forward to celebrating major milestones for our community this spring. Beginning this month, we eagerly anticipate Match Day on March 21st. Not simply the culmination of the residency interview process (or even these past four years at VTC), this event marks the climax of our students' academic lives to this moment. Our charter class members will open their envelopes to reveal the turning point of their medical careers: residency training. A few days later on March 24th, we will host our �rst annual VTCSOM Research Day with selected project presentations by several of those same individuals.

In addition to these extraordinary events, tremendous work - seen from the opening of our doors - continues throughout our community. In this issue, you will �nd stories illustrating how our faculty, students and sta� have reached out beyond their curricula and job descriptions: in their neighborhoods, in

the Roanoke Valley region, and even throughout the world. I encourage you to continue embracing the opportunities to engage both within and outside of VTC.

As you read this newsletter, please take a moment to celebrate our successes and our community as a whole. Thank you for making our community what it is today!

Cynda Johnson, MD, MBA

communityand cultureENHANCING THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT AND

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

VIRGINIA TECH CARILION SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

MARCH 2014

O�ce of Community and Culture, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, 2 Riverside Circle, Suite M140, Roanoke, Virginia 24016

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This past February, VTCSOM students and

medical residents gathered at Patrick Henry High School to

compete in a charity-basketball game for the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship fund. Dozens of VTCSOM faculty, sta�, and other students - as well as many more

friends and family - showed their support as avid fans of the event.

To support the fund, visit: http://tinyurl.com/vtc-

morgan

Roanoke City Public Schools, Science Fair 2014The results are in! On February 20, VTC was represented by 27 students, residents, faculty, and sta�, who were either judging, demonstrating suture techniques or portable ultrasound use, or giving presentations at annual Roanoke City Public Schools’ Science Fair held at William Fleming High School.

VTC o�cially sponsored the �rst-place awards for the middle and high school biological sciences categories.

The high school winner - Mason Wheeler of RVGS/Patrick Henry High School - additionally received a VTC backpack for his project on Phaseolus Vulgaris (string beans!).

This season, our community is contagiousDespite record-breaking low temperatures and snowfall, the spirit of giving was high as community-building, giving and outreach activities spread throughout VTC and the Roanoke region this winter season.

To kick-off the new year, the Office of Community and Culture teamed with the VTCSOM Class Presidents to host our first VTC Multicultural Potluck! Over 22 food cultures were represented in dishes ranging from galbi (South Korea; Sanghee Suh) and köttbullar (Sweden; Dean Cynda Johnson) to crowd-favorited desserts brigadeiro (Brazil; Carlie Blake) and kheer (India; Silpa Thaivalappil). Top-rated dishes were awarded Fork in the Restaurants gift cards, courtesy of Associate Dean Dave Trinkle.

Led by Helena Carvalho, Assistant Professor in Basic Science, VTCSOM participated in Kids Tech University (KTU) at the Blacksburg campus. KTU is a one-day career fair for middle school-aged students, created to inspire them to explore interesting topics in STEM-�elds. The event was

attended by 18 VTC medical students, who led 6 stations

(vision, hearing, smell/taste, skin response, re�exes, and

nutrition) to interact with over 400 middle-schoolers.

Kids Tech University at the Virginia Tech campus

With our largest attendance to date for a Lunch and Learn session, Dr. Saleem Ahmed inspired, entertained, quizzed, and fed the community while he shared his family history and professional experiences and described the physical and spiritual challenges of his Hajj pilgrimage. Watch your inbox - the next lecture will be announced via e-mail later this month!

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LUNCH

LEARN

Healthy Hearts for the

Roanoke Filipino Community

In February, the Philippine-American

Association of the Roanoke Valley (PAARV) invited VTC and JCHS to participate in the �rst-ever health event sponsored by the cultural club. Cardiology fellow Dr. Geo�rey Jao presented a keynote lecture, and the evening proved to be a

success with a healthy-food potluck and after-dinner

Zumba dancing!

Many thanks to Dr. Brian Watson for connecting us

with his wife, Trish Fernandez-Watson, current

President of PAARV.

Almost SistersSara BahrainiVirginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Before, you were a story:a stack of pictures and letters that gathered,growing up.You were my father’ssmiles, hisearly morning long-distance phone calls,his late brother’s facein a little girl.

Now we sit in this space; our grandmother’sbed, together,a bowl of tangerinesbetween us. You are real.We smile at each other in silence,each without a sister,feeding one another.The peels gather,curled in piles, like your letters on my father’s desk.

The desert sun splashesover the room through the scratched glass,and the citrus vapors wadein the warmth.

I watch as your scarf fallsonto your shoulders, reaching overto deliver the next slice.We have the same hair, you know.

We have the same hair, after all.

Poems in the Waiting RoomSara Bahraini (M4) won

the 1st Annual VTC Poetry Competition winners last year; her poem (left) is

featured at Carilion Clinic in Volume 1 of their

“Poems in the Waiting Room” brochure series for

guests of the hospital.

Other organizations that our community has supported:

Find more outreach opportunities online at: http://tinyurl.com/vtc-calendar

O�ce of Community and Culture

community calendarof events, holidays, and observances

MARCHWomen’s History Month

National Nutrition MonthSave Your Vision Month

Colorectal Cancer AwarenessAmerican Red Cross Month

Irish-American Heritage

1 Historic Downtown Food and Culture Tour4 Mardi Gras (Christianity)5 Carilion Toastmasters Ash Wednesday - Lent begins (Christianity)8 International Women’s Day9 Daylight Saving Time Begins11 Mini Medical School 13 World Kidney Day15 Shamrock Hill Run (1 mi, 5k and 10k) McDonald’s Parade and Shamrock Festival16 Purim (Judaism)17 St. Patrick’s Day (Catholicism)18 Mini Medical School20 First Day of Spring21 Residency Match Day24 VTCSOM Research Day25 Mini Medical School25-27 Dean‘s Global Forum at Virginia Tech30 National Doctors’ Day

This March, VTCSOM is opening its doors to creative and inquiring minds with its �rst Mini Medical School series. Participants will gather each evening for a keynote lecture and then disperse into concurrent interactive sessions. These sessions include activities in the anatomy laboratories – including an opportunity to play with the anatomy table, a session about moulage and standardized patients, hands-on exposure at portable ultrasound, and learning about the

construction of prosthetic devices.

Open to the public, preregistration is required. A $20 registration fee covers all four evenings. For more details and to register, please visit https://vtcminimed.eventbrite.com.

Contact: Chio Tisdell.

March 11, 18, 25 and April 1: Mini Medical School series at VTC

Come help us celebrate the research successes of our charter class! There will be oral presentations by eight selected students. These oral presentations will be divided into two times (noon - 1:00PM; 2:00- 3:00PM).

We will also have poster sessions for all students following each of these oral presentations (1:00 - 2:00PM; 3:00 - 4:00PM). This event will be held on the second �oor of VTCSOM with presentations in the Auditorium (M203). We hope you will join us to see the amazing variety of research our students have produced during their time at VTCSOM.

Contact: Jennifer B. Page

March 24: VTCSOM Research Day

The VTCSOM community will be joining the main Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg to celebrate Global Engagement.

There will be performances by internationally recognized hip-hop artist and former Sudanese child soldier, Emmanuel Jal. Also, Hon. Harriet Mayor Fulbright, President of the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center and Hon. Dr. Mitchell Reiss, President of Washington College will be in attendance as our featured speakers.

Registration for the Emmanuel Jal event is free at the Center for the Arts (https://www.artscenter.vt.edu). For more information about the Dean’s Forum, please visit: http://www.eng.vt.edu/deansforum

March 25 - 27: Deans’ Forum on Global Engagement at Virginia Tech

Michael Gallagher (M1) is planning a charity event to donate books to schools, universities, and communities in need around the world. Please contact him if you would like to get involved.

Other: Book Drive!

Questions?Please contact us if you have any questions about our programs and events or would like to get involved with planning future activities.

David B. Trinkle, Associate Dean

APRILNational STI Education and Awareness

Sexual Assault Awareness and PreventionNational Autism Awareness

Stress Awareness MonthNational Poetry Month

1 Mini Medical School 7 World Health Day10 FAIC at the Taubman Museum13 Palm Sunday - Holy Week begins (Christianity)15 Taxes Due Passover begins (Judaism)17 Spring Art Exhibit Opening Reception19 Holy Week ends (Christianity)20 Easter Sunday (Christianity)22 Passover ends (Judaism) Earth Day23 Administrative Professionals25 Poetry in Medicine Competition Awards Arbor Day26 Blue Ridge 5k, Half and Full Marathon27 Holocaust Remembrance28 VTC Dean’s Colloquium begins Service Learning Project Presentat29 7th Annual Carilion Research Day

O�ce of Community and Culture

The Fine Arts Integration Club (FAIC) is a student-driven e�ort to use the �ne arts as a training ground to foster observational and communication skills applicable to medicine.

Modeling programs at other medical schools, FAIC will provide students the opportunity to look beyond the surface and consider the various underlying messages being communicated. At a time when physicians heavily rely upon lab tests and imaging, students will be taught to utilize Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), methodology that will allow students to hone their visualization skills and better communicate exactly what they are seeing.

These structured workshops are designed to assist medical students in mastering their �rst and most basic clinical tool for assessing a patient: their eyes. These greatly improved visual skills will contribute to forming better physicians who strive to seek a complete understanding of their patients, and who are fully equipped to meet this challenge with success. The �rst tour will be April 10th at 6pm at the Taubman Museum. Tickets are $8/each, RSVP required.

If interested in this event or to join FAIC, please contact: Chris Mclaughlin (M1).

April 10: Fine Arts Integration Club

Marking the end of the clinical phase for VTC students, the Dean’s Colloquium begins next month. To kick-o� the week, please join us for our Service Learning Project Presentations on Monday, April 28th. We will have oral presentations by each group from 2:30 - 4:30PM in M203 followed by poster presentations from 4:30 - 5:30 in the Commons. Students selected an organization during Block I to volunteer with and complete their Service Learning Project.

These projects allow students to further develop and practice collaborative leadership and teamwork skills. It is a community based and meaningful project to participants as well as the community, where local leaders provide insight into the importance of service to others based on one's personal values.

Contact: Jennifer B. Page.

April 28: Dean’s Colloquium

Psychiatry Student Interest Group

The Psych Student Interest Group hosted its �rst movie night in early February with a faculty-led discussion. To join the club, please contact: Sara Bahraini (M4).

International Medicine Advocacy Group

For more information, contact: Joe Pechacek (M2).

Council for Diversity and Inclusion

CDI wants to expand its membership! Inviting interested students, faculty, and sta� to join. Our next meeting will be held in April, date TBA.

Contact: Chio Tisdell

Other Interest Groups/Clubs

Science is an art, but not all scientists are artists. To explore this relationship, our spring 2014 theme is biomedical research and its expression in the creative arts. Clinicians and researchers use various machines and techniques to create beautiful images of structures and activites in the body. Local artists have been asked to translate these images into unique art pieces. Part of this exhibit will feature handcrafted creations by Paula Golden and her quilting group. Deadline to submit artwork is March 7.

For more information, contact: Chio Tisdell

April 17: Art of Science Exhibit Opening