Student Clubs
Medical students at UVA organize a wide range of student organizations centered around specialty interest groups, community service, healthcare advancement, hobbies, and wellness. Participating students gain valuable leadership skills, learn useful knowledge, and develop camaraderie through coordinating events, social gatherings, educational lectures, journal clubs, research opportunities, workshops, and volunteering opportunities. An Excel sheet of existing clubs could be found here.
Club Leader Resources
The Mulholland Society provides a variety of resources and funding for our existing clubs as well as students interested in starting new organizations. These resources and how to access them are listed below.
The Mulholland Society votes on new clubs twice a year; once in the fall and once in the Spring. New club applications will be released this upcoming spring.
A comprehensive guide to the application process and the available resources for student clubs at UVASOM is currently under construction and will be available here once it’s done!
Steps for how clubs can access funding through the Mulholland Society:
- Please submit a funding request form before the event takes place/purchases are made (at least 2 weeks for requests less than $250 and 1 month for requests greater than $250).
- The Mulholland Bylaws detail the process for funding requests based on the amount requested.
- The Mulholland Executive Board will reach out to you with a decision on how much money was approved.
- Please ensure you stay within the amount approved when making purchases as it will be difficult for us to reimburse for any amount exceeding the approved amount.
- After receiving word from the Executive Board, you can then make the purchases. Please remember to obtain itemized receipt.
- Please note Mulholland is not allowed to reimburse for alcoholic drinks.
- After the event, please fill out a reimbursement form. If possible, please try to submit the reimbursement form within two weeks of the event.
Please reach out to Andy Hoang (ukx2cv@virginia.edu) with any questions.
Specialty Interest Groups
Specialty interest groups host faculty meetings, panels, speakers, and journal clubs. Faculty members address a variety of topics related to their specialty, including general overviews, subspecialties, lifestyle issues, residency matching, and cutting-edge research in the field. Participating in specialty interest groups is a great way to connect with faculty members for mentorship, shadowing, and research opportunities.
The UVA Aerospace Medicine Club is an all-student run organization that aims to increase student awareness of and involvement with the field of aerospace medicine. We have a wide array of exciting programming, including a year-round lecture series, student-led and guided field trips to local and DC-area museums and attractions, and our SIM site partnership, which aims to increase involvement in the STEM fields among at-risk youth particularly as pertains to space and medicine. If you’re interested in joining or would like to know more about our club, please reach out. Thank you!
Contact Information: Bethany Neri (president, ban4ew@virginia.edu), Charbel Marche (VP, qdy4zt@virginia.edu), David Miller (VP, dm2ts@virginia.edu), Andrew Schmidt (treasurer, mas4xsn@virginia.edu)
A club for students interested in learning more about cardiology both as a field and as a profession! We have fun upcoming events such as faculty panels, workshops, and fundraisers!
Contact Information: Alper Turgut (president, aot3qx@virginia.edu), Isabelle Ciaverelli (VP, mqd4sa@virginia.edu), Elizabeth Farrar (networking/outreach co-chair, eaf2yhz@virginia.edu), Sanya Bansal, (networking/outreach co-chair, gzk2xu@virginia.edu), Srikar Tallavajhala (secretary/treasurer, srt3udn@virginia.edu)
Contact Information: Varun Jain (president, VJ3U@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu), Kylie Fultineer (president, krf7eru@virginia.edu), Vivek Parikh (M3 rep, jkp3mw@virginia.edu), Anjola Toyon (M3 rep, usc9mt@virginia.edu
UVA dermatology interest group is a club dedicated to introducing students to the field of dermatology and connecting students with opportunities to get involved with dermatology through community service, research, and shadowing. We host various events throughout the year including but not limited to: a patient panel, a UVA dermatology faculty panel, a “How to Write a Case Report” lecture, a Dermatology images jeopardy review, and a panel with M4s who match into dermatology. We also offer service opportunities through Sun Protection Outreach and Teaching by Students as well as the annual skin cancer screening event through the dermatology department.
Contact Information: Patricia Zhao (president, pwz9jtk@virginia.edu), Vivian Dong (VP, vld4ty@virginia.edu), Nancy Shen (treasurer, nws2gh@virginia.edu), Nidhi Kuchimanchi (secretary, kkx7ah@virginia.edu), Brenna Douthitt (SPOTS chair, bd5bm@virginia.edu), Calvin Tilson (social media chair, cct8xh@virginia.edu)
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The Emergency Medicine Interest Group aims to expose medical students to the wonderful world of EM. Emergency Medicine is one of the most popular specialties in medicine and, unfortunately, many students do not get adequate time in the emergency room and with emergency medicine faculty.
The EMIG is open for everyone and provides learning opportunities such as guest lectures on topics such as airplane medicine, toxicology, and ultrasound. We also provide procedural skills workshops such as suturing and plan on expanding our procedural workshops to allow students to practice intubations and lumbar punctures in the simulation center.
Communication and mentorship between EM residents and medical students is a main focus of our interest group, and students who are interested will be paired with a resident to guide them through the journey of applying to EM residency.
Contact Information: Kevin Livingstone (co president, kl6wu@virginia.edu), Jack Borucki (co-president, sb5kgs@virginia.edu), Laura Gerrick (VP, vcf8em@virginia.edu), Daniel Wu (secretary, dw7ztw@virginia.edu), Summer Kirkpatrick (treasurer, sak8ut@virginia.edu), James Vithoulkas (events coordinator, jv6vd@virginia.edu), Rachel Heynen (events coordinator, ufv2fa@virginia.edu)
We are a club dedicated to providing a space for students interested in the Chinese language and culture to learn and practice Chinese in a medical context. We have beginner sessions for teaching students the basics of Chinese grammar and conversation as well as advanced sessions to help students learn medical vocabulary and hone their interviewing skills. We also celebrate Chinese cultural events in order to help students better understand Chinese culture and build rapport with future patients.
Contact Information: Xiaoyu Cai (xc7fy@virginia.edu)
We are a club to provide a space to students interested in the Korean language to learn and practice their Korean in a medical context. We have beginner sessions for teaching students the basics of Korean grammar and conversation to build rapport with patients as well as advanced sessions to help students learn medical vocabulary and hone their interviewing skills. We welcome any students with an interest in learning the Korean language and culture to reach out to us at any time!
Contact Information: Xiaoyu Cai (xc7fy@virginia.edu)
The UVA Chapter of MSFC is committed to ensuring that reproductive healthcare and rights are a standard part of medical education and training at UVA. We are focused on educating ourselves and our peers about reproductive medicine, including birth control, vasectomy, abortion, and other health issues affecting reproductive health. In the past, we have held events to help future physicians learn about reproductive health and develop the skills needed to be qualified reproductive healthcare providers (IUD insertion workshops, vasectomy workshops, etc.). Together, we hope to educate and empower tomorrow’s pro-choice physicians.
Contact Information: Abigail Dupre (gsz5jw@virginia.edu), Emilee Hall (gvm4yn@virginia.edu), Jessie Bryant (jlb3ya@virginia.edu), Aly Dwight (ewd6vs@virginia.edu), Sarah Sebastian (svl2udp@virginia.edu)
The OB/GYN Interest Group represents and supports medical students with an interest in this field. We provide access to physician mentors, educational panels, research, and other professional development activities. We welcome all students who want to explore and learn more about obstetrics and gynecology. If you’re interested in learning more about OB/GYN and/or participating in our events this year, please join our listserv here if you haven’t already!
Contact Info: uvasom.obgyn@gmail.com
Rachel Cal (co-president, aru2rg@virginia.edu), Marissa Rayner (co-president, mhr4ty@virginia.edu), Shreya Venkat (VP, ddh4fe@virginia.edu, Priyanka Kundur (community outreach chair, pk4me@virginia.edu), Caleigh Smith (research chair, cs9hn@virginia.edu), Avery McMaster (events chair, whs2yy@virginia.edu), Amber Bowman (events chair, aab8zf@virginia.edu)
The Oncology club is an ASCO-recognized organization who aims to educate medical students about current trends, research, and career paths in oncology and to offer a network between the medical students and residents/fellows as well as attendings of UVA.
Contact Information: Sarah Marion (president, swm5tx@virginia.edu), Reema Patel (VP, rp5mg@virginia.edu), Anant Tewari (treasurer, art5cb@virginia.edu)
The Ophthalmology Interest Group is here to introduce medical students to the field of ophthalmology through physician panels and educational talks. We also organize opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience with ophthalmological tools through slit lamp workshops and glaucoma screenings. We always welcome any interested students to come to our events or contact us to learn more about the club and get involved!
Contact Information: Brett Goerl (co-president, bag4ze@virginia.edu), Caroline Cotton (co-president, cc4hsv@virginia.edu)
Our goal is to help students learn more about the amazing field of otolaryngology, as well as its subspecialties, including Head & Neck Oncology, Otology/Neurotology, Rhinology/Sinus Surgery, Laryngology, Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Pediatric Otolaryngology, and Sleep Surgery. We also hope to connect students with shadowing opportunities as well as research opportunities through the otolaryngology research database. We host events throughout the year including a faculty panel, procedural skills lab, or journal club. To join our listserv, please reach out!
Contact Information: Shreya Mandava (sm2mv@virginia.edu), Jeffrey Bellinger (jrb6dup@virginia.edu), Ana Brennan (agb4gj@virginia.edu)
We as the Pathology Interest Group aim to show medical students what being a pathologist entails and the important role they play in patient care, offer educational support to students in the pre-clerkship curriculum by hosting review events for pathology-heavy systems, and connect students interested in pathology with resident and faculty mentors.
Contact Information: Nancy Shen (president, nws2gh@virginia.edu), Santos Acosta Martinez (president, saa7kdu@virginia.edu)
The PM&R Interest Group connects medical students to shadowing, medical coverage of sporting events, and other volunteering opportunities with PM&R faculty and residents. We also offer resident-run ultrasound and physical exam workshops, as well as lectures from faculty on the field of PM&R and specific specialty topics. Our goal is to provide medical students with exposure to the field of PM&R through volunteering and educational opportunities.
Contact Information: David Lee (co-president, yum8pz@virginia.edu), Carley Whitt (co-president, ccw8sd@virginia.edu), Royce Le (VP, aem8xv@virginia.edu), Surbhi Mathur (Inova campus lead, sm5ug@virginia.edu)
Our aim is to provide a space for medical students interested in Psychiatry – we host talks about the specialty, opportunities to meet with Psychiatry residents, and volunteer opportunities.
Contact Information: Mannet Dhaliwal (co-president, mkd7jtz@virginia.edu), Sushma Reddy (co-president, snr4pz@virginia.edu), Mackenzi Oswald (VP, ajz9mg@virginia.edu), Lucy Miao (volunteering chair, emb5zr@virginia.edu)
RIG is a group for students interested in diagnostic and/or interventional radiology. We provide helpful resources for students interested in exploring/applying to the specialty, hold events for career exploration, and connect students to residents and faculty for shadowing, research, and networking.
Contact Information: Kassie Tulenko (president, kgt5nd@virginia.edu), Angela Tang (president, alt4cj@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: https://med.virginia.edu/radiology/education/medical-student-education/radiology-interest-group/
Transplantation Interest Group attempts to advance the knowledge and awareness about transplantation among students and empower them to engage with the transplant community. Its mission is to support this vision by providing leadership, advocacy, training, education, and community-based opportunities to its members. Students will:
(1) gain a better understanding of the pre- and post-operative responsibilities of the patient and his/her medical, surgical, and organ procurement organization teams,
(2) become more knowledgeable about the field of living and deceased organ donation,
(3) become more knowledgeable about research related to transplantation, and
(4) become aware of current ethical and social issues surrounding transplantation.
Our faculty mentor is Kenneth Brayman, MD, PhD, FACS (Director of UVA kidney, pancreas, and islet transplant programs, Center for Cellular Therapy and Biologic Therapeutics).
Contact Information: Rachel Atkins (president, rea6kvd@virginia.edu), Andy Vo (VP, anv5fq@virginia.edu), Yasaman Vahdat (VP, yv6xa@virginia.edu), Patrick Andrews (treasurer, pha6ve@virginia.edu)
Sign up for our listserv: https://lists.virginia.edu/sympa/subscribe/tigatuva
The Urology Interest Group is a student-run club with the primary goal of exposing students to the wonderful field of urology. This club aims to provide mentorship, research, and shadowing opportunities for individuals that are interested in pursuing urology. We will plan to have meetings every other month with guest lectures from the UVA Urology Department. If you are interested in learning more about urology or would like assistance connecting with urology faculty please feel free to contact us.
Applying to urology residency is a challenging process and we hope the Urology Interest Group can provide additional guidance and support for success. We will have a resume and personal statement review for 4th-year students starting each June.
Contact Information: Jack Lawton (co-president, jdl8qr@virginia.edu), Simon White (co-president), Grant Lardieri (VP), Will Hasken (VP)
Surgical interest group aimed at providing students increased exposure to vascular surgery through operative workshops, research opportunities, and faculty mentorship.
Ideal for those interested in integrated vascular or CT residencies. Join our mailing list here to receive updates on upcoming events.
Contact Information: Quang Le (president, qhl5ea@virginia.edu)
Med-Peds is a highly versatile field combining training in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics that fills many gaps in primary and specialty care that either categorical specialty or Family Medicine cannot. Join the Med-Peds Interest Group to learn more about the specialty from faculty and residents at UVA and beyond through informational sessions and panel discussions. For students interested in applying to Med-Peds residency programs, our club will offer advice through 4th year planning meetings and post-Match panels.
Contact Information: Casey Little (president, gvz8fg@virginia.edu)
Edgerton Society serves as UVA’s Plastic Surgery Interest Group. Our goal is to teach students about the unique aspects of plastic surgery, to help facilitate connections between students and faculty and to provide access and exposure to research opportunities. Our mission is also to provide students with early exposure to plastic and reconstructive surgery while imparting foundational knowledge of craniofacial, hand, and microsurgery. We hope to not only guide students for the journey to residency in this field, but also to hone their fine motor skills in preparation for clinical rotations.
Contact Information: Sanjana Challa (sc6red@virginia.edu)
Interested in getting hands-on practice with ultrasound? Join the Ultrasound in Medical Education club! Ultrasound is one of the quickest, cheapest, and safest imaging tools in medicine. We hope to provide sessions with faculty from Radiology, Emergency Medicine, OB/Gyn, and more to give you an opportunity to practice ultrasound and learn how to use it in any specialty!
Contact Information: Fatima Choudhary (chair, fsc3cv@virginia.edu), Amrita Ladwa (vice chair, al9sp@virginia.edu), Emily Lin (service chair, ezl9uu@virginia.edu), Melissa Houghton (communications chair, rnj8jg@virginia.edu), Anuj Kotak (communications chair, ahk4ub@virginia.edu), Ryan Farmer (secretary, ref4br@virginia.edu), Nidhi Purohit (event chair, nmp6sv@virginia.edu), Elisa Enriquez (event chair, ee2d@virginia.edu)
The CCM Interest Club is an organization dedicated to fostering an interest in this area of medicine through workshops, simulations, didactics, and research and networking opportunities. The ICU can be intimidating to many medical students, and we hope to make the field less daunting by exposing students to critical care concepts early in medical school. There is no single path to become involved in CCM, and we embrace the many avenues one could take, whether it be Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Anesthesia, Surgery, EM, or others!
Contact Information: Michael (Andrew) Schmidt (co-president, mas4xsn@virginia.edu), Braden Miller (co-president, bmm3ab@virginia.edu), Benjamin Witman (co-president, blw3jv@virginia.edu)
Contact Information: uvasom.aig@gmail.com
David Miller (co-president, dm2ts@virginia.edu), Kimberly Luu (co-president, khl7ex@virginia.edu), Gaby Li (VP, ghl3au@virginia.edu), Rachel Atkins (Inova liaison, rea6kvd@virginia.edu), Anthony Del Vecchio (treasurer, ald2vd@virginia.edu), Stephanie Katz (secretary, smk4bfw@virginia.edu)
The Family Medicine Interest Group at UVA exists for anyone interested in getting involved with the amazing field of family medicine! We host a variety of events and have many opportunities for networking within the FM world. Events include skills nights, resident-student mentorship, national and state conferences, volunteer opportunities, and FM speciality talks! Join the list serv here.
Contacts: Lindsey Furness (wqa4rs@virginia.edu), Sasheenie Moodley (sm2zd@virginia.edu), Swet Patel (smp9jas@virginia.edu)
The UVA chapter of AMSUS aims to provide mentorship and guidance to current and prospective military medical students, particularly students attending UVASOM through the Health Professions Scholarship Program.
Contact Information: Micayla Menchel (mmm5xn@virginia.edu), David Miller (dm2ts@virginia.edu), Brenna Douhitt, Gabriella Norbert (zna3ge@virginia.edu)
The Neurosurgery Interest group is for medical students interested in learning more about the field of neurological surgery. We coordinate shadowing opportunities within the neurosurgery department for M1 and M2 students and help connect students with neurosurgery research opportunities. We also host resident and faculty meet-and-greets to network with the department and hold lectures about various neurosurgical topics and how to navigate the neurosurgery residency application process.
Contact Information: Kristina Kurker (president, kpk6sdn@virginia.edu), Nisha Dhabi (VP, nkd3qt@virginia.edu), Anant Tewari (treasurer, art5cb@virginia.edu), Sean Runge (anatomy coordinator, nwn8mr@virginia.edu), Shaina Twardus (research coordinator, pwh3pp@virginia.edu), Timour Abduhalikov (M1/M2 outreach, tta8pg@virginia.edu), Duy Pham (shadowing aid, wtx8km@virginia.edu)
The rural health interest group is really excited to create opportunities and experiences for students interested in learning about a career in a rural setting. The rural communities in Virginia are ample and are largely medically underserved. In 2023-2024 we will be establishing consistent volunteer opportunities at free clinics in the rural areas surrounding Charlottesville, hosting physicians for monthly lecture series including topics such as Poverty in rural America, HIV care, Telemedicine, EMS, and a panel on Rural Primary Care. Additionally, we will be hosting monthly book club discussions and periodically attending Remote Area Medical pop-up clinics around the state. Please reach out with questions and we hope to see you at our events this year!
Contact Information: Dolan Edinboro (dre7ep@virginia.edu), Emma Harrison (ech4jn@virginia.edu), Ben Witman (blw3jv@virginia.edu), Dawson Brown (dmb8nwz@virginia.edu), Swet Patel (smp9jas@virginia.edu), Rachel Heynen (ufv2fa@virginia.edu), Sage Royston (wcv3jy@virginia.edu)
We are a general surgery interest group that hopes to promote exposure to various surgical specialties and help students develop hands-on surgical skills. In the past, we have hosted suturing workshops in the cadaver lab and talks with surgeons from various specialties. Our goal is to help all students develop their surgical skills, and help those interested in surgery as a profession discover the many sub-specialties that are available.
Contact Information: Caila Bachmann (co-president, bxg3wr@virginia.edu), Purush Ramanathan (co-president, usg5mj@virginia.edu)
Radiation Oncology is a small but mighty field and it serves an important role as one of the three main pillars of oncologic treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation).
Radiation Oncology interest group is designed to give medical students early exposure to the field with resident/faculty panels, journal clubs, research opportunities, and more!
Contact Information: Rebecca Marchant (co-ppresident, rcm8fus@virginia.edu), Paul Armstrong (co-president, pha7bj@virginia.edu)
The Gastroenterology Interest Group aims to introduce students to the fascinating and diverse field of gastroenterology. We aim to familiarize students with this broad specialty and its collaborative nature through physician panels, journal clubs, case presentations, and networking opportunities. We welcome any student with an interest in GI to come to our events or contact us to learn more about the club!
Contact Information: Sara Stambaugh (rjs3sx@virginia.edu), Marietta Kocher (wtx8ru@virginia.edu), Parker Holum (uju5pa@virginia.edu), Calvin Tilson (cct8xh@virginia.edu)
The Medical Genetics Interest Group aims to introduce students to the field of medical genetics. We facilitate exploration of the specialty through informational sessions and journal clubs, and for those interested, we provide mentorship, research, and shadowing opportunities.
All students are welcome, including those who have never heard of the specialty to those planning to apply to medical genetics residency programs! Please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Contact Information: Reyna Huang (president, rlh3xt@virginia.edu)
The International Medicine Club is a place for students interested in global health to hear more about summer/rotations abroad, connect with volunteering opportunities in Charlottesville/INOVA, and become exposed to general global health medical content. We work closely with the UVA Center for Global Health Equity, and are looking to collaborate with Partners in Health Engage, a global health advocacy club.
Contact Information: Shaina Twardus (pwh3pp@virginia.edu) and Caroline Sublett (crs9ca@virginia.edu)
Advocacy and Service Groups
Advocacy and service groups host volunteering events and discussions to educate students on important healthcare topics. Participating in advocacy and service groups is a great way to connect with faculty mentors, give back to the Charlottesville community, and learn more about current issues in healthcare.
Women in science and medicine face unique challenges and obstacles that can hinder career advancement and overall success. Through panel discussions, seminars, and social events our organization strives to 1. Educate and increase awareness about the inequalities women face in medicine and sciences. 2. Prepare its members for successful careers in academic medicine 3. Develop a network of current students, alumni, and physician-scientist mentors who are available to provide guidance to students.
Contact Information: Katie Kraichely (co-president, knk4qw@virginia.edu), Julia Bresticker (co-president, jeb7mcj@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: https://mstp.med.virginia.edu/current-students/student-resources/affirm/
The American Medical Association (AMA) and Medical Society of Virginia (MSV) serve as the
premiere medical advocacy bodies for national and state legislation respectively. The AMA/
MSV student chapter works with other chapters to draft and advance policy to the respective
legislatures, collaborates with local organizations to progress philanthropic endeavors, and
educates students on the systemic shortcomings of medicine. Over the last year, the AMA/MSV
student chapter hosted JAMA journal clubs, organized a naloxone and Haven clinic training,
hosted invited speakers by AMA/MSV members, organized lobby days with state legislators,
sent student representatives to both the state and national conferences, and submitted policy
proposals. Join AMA/MSV today at https://www.msv.org/membership/students/.
Contact Information: Ishaan Rischie (co-president, crn6vj@virginia.edu), Aaron D. Smith (co-president, kdf2eb@virginia.edu)
GeriPal Club is an organization sponsored by the Section of Geriatrics for students who are interested in geriatrics and palliative medicine. GeriPal provides opportunities for networking with peers and faculty, knowledge-sharing on topics ranging from geriatric syndromes to end-of-life care, and community outreach to the older adults in our area.
Contact Information: Elena Parcell (president, ecp5a@virginia.edu), Emily May (leadership team, elm3tj@virginia.edu), Elisa Enriquez Hesles (leadership team, ee2d@virginia.edu)
For medical students and physicians, it’s important to understand the system and rules that control the field we all work in. The Health Policy Group is focused on educating ourselves and our peers (you!) about domestic health policy and health policy research. Past meeting topics have included the scope of nurse practitioner practice, healthcare views of presidential candidates, price transparency in healthcare, and the state of Virginia’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contact Information: Robert Walls (president, tuw2ap@virginia.edu), Henna Ragoowansi (VP, hr7ha@virginia.edu), Surbhi Mathur (treasurer, sm5ug@virginia.edu), Emily Venner (secretary, ekv8kb@virginia.edu), Krystyna Cios (publicity chair, kjc3wj@virginia.edu) and Sadie English (publicity chair, pkn2ex@virginia.edu)
Mulholland Pre-med Mentoring is led by one M1 and one M2 UVA School of Medicine medical student who aim to serve premeds in the undergraduate community. We host two events per month where we discuss content from premed coursework, MCAT strategies, personal statement writing, and more. We frequently include additional guest students and faculty to help students build connections and offer more diverse perspectives.
Contact Information: Angela Wang (aw7rb@virginia.edu), Lam-Phong Pham (lnp5au@virginia.edu)
The mission of Rafiki is to foster long-term relationships with medical students and pediatric patients. Rafiki means friend in Swahili which highlights the role our volunteers play as a companion to their buddy each time they have a hospital visit. As part of the club, we match up students with a patient with a long-term, complex medical condition to provide respite for the families as well as help students gain insight in the experience of a pediatric patient and their family over time.
Contact Information: rafiki.uva@gmail.com
Club leaders: Gaby Mazzoni (co-president, yrn7bu@virginia.edu), Vibha Sastri (co-president, zjx3bq@virginia.edu)
SCCA at UVA is a group of health professional students (from the SOM, SON, and other health graduate programs) who recognize the impact of the changing climate on human health and the inequitable distribution of the resulting health burden. As clinicians-in-training, we aim to learn, educate, advocate, and practice medicine with planetary health in mind. In doing so, we will better care for our future patients, communities, and selves.
Contact Information: Meg Hofstedt (mmh4dsm@virginia.edu), Farah Contractor (fmc7hxs@virginia.edu)
Teen Promise Project is a club that provides evidence-based and medically accurate comprehensive sexual and reproductive education to adolescents in the community. Curriculum is approved by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and students teach multiple sessions covering a range of topics on healthy relationships, body positivity, and sexual health. Teen Promise Project provides an opportunity for medical students to gain experience teaching and discussing sexual health with adolescents while engaging in meaningful community service.
Contact Information: Marina Dart (med3wn@virginia.edu), Aman Mangalmurti (adm3dm@virginia.edu), Sarah Sebastian (svl2udp@virginia.edu), Megan Gaines (age5fu@virginia.edu), Paige Howard (edw4zd@virginia.edu), Initha Setiady (is7fs@virginia.edu), Akua Nyarko-Odoom (aon3xdf@virginia.edu)
The UVA MSR is a student-run medical school journal launching in 2021. Our mission is to encourage diverse scholarship dedicated to the advancement of health, equality, and discovery. As life-long learners, we in the healthcare field are committed to creating an environment of collaboration, service to our community, and creativity. This journal serves as a means for healthcare scholars to share ideas and experiences — reaching across different disciplines, fields, and specialties to promote wellness and integrity within our community. We aim to promote the highest standards in order to solve difficult problems and uncover mechanisms previously unknown.
Contact Information: Erica Mark (ejm5we@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: https://www.uvamsr.org/about
VWI is committed to conducting evidence-based, student-organized health screening and education events in Charlottesville. These events are designed to help empower the people of Charlottesville with knowledge that will help them make informed decisions to safeguard their own health.
Contact Information: Emily Venner (ekv8kb@virginia.edu), Nisha Dabhi (nkd3qt@virginia.edu), Rusty Hawes (rbh2equ@virginia.edu), Jessie Bryant (jlb3ya@virginia.edu), Kimberley Duru, (kcd4dq@virginia.edu), Christine Huynh (cnh2nw@virginia.edu), Harrison Cook (whc3wd@virginia.edu), Melissa Houghton (rnj8jg@virginia.edu), Shahroze Ranjha (fgb5vs@virginia.edu), William Lain (wjl4qn@virginia.edu), Xin He (dmc3hp@virginia.edu)
TEACH is an organization designed to provide medical students with the skills and resources needed to become great clinical teachers. As future attendings, residents, and senior medical students we will be tasked with the essential role of leading and teaching our future medical trainees. There is a surprising dearth of formal training for medical students and residents for teaching others in an effective manner. The purpose of TEACH is to provide accessible opportunities to train, develop and equip future clinicians with the skills to become excellent educators.
Contact Information: Caleigh Smith (cs9hn@virginia.edu), Krunal Patel (kp5mm@virginia.edu), Stephanie Katz ()
The UVA Guides to Application Success organizes and facilitates mentoring relationships between current UVA SOM students and UVA undergraduates applying to medical school. With the process of applying to medical school becoming more complicated and competitive each year, we hope to improve the application outcomes of the UVA community and help to alleviate some of the stress associated with applying. The focus of the mentoring relationship revolves around the application process. Therefore, advising will be centered on the primary application, extracurricular advice, secondaries, interviews, and topics of a similar vein.
Contact Information: Jack Ballenger (co-president, xga4pq@virginia.edu), Jacob Frenchman (co-president, xpz7cu@virginia.edu), William Lain (co-president and secretary, wjl4qn@virginia.edu), Ari Esrig (undergraduate outreach, aje6mu@virginia.edu), Okey Obidike (SOM outreach, oo3ab@virginia.edu)
Health care is a basic human right- this core belief drives all activities of Partners in Health (PIH) Engage. Our goal is to organize our local community toward building a global movement for the right to health through efforts focusing on hospital bedsides to the streets to governmental agencies. Our interdisciplinary graduate chapter of PIH will work in parallel with a newly formed undergraduate chapter to organize campaigns, petitions, fundraisers and education efforts to advance the right to health worldwide. With over 60 chapters nationwide, all of us as future physicians will likely encounter campaigns sponsored by PIH in their careers and may even work at their clinics in low-resource settings worldwide. Please see the national website below for more information.https://www.pih.org/organize
Contact: Caleigh Smith (president, cs9hn@virginia.edu), Caroline Sublett (fundraising chair, crs9ca@virginia.edu), Zachary Scharf (advocacy chair, zs2gye@virginia.edu), Shreya Shetty (advocacy co-chair, sas6ng@virginia.edu), Mannet Dhaliwal (community education mkd7jtz@virginia.edu)
Community Healthcare and Career Exploration (CHANCE) seeks to engage medical students in order to give exposure to local community members and students about various careers in the healthcare sphere! Members can expect their participation to be filled with teaching children about anatomy, reaching out to professionals of various disciplines, and having fun increasing access and breaking down barriers to the myriad professions of the medical field.
Contact: Gabriel Ramos (co-president, uvw3hp@virginia.edu), Abigail Dupre (co-president, gsz5jw@virginia.edu), Avery Mcmaster (co-president, whs2yy@virginia.edu)
We coordinate with the American Red Cross to organize several blood drives a year within the medical school.
Contact Information: Kim Luu (khl7ex@virginia.edu), Paige Howard (edw4zd@virginia.edu)
Cooking for a Cause is a student-run organization which organizes regular opportunities for students at UVA School of Medicine to collaboratively cook meals for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Charlottesville. Beyond this role, we hope to develop additional opportunities for local volunteering related to the intersection of food and health.
Contact Information: Dolan Edinboro (dre7ep@virginia.edu), Taylor Horgan (tmh9hg@virginia.edu), Julian Ahsan (oja4ext@virginia.edu), Mannet Dhaliwal (mkd7jtz@virginia.edu), Julia Lucktong (jll9wa@virginia.edu), Parker Holum (uju5pa@virginia.edu), Natalie Blatz (nb7eut@virginia.edu), Kate Luo (twp2ey@virginia.edu)
iSERVE is the student-run free clinic operated at the Charlottesville Free Clinic (CFC). We provide a great opportunity to work with the uninsured and underserved health populations in Charlottesville. We hold multiple evening clinic dates a month where you will be working in clinician pairs and reporting to a supervising physician preceptor. As a junior clinician, you will be practicing history taking, physical exam, and presentation skills and as a senior clinician you will be mentoring junior peers, placing orders and writing notes during patient encounters.
Contact Information: Brian Florenzo (bcf3cz@virginia.edu), Richard Huang (rlh6hdj@virginia.edu), Michael Lin (mgl4rgg@virginia.edu), Allan Weidman (aaw2js@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu), Megan Gaines (age5fu@virginia.edu), Derek Petrosian (nya8aj@virginia.edu), Grace Rollins (gcr2fq@virginia.edu), Jessie Bryant (jlb3ya@virginia.edu), Sanjana Challa (c6red@virginia.edu), Shreya Shetty (as6ng@virginia.edu)
As an organization, the Naloxone Administration and Education Program aims to educate medical students on the opioid epidemic and train them to serve as certified trainers for the greater Charlottesville community. Our ultimate goal is to educate the Charlottesville community on how to recognize an opioid overdose and respond by administering naloxone (Narcan). We hold REVIVE! (naloxone administration) training sessions biannually, with the help of the Public Health Department, send volunteers to serve as trainers at RAM clinics, and host educational talks about the opioid epidemic, pain management, and toxicology topics more broadly.
Contact Information: Jill Nehrbas (education coordinator, svr3qb@virginia.edu) Kevin Livingstone (co-president, kl6wu@virginia.edu), Kristina Kurker (co-president, kpk6sdn@virginia.edu)
The Street and Shelter Interest Group is a student-run organization dedicated to introducing students to the unique challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness when interacting with the healthcare system. It hosts journal clubs, education events with local community leaders, and service opportunities such as street outreach in the winter months.
Contact Information: Steven Neal (smn2gzk@virginia.edu), Priya Kundur (pk4me@virginia.edu), Jessica Lin (jlm8bdu@virginia.edu)
Circles English Conversation Club at UVA SOM aims to offer structured spaces for UVA Health students and employees learning English as a second language to meet for casual English conversation. Through regular conversation circles, we hope to offer opportunities for community members to practice conversational English in an enjoyable and informal setting. Conversation circles are open to English language learners of all levels on a drop-in basis (at no cost to attendees). Student volunteers attend and facilitate all conversation circles.
Contact Information: Elizabeth Farrar (eaf2yhz@virginia.edu), Kylie Fultineer (krf7eru@virginia.edu), Mara Weigner (mkw3mjn@virginia.edu)
Hello people of UVA Med, we are Weight Inclusive Medicine, or WIM. Our goal is to promote body positivity and weight inclusiveness into our medical education. You may ask why– this is the best place to start! While we know all the risks associated with associated with obesity, we want to know how to truly care for people of all body sizes. Our mission is to promote inclusion and accessibility for all– without focusing on body size alone. We also want to focus on providing sensitivity training and awareness for navigating care for those with disordered eating. We are partnering with UVA/s Dietetics program to incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach to nutrition and lifestyle management.
Contact Information: Morgan Richman (fxw3es@virginia.edu) and Sage Royston (wcv3jy@virginia.edu)
Despite the prevalence of gender-based violence, and thus the great number of survivors we will undoubtedly care for as future physicians, medical schools do not require training in trauma-informed medical practices. The Trauma-Informed Medical Care Interest Group was created with the goal of filling this gap and educating medical students to create a safer space for survivors of gender-based violence in medicine. Aside from advocacy for survivors, we host events such as meetings with SARA Charlottesville, interviews with forensic nurse examiners, and other events designed to help illustrate aspects of survivor experiences that can enhance our ability to care for those who may need us to be a safe space the most.
Contact Information: Julia Alvey (president, mxa6mx@virginia.edu)
The Asylum Medicine Initiative focuses on Charlottesville’s asylum seeker community. We partner with the Charlottesville Asylum Clinic which provides pro bono forensic medical evaluations for those seeking asylum. These evaluations focus on outlining the medical and psychiatric sequelae of the human rights abuses suffered in order to support an asylum seeker’s legal case. In addition, we work to educate the medical community about this population’s unique needs and advocate for policies that promote the rights and wellbeing of this vulnerable group.
Contact Information: Claire Maher (co-founder, sks9rw@virginia.edu), Bobby Pazhwak (co-founder, rtp9ge@virginia.edu) Nidhi Purohit (co-founder, nmp6sv@virginia.edu)
Healthcare Advancement Groups
Healthcare advancement groups host faculty speakers and hold workshops to explore concepts in healthcare implementation, healthcare innovation, and high value care.
The IHI is a not-for-profit national organization focused on improving healthcare quality and safety. Our chapter was established in the Fall of 2017 by former UVA SOM students to promote quality improvement (QI) research, make changes to the curriculum to improve it or teach about QI, and have interprofessional partnerships. In addition to hosting events to discuss QI projects, we have a curriculum committee and networking committee to help fulfill our objectives. We are always looking for interested students to join the committees and work with us!
Contact Information: Chapter Email (uva.ihichapter@gmail.com), Patrick Connolly (co-president, pjc6rva@virginia.edu), Elizabeth Farrar (co-president, eaf2yhz@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: http://www.ihi.org/
Data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are becoming increasingly more prevalent in the medical field. These fields are not only impacting basic and translational research, but gaining traction in practice optimization and clinical-decision making. The purpose of this club is to introduce medical students to the impact that data science and artificial intelligence has on the medical field, as well as foundational concepts for interested students. We hope to provide real-world examples through faculty presentations, journal articles, and seminars that bring together experts from the School of Data Science and School of Medicine.
Contact Information: Alper Turgut (aot3qx@virginia.edu), Zuhayr Shaikh (zs8zfm@virginia.edu), Ani Chandrabhatla (ac2fp@virginia.edu)
As medical students, our founding team has seen firsthand how barriers in access to care create divides among people and infringe upon healthier and happier living. We have also seen how transformative healthcare innovation can be, and believe in the power of collaboration and creativity to make lasting differences.
Through strategic programming, pro-bono healthcare innovation consulting, and network facilitation, IAC hopes to play a leading role in advancing high-impact solutions that empower others with access to care.
Contact Information: Zuhayr Shaikh (president, zs8zfm@virginia.edu), Mira Sridharan (VP, ms5zp@virginia.edu), Sam Doshi (VP, sd2jae@virginia.edu)
Robotic surgery has revolutionized medicine and adoption of robotic surgery is projected to continue growing in the future.
The primary purpose of this club is to help UVa medical students stay on the cutting edge of robotic surgery through seminars, collaborations with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences for medical design competitions, and hopefully practice simulations.
Contact Information: Zuhayr Shaikh (zs8zfm@virginia.edu), Anthony Nwankwo (akn5xkz@virginia.edu), Ani Chandrabhatla (ac2fp@virginia.edu)
3D printing of medical devices, including personalized prosthetics and catheters, and bioprinting of tissues for transplant and regeneration have the potential to change medicine as we know it. Come join 3D Printing in Healthcare to learn from experts in the field, learn basic CAD and 3D printing, and 3D print something of your very own.
Contact Information: Zuhayr Shaikh (zs8zfm@virginia.edu), Jasraj Raghuwanshi (jsr8ac@virginia.edu), David Miller (dm2ts@virginia.edu)
Our club seeks to provide an avenue for interested students to work with faculty, medical students, and other Mulholland clubs to address pertinent healthcare issues faced by our physicians, healthcare workers, and community using a Design Thinking framework. Design Thinking approaches problem solving in a user-centered manner, which views challenges from the perspective of the target audience. Rather than solely hypothesizing about potential solutions, the framework is hands-on and encourages creation of tangible prototypes that can be tested. The aim of this club is thus to teach students about Design Thinking in a more informal setting, and to create opportunities to apply these skills by brainstorming solutions for the challenges in healthcare that we will encounter throughout medical school. Ultimately, we aim to train students to be problem solvers while making a lasting positive impact on the health and wellbeing of our community.
Contact Information: Tuyet-Minh Tran (tt2ed@virginia.edu), Kingsley Odega (duu2qf@virginia.edu), Emily Lin (ezl9uu@virginia.edu), Shahroze Ranjha (fgb5vs@virginia.edu), Dawson Brown (dmb8nwz@virginia.edu), Zuhayr Shaikh (zs8zfm@virginia.edu), Vivek Parikh (jkp3mw@virginia.edu), Sadie English (pkn2ex@virginia.edu), Vishnu Karri (vrk5hm@virginia.edu)
The UVA SOM Journal Club is a student run organization which hosts monthly interdisciplinary journal clubs (with free food) led by both students and faculty. We cover subjects from all specialties ranging from basic science to clinical research to global health to quality improvement. Each session incorporates teaching about statistics, critical approaches to literature, and a certain topic. Great chance to work with upperclassmen, hone these skills, and network with brilliant faculty leading the sessions.
Contact Information: Caleigh Smith (cs9hn@virginia.edu), Feyisayo Adegboye (fa7fy@virginia.edu), Melissa Houghton (rnj8jg@virginia.edu), Sofia Lopez (asl5wtv@virginia.edu), Abigail Dupre (gsz5jw@virginia.edu), Nadim Barakat (nb4tt@virginia.edu), Mackenzi Oswald (ajz9mg@virginia.edu)
The field of computational biomedical research has grown exponentially in the last decade. Yet, the foundations of the field were set mainly by biologists/clinicians that informally gained computational skills as a means to get involved. By improving the technical savvy of modern-day computational researchers, all scientists would be better able to participate in the computational research process. This is especially important given the ever-increasing importance of computation in biomedical sciences. Our club aims to foster computational research technical/professional skills for all clinicians, scientists, and students affiliated with UVA SOM. We do this by providing high-quality workshops, seminars, and talks from a variety of sources. Additionally, our club will support relationships and community among computational researchers within the UVA SOM. Ultimately, we believe this club will keep all interested in computational research aware of the latest developments and methodology as it relates to their analysis, dissemination thereof, and their day-to-day technical workflow.
Contact Information: Yogindra Raghav (president, yogi@email.virginia.edu), Ani Manichaikul (faculty mentor, am3xa@virginia.edu)
The Rapid Response simulation club aims to address the lack of interdisciplinary collaboration between medical and nursing students early in their education at UVA by hosting simulations in which any interested medical and nursing students can practice running a high-fidelity code or rapid response simulation side by side. The club also hopes to spark interest in ACLS certification, as well as discussions led by faculty members involving advice and anecdotes from their experiences running a code or rapid response in an interdisciplinary team, and clinical case discussion for medical and nursing students to better appreciate each other’s perspectives and roles.
Contact Information: Emmanuel Lee (president, knf8bx@virginia.edu), Alec Ritter (VP, bzt5qp@virginia.edu)
Identity Groups
Identity groups host events and service projects to support a culture of diversity and inclusivity at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
AccessMed aims to serve students and faculty who identify as disabled or who are allies to the disability community as a central outlet for education and advocacy/support efforts. For students with disabilities, we provide a larger system of support throughout medical school and connection with mentors who can help them navigate school and residency. For allies, we want students to gain exposure to the diversity that exists within the disability community by providing opportunities for discussions, volunteering, education, and presentations from patients with disabilities, with the goal of improving our ability to care for future patients with disabilities.
Contact Information: Seth Tersteeg (co-president, smt8enr@virginia.edu), Patrick Andrews (co-president, pha6ve@virginia.edu)
We are the local UVA School of Medicine chapter of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), a national organization that aims to bring together allies interested in promoting the health issues of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) community. We are interested in both directly promoting the health and well-being of the AANHPI community as well as in helping all health care workers who work with these communities understand how to care for the AANHPI patient in a culturally sensitive manner. Finally, APAMSA provides an important forum for AANHPI medical students to meet, exchange information and experiences and develop personally and professionally through leadership and service. Please contact us to get involved!
Contact Information: Enkhee Dendev (coordinating chair, vef4ku@virginia.edu), Xin He (academic chair, dmc3hp@virginia.edu), Kate Luo (academic chair, twp2ey@virginia.edu), Christine Huynh (community service chair, cnh2nw@virginia.edu), Evan Lam (community service chair, ecl3ah@virginia.edu), Romil Patel, social chair (thf8rh@virginia.edu), Davis Tran (finance chair, dt3wd@virginia.edu), Himani Gubbi (social chair, eej4pb@virginia.edu)
Christian Medical Association is the local UVA chapter of the national organization CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Associations). We exist to provide community, accountability, encouragement, and Biblical teaching for medical students here at UVA! We have weekly Bible studies or speakers and occasional social events and hang-outs. We regularly host and connect with UVA faculty and physicians to hear about how faith and medicine intertwine or simply to gain insight from those who have walked this path before. If you’re looking for Christian fellowship while in medical school, you’ve come to the right place! Anyone and everyone is welcome!
Contact Information: Sara Stambaugh (rjs3sx@virginia.edu), Caroline Carter (kva2eg@virginia.edu), Susanna D’Silva (kwv6tk@virginia.edu), Rachel Heynen (ufv2fa@virginia.edu), Royce Le (aem8xv@virginia.edu)
The Ethiopian Eritrean Medical Students Association, EEMSA for short, is a cultural organization aiming to contribute to the diversity of UVA SOM. We want to promote the Ethiopian and Eritrean culture through the means of events showcasing different elements of the countries, including but not limited to their traditions, foods, clothes, and music. We also want to actively recruit and mentor pre-medical Ethiopian/Eritrean students in order to increase the number of physicians from that population. We will also make sure to touch on health disparities present in our communities, both nationally and globally, and our roles as future physicians to mitigate these issues. We have a lot planned for this organization and we look forward to involving the greater UVA SOM community to promote cultural competency.
Contact Information: Feven Gezahegn (fzg7g@virginia.edu)
At the University of Virginia School of Medicine, we want to ensure that our focus and efforts surrounding diversity, inclusion, and health disparities at least match or exceed what is offered at other medical schools and is sustainable. The inclusion and identity council is tasked with continually evaluating the needs of our diverse medical student population, identifying relevant campus issues around identity, and promoting an academic environment of inclusion, self-awareness, and social responsibility. The council is responsible for providing ongoing direction for programs and/or curricula at UVA SOM that support inclusive learning and promote respectful and effective communication with diverse patients and colleagues around issues of identity (examples include but are not limited to socioeconomic status, race, religion, LGBTQ+ status, genders, disability, etc.). We hope our medical school benefits from a more proactive and ongoing process around diversity that can enhance the learning experience for all students.
Contact Information: Aanini Dwivedi (ad5be@virginia.edu) and Hakeem Oufkir (ho8uj@virginia.edu)
JMSA is a student organization dedicated to connecting Jewish medical students. We put on holiday celebrations and Shabbats, as well as events connecting Jewish medical students to medical students of other faiths with other School of Medicine organizations. JMSA also works with UVA Hillel to provide our members with volunteering opportunities within the wider Charlottesville community.
Contact Information: Emily Kopp: kqf6yz@virginia.edu Amy Kaplan: ak8dc@virginia.edu Ari Esrig: aje6mu@virginia.edu
Welcome to MMA! We are looking to form a community here at UVA SOM.
Contact Information: Faiz Plastikwala (co-president, fmp6avg@virginia.edu), Hirra Chaudhary (co-president, fjt9gc@virginia.edu), Saqib Rizvi (co-president, sr2cj@virginia.edu)
qMD is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) medical student organization at UVA. We work to promote awareness surrounding LGBTQ+ issues in medicine and are a source of support for queer students and their allies. qMD is dedicated to raising awareness of queer topics in medicine for the benefit of patients, healthcare providers, our community, and medical education.
Contact Information: Jack Borucki (co-president, sb5kgs@virginia.edu), Brian Sun (co-president, bs6zfx@virginia.edu), Brianna Baldwin (curriculum, bnb3hd@virginia.edu), Marina Dart (community outreach, med3wn@virginia.edu), Bobby Pazhwak (social, rtp9ge@virginia.edu), Ishaan Rischie (advocacy, crn6vj@virginia.edu), McKenna Stidham (hospitality, tkj9tm@virginia.edu), Eileen Misterovich (treasurer, erm2sz@virginia.edu), Awa Franklin (webmaster, zqf4mk@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: https://students.med.virginia.edu/qmd/
St. Luke’s Catholic Medical Society is named for the patron saint of physicians and exists to bring together Catholic students (and anyone else!) with opportunities for worship, fellowship, and building relationships with Catholic physicians. Future plans include service projects and interfaith fellowship and dialogue. We can’t wait to meet you!
Contact Information: Havens Howell (president, hhc2dr@virginia.edu), Philip Cordia (VP, jqm5cw@virginia.edu)
The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the oldest and largest student-run medical organization addressing the health concerns of minorities and underserved students. Membership is open to URM students as well as allies. The award-winning UVA chapter of SNMA hosts several events each semester to support members, academically and socially. Past events have included Study Strategies Workshops, Program Director Panels and Social Mixers. UVA SNMA members have also served the greater Charlottesville community through initiatives such as Discover Medicine, Sickle Cell Awareness Month, the Annual Toy Drive, Community Health Fairs, Pre-Med Mentoring and Unity Week Campaigns. There are also opportunities at the regional and national levels of the organization for SNMA members to further their leadership skills.
Contact Information: Aaliyah Meade (co-president, adm8kn@virginia.edu), Simon White (co-president, sww4nmu@virginia.edu), Misky Sharif (VP, mms2cm@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: https://med.virginia.edu/snma and follow @UVASNMA on Instagram
The South Asian Medical Student Association of UVA SOM aims to promote opportunities for all students to learn about South Asian culture, host a variety of sociocultural activities (Diwali, South Asian movie nights, Holi, Eid, henna/crafts, etc.), support medical students during their education, and develop a cross-cultural mentorship network.
Contact Information: Nidhi Kuchimanchi (kkx7ah@virginia.edu), Sheyna Nathwani (cuy9zn@virginia.edu)
The Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) is a student organization representing Native American graduate health professions students throughout the US and Canada. The goals of ANAMS include providing support and a resource network for all Native Americans currently enrolled in various allied health professions schools. ANAMS strives to increase the number of Native American students in medicine and other health professions. Exposure and recognition on a national level throughout the medical community is what we continue to promote.
Contact: Brianna Sells Baldwin (president, bnb3hd@virginia.edu), Garrett Ott (VP, xnx9fa@virginia.edu)
Low–Income & First-Generation Students in Medicine (LIFG-MED) is a student-led organization dedicated to amplifying the voice of first-generation and/or low–income medical students through community-building and mentorship programs. In particular, we hope to inspire open dialogue and foster ongoing support centered on the unique barriers, challenges, and possibilities that come with navigating a career in medicine.
Contact Information: Davis Tran (co-president, dt3wd@virginia.edu), Kimberly Nguyen (co-president, zqn7td@virginia.edu), Okey Obidike (co-president, oo3ab@virginia.edu)
The LMSA is a national organization for medical students of Latinx heritage and/or students who are interested in matters pertaining to the health of Latinx communities. Since its inception in the 1970s, LMSA has worked to provide academic and social support to Latinx students in medicine and to voice the health needs and concerns of Latinxs nationwide. Today, what started as a handful of students at Harvard University now encompasses more than two dozen institutions in the Southeast alone and many more in our sister regions across the nation. Similarly, the UVA LMSA chapter is committed to supporting its members, both academically and socially, by hosting several events each semester. We are also proud of our Medical Spanish initiative, Sobremesa, through which we seek to prepare our student body to better serve our community once they enter the clinical phase of their training. Lastly, we encourage our members to pursue opportunities at the regional and national level of LMSA to further develop their leadership skills, and to enact changes that will strengthen the education of a larger number of Latinx physicians in order to better serve the needs of Latinx patients in a culturally competent manner.
Contact information: Santos Acosta (president, saa7kdu@virginia.edu), Jack Ham (president, nvs3qe@virginia.edu), Brian Florenzo (VP, bcf3cz@virginia.edu)
Contact information (Inova): Jack Henry Ham (nvs3qe@virginia.edu)
The Association of Women Surgeons is a club dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, and enabling women surgeons to realize their professional and personal goals. We host a variety of professional development opportunities, networking events, and workshops to expose medical students early on to surgical skills and connect them with mentors who can provide advice and support as they pursue careers in surgery. We hope to continue to promote gender diversity within surgical subspecialties and support medical students interested in surgery at UVA School of Medicine throughout their time in medical school.
Instagram: aws_uva
Contact Information: Elizabeth Driskill (president, ekd6bx@virginia.edu), Kate Franklin (VP, kef4dbg@virginia.edu)
Hobbies
Hobby groups host events and performances to bring together students with similar interests. University of Virginia School of Medicine offers a wide variety of hobby groups with the goal of providing social opportunities of interest to all students.
We are The Arrhythmics, UVA SoM’s Acapella group. We meet Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 pm and have performances throughout the year. We have various group bonding events, including apple picking and movie nights. We would love to have you sing with us! Auditions are held once a semester. No experience is necessary. Auditions are casual, and all you need to prepare is a verse and a chorus of a song of your choice.
Contact Information: Christina D’Ovidio (co-president, cmd9ee@virginia.edu), Kavi Wick (co-president, zgn7jy@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBpGUPlsjCAyd5lCZTEkx9g/featured
We meet to work on art projects and socialize! This club is a space for arts and crafts in our busy lives and a time to celebrate our creativity with our peers. We paint, draw, embroider, etc as we watch movies and eat food!
Contact Information: Katheryne Chun (co-president, kqc6um@virginia.edu), Sushma Reddy (co-president, snr4pz@virginia.edu), Riley Calicchia (VP, rac5be@virginia.edu), Erika Robinson (Inova co-president, etr9fe@virginia.edu), Mel Myers (Inova co-president, msm9xh@virginia.edu), Mannet Dhaliwal (Inova VP, mkd7jtz@virginia.edu)
Our Goal: Freedom of expression & stress relief!
What we do: We host dance workshops & performances and choreograph many styles (Hip-hop, Contemporary, Jazz, Lyrical, Bhangra, Bollywood, Heels, Tap, and More!)
Why you should join: We just dance for fun – no prior experience necessary! All are welcome!
Contact Information: Grace Rollins (co-president, gcr2fq@virginia.edu), Rohan Mainali (co-president, ymd4vp@virginia.edu)
The medical school flag football league is a cherished part of UVA SOM! Usually consisting of 7-9 teams of around 12-15 students, the league runs for 8 weeks in the fall before the playoffs begin and a champion is crowned. Participation from all talent levels is encouraged by the commissioners and the rules, which support involving multiple people on each drive. See you out on the field for some fun, healthy competition!
Contact Information: Andrew Schmidt (mas4xsn@virginia.edu)
We research plants with different medicinal uses, that can grow in the Virginian climate and are trying to create a garden on grounds for students to enjoy. We will be working with the administration to create green spaces in the med ed building and outside of it. The gardening itself is a stress-relieving activity and it will be a place of greenery and peace. Additionally, the garden’s plants will have a historical fact sheet with their uses in medicine and contribution to our history. Medical students will be allowed to grow their own plants regardless of whether they are medicinal or not. We also aim to create a butterfly garden with native plants that pollinators like in order to create a beautiful and relaxing space in the med school.
Contact Information: Sushma Reddy (snr4pz@virginia.edu), Steven Neal (smn2gzk@virginia.edu)
A club for med students who like to go outside to climb, run, kayak, and more! We have weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 7 PM to climb and hang out at UVA’s Slaughter Recreation Climbing Center. We usually hold an outdoor event once a month.
Join our listserv here: https://lists.virginia.edu/sympa/subscribe/som_outdoor_adventures?previous_action=infohttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15YalfwzlEXt5Q3Wf-MTHzIi6bVS0o7CMYd273reiEVM/edit
Follow our Instagram: @UVAMedOutdoorAdventures
Contact Information: James Wells (co-president, jww6ff@virginia.edu), Ryan Farmer (co-president, ref4br@virginia.edu), Aaron Marcum (co-president, wam3tk@virginia.edu
Interested in crafting with a fun group and giving back to the UVA community? Want to learn something new? Join Procrastiknitters! Throughout the semester, we’ll send out project ideas that you can work on to donate or keep. We’ll have social events to work on projects and learn new skills! To join our listserv, email Hannah at hlk3fc@virginia.edu!
Contact Information: Duaa Malik (kxc9cw@virginia.edu), Kassandra Tulenko (kgt5nd@virginia.edu), Natalie Blatz (nb7eut@virginia.edu), Angela Tang (alt4cj@virginia.edu), Farah S. Kabir (fsk5hn@virginia.edu), Emma Hostetter (eh9dd@virginia.edu)
This group was created in the hopes of bringing medical students together through a common love of the sport, no matter the skill level. The group has courts booked on a regular basis, and events planned for watching tennis open’s together. We’d love to see you on the courts!
Contact Information: Thoai Vu (co-president, vax9vf@virginia.edu), Kim Nguyen (co-president, zqn7td@virginia.edu)
Sign up for the listserv at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeflXFawsoDETQr7Hw9NG8hVvP_dtG4ONgbSxPtW1l0R7P-jQ/viewform
The Virginia Medical Strength club is proud to announce that UVA SoM is once again the strongest medical school in the country! We have yet to be challenged on that front. VMed Strength is UVA SoM’s hub for all things physical fitness. We have moved to a new space in the old Elson Student Health building that is outfitted for all types of physical activity and open to all medical students, regardless of self-proclaimed fitness ability. We offer a variety of small group fitness classes and personal training, free of charge, run by medical students for medical students.
Contact Information: Najwa Labban (president, nl3du@virginia.edu), Seth Tersteeg (president, smt8enr@virginia.edu) (vmed.strength@gmail.com)
UVA soccer brings together med students, BIMS graduate students, healthcare professionals, and residents interested in playing soccer. We compete in UVA’s Intramural soccer league. We placed first in the 6v6 indoor league in 2018 and 2021. We also played in several divisions of Charlottesville’s Co-Rec league in the Fall and Spring. The club participates in pickup soccer games that are open to anyone who is interested. The goal is to connect and build community with colleagues at the hospital and with the greater UVA and Charlottesville community.
Contact Information: Elisa Enriquez Hesles (ee2d@virginia.edu)
Hello from the ping pong club! We are a group of students that enjoy playing ping pong and welcome players of all skill levels to come out and play!
Contact Information: Logan Holley (president, zlh5ud@virginia.edu), Patty Zhao (VP, pwz9jtk@virginia.edu), Kevin Livingstone (VP, kl6wu@virginia.edu)
Cycling is awesome but it is better with friends. The goal of UVA Medicine Cycling Club is to help medical students find friends to ride bikes with and explore the beautiful areas surrounding Charlottesville. Cycling is also good for you so we will be promoting heart health. We also would like to help those who are thinking about getting into cycling navigate the process of buying a bike and gear Etc.
Contact Information: Antonia Hoidal (phb4kc@virginia.edu), Austin Murray (acm5fv@virginia.edu)
The SOMDance Film Club at the UVA School of Medicine aims to bring students together over a shared love of film. Throughout the year, you can expect film screenings and discussions with your friends and peers. We hope you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
Contact: Robert Walls (president, tuw2ap@virginia.edu)
Musical Shenanigans is about creating music together in a judgment-free zone; we don’t care if you are classically trained or self-taught (or if you want to go all out on tambourine!) Come join us for chill jam sessions with food, open mics, and house shows!
Contacts: Zuhayr Shaikh (zs8zfm@virginia.edu), Kavi Wick (zgn7jy@virginia.edu), Elyse Kuo (eak4jqj@virginia.edu), Faiz Plastikwala (fmp6avg@virginia.edu), Katheryne Chun (kqc6um@virginia.edu), Brian Sun (bs6zfx@virginia.edu), Elizabeth Wat (ekw7nf@virginia.edu), Rudrajit Sinha (rs9bp@virginia.edu), Samarth Doshi (sd2jae@virginia.edu)
Contact Information: David Lee (co-president, yum8pz@virgnia.edu), Faiz Plastikwala (co-president, fmp6avg@virginia.edu)
UVASOM Pickleball is a group dedicated to sharing the love and fun of pickleball with the School of Medicine community through competitive and recreational play. We welcome all players regardless of skill level!
Contact Information: Micayla Menchel (president, mmm5xn@virginia.edu), Caroline Fisher (vice president, ctf3hk@virginia.edu), Patty Zhao (vice president, pwz9jtk@virginia.edu)
The UVA Medical Chamber Music Society is comprised of students, faculty, and staff from the School of Medicine and UVA Health Systems. Our mission is to foster collaboration and wellness within the UVA medical community and seek creative ways to support local patient populations, such as an annual chamber music benefit concert.
Contact Information: Willow Kwak (co-president, mwk3jb@virginia.edu), Gaby Li (co-president, ghl3au@virginia.edu)
There’s nothing like long drives to a ski hill, great turns, or chair lift yuks. UVA MED Ski and Board is where students come together to organize ski/snowboard trips. Whether it’s your first time on the slopes or you’ve been skiing since you could walk, the club wants to welcome you to a lifelong sport and community.
Contact Information: Daniel Nguyen (co-president, dvn5fg@virginia.edu), James Temple (co-president, jrt5fp@virginia.edu), Brenan Cullimore (vice president, wxw6tr@virginia.edu), Joseph Fontana (treasurer, jrf5fs@virginia.edu)
Med Volleyball aims to spread the love of volleyball to all medical students. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or someone just trying out volleyball for the first time, we strive to create opportunities to foster new opportunities and friendships through the medium of volleyball. We compete in several Intramural leagues throughout the year, including 4v4 Sand, 2v2 Sand, and 6v6 Indoor.
Contact Information: Daniel Wu (officer, dw7ztw@virginia.edu), Ishaan Rischie (officer, crn6vj@virginia.edu), Brendan McCann (officer, xpm6ae@virginia.edu), Ryan Farmer (officer, ref4br@virginia.edu), Thomas Ryu (officer, ekf8cq@virginia.edu), Pranavi Palliniti (officer, pp4us@virginia.edu), Kavi Wick (officer, zgn7jy@virginia.edu), Cate Kartchner (officer, cgm5nt@virginia.edu), Arpitha Shenoy (officer, ays4xe@virginia.edu), Janice Choi officer, (vac2bk@virginia.edu), Bobby Pazhwak (officer, rtp9ge@virginia.edu)
Hello all! This club is open to anyone even slightly interested in chess, whether you are a complete beginner or a grandmaster. Whether you want to get better at chess, meet some cool people, or just want to have fun, VMed Chess has it all. Come learn and enjoy some chess!
Contact Information: Carlos Justo-Jaume (president, csj4bd@virginia.edu), Kamran Arastu (president, ka4fd@virginia.edu), Joseph Nguyen (vice president, jdn4de@virginia.edu)
Wellness and Humanities
Wellness and humanities groups host relaxing events that promote student wellness.
Mission: Cultivate the minds of young introverts and literary intellectuals.
What we ACTUALLY do: READ BOOKS! The SOM Book Club selects 1 book each month to read and discuss. We read a variety of genres including biographies, mystery, fantasy, classics, science fiction, plays, and more!
Contact Information: Micayla Menchel (President, mmm5xn@virginia.edu)
CALM is a student group at V-Med that seeks to promote wellness in the medical school community through group activities and retreats (yoga, meditation, potlucks, social gatherings, bringing positive vibes). We provide opportunities to improve the community around us and contribute ideas to the UVA Wellness Committee. Our goal is to provide healthy outlets to deal with the stressors of medical school and prevent burnout. We do this through retreats, hosting panels on a variety of topics, and guiding our peers on meditation and mindfulness techniques that work best for them. We have a listserv that we reach out to our members with but we often use the class listservs for our larger events.
Contact Information: Jeffrey Bellinger (jrb6dup@virginia.edu), Alexander Wahl (ajw4zx@virginia.edu), Amber James (alj5xq@virginia.edu), Mannet Dhaliwal (mkd7jtz@virginia.edu), Nancy Shen (nws2gh@virginia.edu), May Saito (ms5uq@virginia.edu), Jessica Miele (jam7ccc@virginia.edu), Troy Sterling (tes7nc@virginia.edu), Nicole Calautti (nmc7zf@virginia.edu)
Veritas is the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s arts & literary magazine. Published annually in the spring since 1994 and student-edited since 2000, Veritas showcases original writing, art, and photography by UVA medical students. In addition to the magazine, our organization holds an annual winter art exhibit open to the public, and sends art/writing prompts and creative content published in a quarterly newsletter.
Instagram: uva_veritas
Contact Information: Sushma Reddy (co-editor in chief, snr4pz@virginia.edu), Gabriel Ramos (co-editor in chief, uvw3hp@virginia.edu), Sarah Marion (business editor, swm5tx@virginia.edu), Amber Yi (art director), Carley Whitt (layout editor, ccw8sd@virginia.edu), Andrew Schmidt (business editor, mas4xsn@virginia.edu), Nidhi Purohit (digital media manager, nmp6sv@virginia.edu)
Learn more at: www.veritasmag.org
VegFest is focused on providing education surrounding the health benefits of the whole-food plant based diet (WFPBD). Our members actively engage in community and student outreach to make plant based eating more accessible to all individuals. We strongly recognize inclusivity as a fundamental tenet of our group.
Contact Information: Britney He (nty2cn@virginia.edu), Vibha Sastri (zjx3bq@virginia.edu), Calvin Tilson (cct8xh@virginia.edu), Benton Spirek (yrt7xm@virginia.edu)
Food is medicine! As such, we are a club designed to integrate principles of nutrition, preventative medicine, and, most importantly, cooking to learn about the relationship between diet and medicine/health. It is our goal to emphasize the importance of a “healthy” diet (whatever that may mean) in caring for our future patients and selves while incorporating the latest research and debunking harmful dietary myths. While we plan to incorporate plant-based diet into this larger discussion, it is the PlantMed group who will specifically engage with existing plant-based community organizations in Virginia and work with plant-based restaurants.
Contact Information: Lexi Richie (president, agr2bz@virginia.edu), Derek Petrosian (VP, nya8aj@virginia.edu), Derek Meyers (events coordinator, dm3gj@virginia.edu), Aditi Desai (events coordinator, xvt4hg@virginia.edu), Caroline Fisher (secretary, ctf3hk@virginia.edu)
The Charon Society is a club that integrates writing, storytelling, and performance into one annual show where a select group of students share stories in front of an audience. Stories may be personal or submitted by other students. Stories ideally relate to medicine or related topics, in some way, but no other guidelines exist. Students will rehearse storytelling in multiple workshops before performing in front of an audience in the fall semester. The performance will likely integrate other forms of art, including musical performances as well. In the interim between the end of the performance and recruitment of new stories, the Charon Society will function as a creative writing-group that centers medical humanities. Students will meet in coffee shops, on campus, and in homes to write and share writing pieces that are either free-writing or prompted. Literature may also be assigned and discussed.
Contact: Sarah Marion (swm5tx@virginia.edu)
The purpose of the organization is to create a space for third- and fourth-year students on their clinical rotations to reflect on and process their experiences in semi-structured, student-led sessions. Overall, the goal is to promote student wellness. We hope to create small communities of students who accept, respect, and support each other as we all grow into the physicians we came here to be.
Contact Information: Elena Parcell (ecp5a@virginia.edu), Meg Hofstedt (mmh4dsm@virginia.edu)
Erika Robinson (etr9fe@virginia.edu), Seth Tersteeg (smt8enr@virginia.edu)
We are a club at UVA SOM with the mission of designing garden spaces in Charlottesville/ INOVA aimed to connect medical students with patients and providers in a non-clinical setting! We also aim to offer students opportunities to explore plant nutrition and food as medicine, with structured gardening to produce healthy foods. Our hope is to provide the resources for medical students to harvest or donate foods to local food initiatives for at-risk populations. We welcome any and all students who are interested in exploring horticulture therapy alongside patients and community members.
Contact Information: Mallika Dammalapati (md4yu@virginia.edu),
Isabelle Ciaverelli (mqd4sa@virginia.edu),
Ziyan Chen (zc3he@virginia.edu)
The Health Humanities Club is for medical students interested and continuing to pursue their interest in the humanities during medical school. We hold various movie nights, book clubs, and news article discussions throughout the year.
Contact Information: Elena Parcell (co-president, ecp5a@virginia.edu), Kristina Kurker (co-president, kpk6sdn@virginia.edu)
Pets in Medicine seeks to support student wellness by hosting pet-related events, such as pre-summative pet stress relief meet-ups and more. Our pets bring so much joy to our lives, and we hope that peers and students can benefit from them as well. Additionally, we aim to connect UVA SOM students to local initiatives that benefit animals in our community and connect students with pets to each other to facilitate rewarding experiences and friendships.
Contact Information: Derek Meyers (dm3gj@virginia.edu), Rachel Rezabek (bpk4yt@virginia.edu), Malinda Gong (tsv8xb@virginia.edu), Sarah Sebastian (svl2udp@virginia.edu)
The Family Support Group is a student-led group created to foster a support network for medical students’ significant others, children, and other loved ones accompanying them on the medical school journey. The group plans events designed to build stronger relationships among those involved and acts as a resource to assist those moving to Charlottesville and applicants considering attending UVA.
Contact Information: Kelly Denhard (jqv2dk@virginia.edu)
Contact Information: Farah Contractor (co-president, fmc7hxs@virginia.edu), Sarah Marion (co-president, swm5tx@virginia.edu)
A discussion group focused on the interplay and influence of cultural and societal factors in individual and collective mental health. Join us, and come prepared to read and discuss sources from a wide variety of academic backgrounds!
Contact Information: Garrison Wright (president, ypj7gd@virginia.edu)
This club provides the opportunity to write, share and appreciate poetry by and with other medical students. We aim to foster a creative environment for reflecting on experiences in and out of medical school.
Contact Information: Carley Whitt (ccw8sd@virginia.edu), Gabrielle Levey (gjl3rhv@virginia.edu)
The aim of UVA SOM’s Sloane Society is to explore the rich history of medicine to help us gain a deeper understanding of modern medical topics. We hope to provide a holistic perspective that enriches your knowledge of modern medicine. We will delve into captivating narratives that have shaped the medical world and medicine at UVA through engaging themed hands-on workshops and lecture series. We hope you will join as throughout the year as we host these events.
Contact Information: Jose Perdomo Trejo (co-president, jrp7be@virginia.edu) and Taylor Horgan (co-president, tmh9hg@virginia.edu)
This is the UVA Chapter of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation Medical Student Coalition (MSC), a working group within the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation with the mission to advocate for well-being in medical school by raising awareness of issues related to burnout and mental health care, providing education surrounding these issues, and advancing solutions for change.
Contact Information: Shreya Mandava (sm2mv@virginia.edu), Kimberli Bowen (kb3gvy@virginia.edu)