The NEOMED chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) had the pleasure of bringing to campus a broad range of informative, moving and fun events this year for Black History Month (BHM)!
Who we are: The SNMA was founded to increase the number of physicians who serve minority and indigent communities. We are committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students, addressing the needs of underserved communities and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians.
February 1: Dr. Kamilah Dixon joined us from the Ohio State University to share what it means to be an anti-racist OB/GYN. She highlighted a few actions we can take as future physicians to decrease the inequity in the field of OB/GYN. She reminded us that we have a choice, in every encounter, to check our biases, to speak up when we see injustice, and that we have the responsibility to educate ourselves about the perspectives of others.
February 14: SNMA kicked off a recurring fundraiser offering dry cleaning service for white coats. The white coat symbolizes the commitment we have made as medical students and future physicians, but let’s be honest, it goes through a lot! From coffee stains to wrinkles, SNMA wants to help keep your coat as crispy as the first day you got it!
February 19: BHM Jeopardy was a well-fought competition for the ultimate prize (candy of course!). Students and staff learned facts about Black authors, writers, inventors, and musicians. Among them:
- Dr. Patricia E. Bath – inventor of the laserphaco and the technique for cataract surgery
- Lonnie Johnson – NASA scientist, invented the Super Soaker and Nerf Gun (and sent a spacecraft to Jupiter)
February 23rd: Angela Dawson, the executive director for the Ohio Commission on Minority Health visited us. She encouraged us to be extraordinary and left us with a few book recommendations:
- The Philadelphia Negro and The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois
- Black and Minority Health by Margaret Heckler
- Unequal Treatment by Smedley et al.
February 26th: Paint and Sip
We appreciate everyone who attended our events. We may be done with Black History Month but we aren’t done making Black history!