Shaun Patel, M.D., is a recent alum (Class of 2012) who is currently in his first year of the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Here Dr. Patel takes a few moments to reflect on his time at the University of Michigan Medical School, his personal match process, and how his experience here prepared him for the next phase of his career.

“While it is hard to know exactly what residency is like without actually being a resident, I personally felt very prepared at the start of residency. The ability to multitask and triage in the setting of multiple demands is what makes residency easier. The vast array of opportunities provided to Michigan medical students to participate in extracurricular activities contributes to developing these skills early on and is in part what separates Michigan from other med schools.

“The residency match process for me essentially began at the start of medical school as I tried to narrow down my specialty choice. Fortunately, Michigan has everything to offer and I rotated on the Orthopaedic Surgery service late in my third year of medical school, which I ultimately ended up choosing.

“My days now are typically comprised of rounding and providing care to all of the inpatients, seeing/treating new inpatient and emergency department orthopaedic consults, occasionally operating, and of course, lots of glamorous paperwork in between. Orthopaedic surgeons work closely with various other specialties and so it is beneficial to spend some time on these other services to ultimately help provide more effective and efficient multidisciplinary patient care.

“While I can’t personally speak for the experiences of others, I do have numerous colleagues from medical schools all over the country and I think you would be extremely hard-pressed to find a medical school with as many opportunities and experiences as UMMS. The training is exemplary, the people are incredible, and you can’t beat Ann Arbor. I could easily see myself back at Michigan one day!”

Photographs by Sam Riley, Massachusetts General Hospital

Michael J. Englesbe, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Transplant Surgery Division. Dr. Englesbe is also the director of clerkships in surgery for M3 and M4 med students, in addition to being a research mentor within the Academic Surgery Interest Group.

“Michigan provides an unmatched experience for medical students. There is endless enthusiasm, countless opportunities, and most importantly an approachable and warm environment. The goal of our program is to empower and enable any medical student to become a surgeon.

“Part of this is doing research because it allows a student to appreciate the fact that an academic surgeon has to do more than just operate on patients; they have to contribute to improving the field of surgery. The students who work directly with me generally do clinical research in my morphomics lab, located in the International Center for Automotive Medicine, where we study the relationship between fitness, preoperative imaging, and surgical outcomes.

“Every surgeon I know is so proud to be a Michigan surgeon. They are enthusiastic about sharing with any student who wishes to engage them. I personally enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for surgery as a career: showing a medical student their first transplant…it is a miracle every time; seeing senior medical students turn into confident young clinicians; and the fact that my partners, trainees, and students teach me things every day.  I’m so proud to be at Michigan.” 

Photographs by Leisa Thompson

Mike Kemp is an M1 who co-founded the student Shutterbug Photography Club this past year at the University of Michigan Medical School. He was invited to document Match Day 2013—and get a glimpse into his future—through the lens of his camera. Here he shares his impressions of witnessing firsthand the most anticipated moment of the medical school experience.

“Standing around the room before anyone arrived, I noticed the calmness: the stage up front, a map to the side with pins in a bowl, the tableware set, and balloons floating in the air—the setting had been primed for the coming celebration. As students and their families began to enter, I observed the mixture of nerves and excitement among the soon-to-be graduates who would be handed envelopes indicating the next stages of their lives. In its very essence, this day was the culmination of four years of both diligence and patience. As one student put it, this was the ‘most important day of my life to date.’ 

“The energy of the room gradually began to rise until noon when Dr. Mangrulkar dismissed the students from their tables to finally receive their exciting news in an envelope. Standing by the table with my camera ready, I raised my lens and began taking pictures of the students. Almost instantly the original excitement became an explosion of smiles, shouts of joy, numerous hugs of congratulations, and tears of joy. These moments are shown in these pictures.

“With everyone returning to their seats, the celebration continued with a toast congratulating the students, who were also invited to publicly share the residency programs into which they had matched. Those who wanted to placed a pin on the map offstage indicating where his or her next destination soon would be. What had originally started off as an empty map became dotted with pins extending from coast to coast. Clearly, the University of Michigan Medical School would be graduating another talented and successful group of physicians. 

“Simply put, being an M1 at the Match Day was an honor and it felt surreal in a way. At times, being a medical student can be a daunting task, and the light at the end of the tunnel can seem very dim. I had the rare chance to see where I would be three years from now, an opportunity to briefly live vicariously in that moment through others. Seeing the success of the 2013 graduating class at Match Day reaffirmed that I have entrusted my medical education to both tremendous professors and supportive classmates. For me, that light at the end of the tunnel is looking brighter.”

Ashley Dehudy is an M4 who recently took on the role of Dr. Ora Pescovitz, CEO of the University of Michigan Health System, as part of the 95^th annual Galens’ Smoker, an elaborate musical parody of life at the med school. Totally conceived, written, directed and performed by med students, including MSTPs, this year’s event involved approximately 180 cast, crew and band members. Here Ashley gives her perspective on the mayhem and fun had by all during the unforgettable Oh, Glaucoma: How the Midwest was Won.

“My good friend Geoff graduated from UMMS in 2009, and I distinctly remember him saying ‘You’ve gotta do the Smoker! Those are your people!’ Before I even received my white coat, I was determined to get involved.

“The Smoker is an extraordinary opportunity to meet and befriend students in all four classes. It fosters a unique sense of camaraderie that I haven’t experienced in other organizations. 

“It can be tough at times with my schedule, but it is completely worth it. You just prioritize being efficient with schoolwork so you can attend practice and have a great time with your friends. 

“Planning takes place far in advance. The 2014 czars have already been selected. After meeting to select potential themes and pitching ideas throughout the fall, one of them is chosen and the writing begins. Auditions are held in December and the official cast read-through takes place in early January. We then rehearse four days a week until opening night. It’s a whirlwind!

“Our hope is that the faculty view it as an honor to be smoked. As far as medical students go, I think they definitely enjoy being dazzled by their fellow classmates ridiculous antics on stage.

“I wish my Smoker days would never end, but alas, I graduate in May and will no longer be a medical student. Hopefully I’ll work at University of Michigan someday and, if I’m lucky, have the opportunity to be smoked!”

Photographs by Leisa Thompson

Daniel Choi is an M1 and a member of the Life Sciences Orchestra,  which is a symphonic orchestra made up of members of the life sciences community at the University of Michigan. Here he talks about a recent performance and finding the time to play music in med school. 

“Putting energy into a project outside of medical school and seeing my efforts come to fruition has been fulfilling, to say the least. We just had a concert featuring pieces by Shostakovich, Mozart (with world famous soloist Amy Porter!) and Mahler.

“I’ve been playing the violin for 17 years, and I am incredibly grateful to keep it up in med school. I’ve met upperclassmen from whom I can get advice about future sequences, as well as faculty who offer career advice, or just talk about Wolverine basketball. The orchestra also offers ways to get involved in related programs, such as the weekly Gifts of Art concerts at the hospital.

“It is rare to find medical schools that have an orchestra that specifically caters to students and faculty. This was a big factor for me in choosing a school. We meet every Sunday night for two-and-a-half hours, and our flex-time curriculum really makes it easy to attend. LSO has kept me sane in the midst of memorizing the sacral plexus and looking at histology slides. Medical students need some time away from their books, too!”

Photographs by Leisa Thompson

Jessica Bloom is an M2 who spent eight weeks last summer in Quito, Ecuador as part of a team of researchers. Here she talks about her involvement with The Quito Project and how it has changed her worldview, plans for her medical education, and the many global health and disparities opportunities you can find at Michigan.

“Working alongside Ecuadorian medical students, we were able to gain insight on everything from the local culture to the many differences in how they practice medicine. You can hear about working with underserved communities in lecture halls, but until you are there you cannot truly grasp how much they both need and appreciate what you have to offer. 

“I keep my interactions from Ecuador in the back of my mind as I hear stories on chronic disease and lack of access, and use them as a motivator to continue focusing my studies. As an active member of LANAMA, I am able to participate in medical Spanish courses as well as local health fairs. I plan to go abroad for an M4 rotation, too.

“Michigan definitely has a lot to offer to those interested in global health and disparities. From official programs, such as the Health Equity Scholars Program and the Global Health and Disparities Path of Excellence, to paving your own way through summer projects and extracurricular activities, there are hundreds of opportunities to get involved with and maximize your time here.

“Regardless of whether you end up abroad as a physician, the lessons learned while working through both cultural and access barriers can be applied to a wide spectrum of patient interactions in your own backyard.”

Sam Neher* is a member of the Class of 2015 at the University of Michigan Medical School. Here he shares his thoughts on one of our school’s unique programs for M1 and M2 students: the Family Centered Experience. 

“The best part of FCE is the chance to meet patients in a different context than the hospital. Some volunteers are old, some are young. Some have been debilitated their whole life, some have just recently come into contact with a disease. In the end, they’re people. And that’s exactly what we need to be reminded of as we learn to break down signs and symptoms by process, category, risk factors and treatments. People are not statistics and the FCE does a great job of reminding us of that.

“You don’t start off being best friends with a person you’ve just met. Likewise, you don’t start off being the trusted doctor of many years with a new patient. FCE has allowed us to get to know patients in an interesting middle ground between a professional and social relationship. It’s not about the science; it’s about getting to know the people. It’s been fun to go from the first time we met them where we knew nothing about their diseases, to the present where we’ve learned enough in the classroom to have a better understanding of their afflictions. 

“Michigan works very hard to provide every important learning opportunity, as much in the classroom as outside. Some of its efforts are not always quite on target but what Michigan does better than any place I’ve seen is react and respond to student feedback. Every year is better than the next.”

*Sam, along with fellow students Jessica Bloom and Peter Park, wrote and performed a song called “Not the Story” for their Interpretive Project, an original work of art created to illustrate what they learned through FCE. Listen to their song and view other Interpretive Projects here.

Photographs by Leisa Thompson

Peter Park is an M2 who is also a member of the oldest med student group on campus, Galens Medical Society, and Auscultations, the med students’ a cappella group. Here he shares what happened when the two came together during the annual Tag Days event.

“I love that I can share my love for singing with passersby for a great cause. Getting involved with community service projects like this in med school is absolutely possible. They also help to remind us that we are being trained to serve others and not ourselves. It is refreshing to step outside the lecture halls and take a look at the bigger picture of why we do things we do.

“The first time I heard about Tag Days was at the activities fair during my Second Look Weekend, and I had learned about Auscultations before I interviewed at Michigan. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much time I’ve had to participate in student groups.

“I am always thankful for these opportunities to exercise the non-medical part of my brain. Sure, it might not be possible to dedicate as much time as one could in college, but as grad students we have more flexibility in our schedules.”

Photographs by Leisa Thompson

Hari Conjeevaram, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Program Director of the GI Fellowship Program, and most recently the Medical Director of the U-M Student Run Free Clinic (UM-SRFC). The UM-SRFC ran a pilot program this past summer and officially opened its doors in October. 

“Caring for patients with empathy and educating patients about their illness and health is something I am passionate about as much as I am in educating our students, residents and fellows about caring for others in the communities beyond their responsibility at the hospital/institution.

“The UM-SRFC was an idea that came from our medical students and I feel honored to be part of it. The students themselves select the directors and coordinators each year. Student volunteers from all years (M1-M4) are solicited to volunteer at the clinic each week.

“Our students have tremendous energy and enthusiasm to help others, and the UM-SRFC provides them a chance to get to learn more about opportunities to care for the uninsured in our communities and to know the administrative and business side of medicine. 

“The experience of running the clinic and interacting with the patients is especially important for the first- and second-year medical students. The UM-SRFC is also unique in the country in that third- and fourth-year medical students participate in seeing and examining patients, help review and make recommendations on patient care under the supervision of the faculty physician, and mentor the first- and second-year students.

“Michigan provides not only an excellent medical education, but also focuses on caring for others in the communities and provides tremendous opportunities for students to volunteer in community-based settings. 

“Even though I am a teacher, working with our students constantly teaches me to become a better person along with skills that include discipline, hard work and team spirit. That selfless attitude of everyone helping others in need resonates with my ideals of ‘Love All and Serve All.’”

Photographs by Leisa Thompson

Steven Gay, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Director of Critical Care Support Services, Director of the Bronchoscopy Service, and the Dean of Medical School Admissions at the University of Michigan. His philosophy about finding balance in your personal and professional life permeates our admissions process and beyond.

“Work/life balance looks and means something different for everybody.

“The ability to integrate your professional life with extracurricular activities and personal wellness is built into our program. Balance is about becoming what you want to be without losing who you are. That is what Michigan is all about.

“For some of our students it means having the flexibility to fly home to visit family or a quick trip somewhere else on the weekends, or to spend time at a museum or park with their kids. For others it means pursuing a dual degree, joining an intramural sports team or playing their instrument in the Life Sciences Orchestra. It can mean taking a summer to continue a research project, or a rotation serving the underserved locally or abroad.

“The bottom line is that true balance is possible at Michigan.

“If it’s important to you, it’s important to us.

“We’ll help you make it happen.”