RUSM graduate Janet Charoensook, MD, was recently appointed to the editorial board of the American Journal of Psychiatry—Residents' Journal.

First-year psychiatry resident Dr. Janet Charoensook of UC Riverside School of Medicine (UCR SOM) has been recently appointed to the editorial board of the American Journal of Psychiatry—Residents' Journal. Dr. Charoensook was one of the first four students to join the UCR SOM Psychiatry Residency Program in 2014.

Her responsibilities as a member of the editorial board include manuscript review and acceptance, peer review, brainstorming ideas, and more. Dr. Charoensook was raised in Los Angeles, Calif. She earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) in 2014.

“We are ecstatic that Janet has been named associate editor,” said Gerald A. Maguire, chair of the UCR SOM Psychiatry Residency Program. “It is truly remarkable that a resident in her first year of training has been named to this important academic position. We are very proud of Janet’s appointment and we have no doubt she will serve admirably in this vital capacity.”

Read more alumni news on the RUSM blog.

RUSM's new Student Center contains a library, student study space, the Center for Teaching and Learning,  space for a campus store, and food facilities, including a large dining area and space for three vendors.

On May 14, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) welcomed local dignitaries for the official opening of its new Student Center on the Dominica campus. The Hon. Dr. John C. McIntyre, Acting Prime Minister of Dominica, joined RUSM Dean and Chancellor Joseph A. Flaherty to cut through the ceremonial blue ribbon, marking a significant milestone in the campus’s development.

“Today we celebrate the opening of the student center, a marvelous facility of more than 50,000 square- feet, and an investment of $18 million -- an investment that will surely continue to build on the legacy of excellence in medical education at RUSM and sustain the essential qualities of a rigorous academic education and the value of community as a support for a successful total student experience. It is an honor to share in this celebration and achievement,” said RUSM’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Thomas G. Hollinger.

Dr. Thomas G. Hollinger, RUSM Chairman of the Board of Trustees, left, Hon. Dr. John C. McIntyre, Acting Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Dean and Chancellor Joseph A. Flaherty, MD, and Interim Campus Dean Dr. Stanley J. White

Designed to provide gathering spaces that promote collaboration among students and faculty, the Student Center is the largest building on campus and is intended to become the hub for the RUSM community as well as a welcoming facility for visitors. It contains the library, student study space, multipurpose rooms, the Center for Teaching and Learning, food facilities, including a large dining area and space for three vendors, space for a campus store and offices for the departments of Student Affairs and Student Services.

Dean Flaherty noted that the planning for the building began four years ago, and that students, faculty and staff had all been engaged in the planning. He also acknowledged that the government of Dominica “has been a stalwart supporter.”

The new building includes study space for current students (pictured above), plus a library, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and more.

Also present for the historic occasion were His Excellency the President of Dominica Charles Savarin and Interim Campus Dean Dr. Stanley J. White. Many local dignitaries, student representatives, faculty and colleagues also attended, including Dr. Dorian Shillingford, head of the Dominica Medical Board.

In addition, fourth semester student Samar Haroun addressed the group. “I believe this is the beginning of a new and even brighter future,” she said. “This new structure brought together larger, fully-equipped, accessible resources for students.”

This blog entry was written by Vijay Rajput, MD, FACP, SFHM, Professor and Chair of Medicine at Ross University School of Medicine. Dr. Rajput is also the Medical Director for the Office of Studentand Professional Development at RUSM.

In medical schools throughout the world, we teach our students so much science, but there are some factors that we may not be teaching very well. The challenge for a doctor is to do more than just apply information from an evidence-based journal. The challenge is to be a humanistic physician who treats a patient not just as a disease, but as a human being. There is a major difference between treating patients and caring for patients.

Let me give you a startling, but true, example. It is the case of a surgery resident on a surgery rotation who changed the dressing on a leg wound without realizing that the patient was already dead.

A patient can tell within 30 seconds whether a physician cares about him or her. This is where the nonverbal communication is paramount. Obviously, you have to look at the person, and then listen carefully. If the resident in the example above had looked at the patient, and not just at the leg, and had asked, “how do you feel?” it would have been clear that he was not responsive, not breathing, not alive.

How Can Physicians Earn Patients' Trust?

The role of the physician in society has changed. There has been an erosion of trust. What will it take to earn the trust of patients again? Can we, in medical education, provide the training in compassionate communication, professionalism, and the art of observation? My way of looking at it is that a person needs some basic substrate of humanism that has been developed while growing up. But just nature is not enough and just nurture is not enough. I believe that we can incorporate into the four years of medical school the development of a humanistic approach in patient care and teaching.

I am a native of India, where I earned my medical degree. When I immigrated to the U.S., I quickly discovered that while my English skills were quite good, there were many idioms, fine nuances of communication and cultural references whose meaning I did not comprehend, and this presented a problem in understanding my patients. The good news is that it compelled me to pay very close attention to my interactions with them and to make sure that we understood each other correctly. I will never forget the encounter with my first patient in the U.S. When he told me he had passed out the night before I was shocked. In India this phrase means that the person has died. Clearly, this patient was alive, so I had to ask more questions to find out what was going on.

Seeing Your Patients as People Is Paramount

Over the years I have learned from my students, residents and mentors, what characteristics are integral to becoming a humanistic physician and teacher: listening and counseling with empathy, being humble but confident, and seeing a patient’s illness in the context of the patient’s life.

In other words, to be a humanistic physician, you have to open your mind and heart to the people around you.

Award-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof—slated to speak at Ross University School of Medicine’s (RUSM) Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 30—has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to more than 150 countries. During his travels, he’s caught malaria, experienced wars, confronted warlords, and survived an African airplane crash. Kristof not only managed to survive and press on, he’s also won two Pulitzers in the process – while advocating human rights and giving a voice to the voiceless.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu dubbed Kristof as “an honorary African” for his reporting on conflicts there, and President Bill Clinton said that “There is no one in journalism, anywhere in the United States at least, who has done anything like the work he has done to figure out how poor people are actually living around the world, and what their potential is.”

After joining The New York Times in 1984, Kristof served as a correspondent in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. He has covered presidential politics, interviewed everyone from President Obama to Iranian President Ahmadinejad, and was the first blogger on The New York Times website. A documentary about him, Reporter, executive produced by Ben Affleck, aired on HBO, and he has more than 3 million fans combined on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. He has won several awards, including the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Anne Frank Award and the Fred Cuny Award for Prevention of Armed Conflict. He also serves on the board of Harvard University and the Association of American Rhodes Scholars.

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Ross University School of Medicine’s (RUSM) 2015 commencement ceremony will feature guest speaker Nicholas Kristof, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and noted advocate for global human rights and health. The event will take place Saturday, May 30, at 9 a.m. at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

“At Ross University, we strive to provide a rich learning experience that encourages our graduates to bring a global perspective and appreciation for diversity to their careers in medicine,” said RUSM dean and chancellor Joseph A. Flaherty, M.D. “These men and women leave Ross as citizens of a changing world, prepared to do their part to improve the health and well-being of the communities in which they practice. We are honored to welcome Nicholas Kristof to share this special day with our graduates and their families; his work to expose and address challenges to human rights and social justice around the world is a wonderful example for our graduates looking to make a difference in the lives around them.” 

Kristof, who has worked at The New York Times since 1984, has been recognized internationally for his reporting on issues such as the Darfur conflict, the pro-democracy student movement in China and human trafficking. He has a large following on social media and writes a twice-weekly column focusing on global health, poverty and gender issues in the developing world.

This year, more than 800 RUSM graduates earned residency positions in hospitals across the United States and Canada. Over two-thirds of those new residents will launch careers in pediatrics, internal medicine and family medicine.

Students in the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) Class of 2019 took their first steps toward earning their medical degrees when donned their white coats at on May 15 in the ceremonial White Coat Ceremony, a regular rite of passage among many medical school students. And institutional leadership had some inspiring words to get them started.

“You are a superb group,” Dean and Chancellor Joseph Flaherty, MD, told the group. “You’re in a special place, and we know you are going to succeed.”

What’s the White Coat Ceremony and why is it so significant?

“Sixteen years ago, I attended a White Coat Ceremony. I was in the same seat as all of you,” said RUSM alumnus Nikhil K. Bhayani, MD, a 2003 graduate and guest speaker at the ceremony. “As we don these white coats, they symbolize our commitment to the medical profession.” Dr. Bhayani said. “Wear them with pride.”

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Dr. Bhayani completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, earning a B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry. After graduating from RUSM, he went on to complete an internal medicine residency at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center (2006) and an infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Illinois, Chicago (2008). He is board certified in internal medicine as well as infectious diseases and serves on key committees at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Dr. Bhayani serves as chair of the Department of Adult Medicine at Texas Health Resources Arlington Memorial Hospital.

Kyle Zakkar, Student Government Association President, also chimed in: "We are all here to share the same dream—the dream of becoming a great physician."

The ceremony was attended by the Acting Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Dr. Collin McIntyre, and the President of Dominica His Excellency Mr. Charles Savarin, as well as other government dignitaries.

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On the eve of the Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) Commencement Ceremony a festive reception for graduates and guests was held at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Coconut Grove, Florida. The event, held among the exhibits inside the museum, as well as under a big tent outside, was an enjoyable way to celebrate and network with fellow graduates before the big day.
 

Some of the graduates walked across the stage slowly, with a dignified pace befitting the commencement ceremony of Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM). Others strode quickly, purposefully, as if they were in a rush to begin their lives as physicians. One woman shared the experience with her baby, strapped in a carrier to her front. She cradled him as she shook the hand of Dean and Chancellor Joseph A. Flaherty, MD and accepted her degree. And as each name was called, the audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically.

RUSM held commencement exercises for the Class of 2015 on Saturday, May 30 at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

 

Celebrating graduation with my favorite guys ������ @matthewbortz @gregbortz #brian #RUSMgrad2015 #MD #medschoolgraduation #imadoctor

A photo posted by Christina Bortz (@cmbortz) on May 30, 2015 at 10:49am PDT

Dean Asks: How Does One Succeed in Medical School?

“What does it take to succeed in medical school? To get in, to get through, and to get to a day like this,” Dean Flaherty began his remarks. “Looking out at you, and knowing what you went through to get here, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect embodiment of the concept of grit. You have faced and overcome obstacles, bounced back from setbacks, and worked harder, I’m sure, than you ever thought you were capable of.”

Dean Flaherty continued. “One of the things that attracted me to Ross was the attitude of students I met when I visited,” he said. “There was something about the way they talked about the opportunity they had and the work that was required of them. And not one of them had any doubt that they would make it through and go on to residency. That inspired me, and when I think back, and I look at you now, many of whom I have met and spoken with, I know that I was attracted to the grit that Ross students bring to this experience. The endurance. The resilience. And the commitment and drive–you wouldn’t be here without that.”

Pulitzer Prize Winner Delivers RUSM Commencement Speech

Welcome @NickKristof to the @rossmedschool commencement! pic.twitter.com/BMZ3m21DL8

— Joseph Flaherty, MD (@jflaherty_rusm) May 30, 2015

The commencement address was delivered by two-time Pulitzer-Prize winner, New York Times columnist and author Nicholas Kristof. Kristof’s columns focus on global health, poverty and gender issues in the developing world, and more. At the RUSM graduation, the theme of Kristof’s remarks was what he called the empathy gap.

“I remember at one point I was tempted to ditch journalism and go to medical school,” Kristof related. He told a story about his travels in Niger where, on a visit to a clinic, he saw a pregnant woman suffering from eclampsia who was about to lapse into a coma. The doctor would not perform a C-section because the husband couldn’t be found to give his permission. “But they didn’t want her to die in front of a New York Times journalist,” Kristof said.

So the doctor did the surgery and a healthy baby was delivered. Mother and child were fine.

“A Turning Point in Your Lives”

“One thing that I saw that day was that sometimes we still falter on access and empathy,” he told the graduates. “Today you reached a turning point in your lives. One of the dangers of success is that we risk becoming insulated from the needs of people… One of the things I admire about Ross is that so many of you end up in needy communities. You’ll be frustrated. You give patients advice and they won’t take it, about smoking, about unprotected sex. That’s when you need empathy.”

Kristof asked rhetorically, “Why don’t we take risks more often? It’s because of a sense that the problem is too vast. You’re going to see that in your profession. We’ve become numb. It seems like whatever we do is just a drop in the bucket. I’ve become a believer in drops in buckets.”

In closing, Kristof said to the graduates, “I hope you can use your learning and success to help others fill the empathy gap and fill buckets, one drop at a time.”

2015 Accomplishments at RUSM to Date

We’re halfway through 2015, and it’s been a big year not just for RUSM’s latest group of graduates, but for the institution itself. Some highlights include:

• Record-Breaking RUSM Match Year: RUSM again broke institutional records in this year’s residency match event, which saw more than 800  of our students earning coveted residencies in teaching hospitals across the United States. Our alumni earned residencies in competitive specialties—like ophthalmology, neurology, and surgery —while also obtaining placements in primary care programs, like internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. With our new residency total, we’ve broken institutional records for the second year in a row.
• New Student Center Opens: Officially opened on May 14, RUSM’s brand-new Student Center is the largest building on campus and is intended to become the hub for the RUSM community and a welcoming facility for visitors. Designed to provide gathering spaces that promote collaboration among students and faculty, the Student Center contains the library, student study space, multipurpose rooms, the Center for Teaching and Learning, food facilities that include a large dining area and space for three vendors, space for a campus store, and offices for the Departments of Student Affairs and Student Services.
• RUSM’s Step 1 Pass Rate Above US/Canadian Students: For the fourth year in a row, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) students collectively achieved a first-time pass rate on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) that is on par with US students who took the exam. RUSM students’ Step 1 first-time pass rate for calendar year 2014 is 97%, topping the rate of US/Canadian schools (96%) and osteopathic schools (93%).

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July 1 marks the start of residency programs for most recent medical school graduates in the United States, and more than 800 RUSM alumni are among the group. Following the recent RUSM commencement ceremony that took place days ago, newly minted physicians are anxiously poised to begin their new careers. Hear from a few alumni in their own words as they talk about matching into a residency program – many of them receiving their first choice residency in their hometowns.

 

Michelle Kelley

When asked about her overall experience at RUSM, Michelle Kelley said, “There were no setbacks. I was pretty focused.” The Texas-native is returning to her hometown to begin an Internal Medicine residency at the University of Texas Medical School – Houston. She’s interested in becoming a hospitalist and has considered pulmonary and critical care disciplines.

“I’m very, very proud of Michelle,” said Marilyn Rabkin, who is Kelley’s mother. “She worked really hard.” Rabkin was beaming as she discussed her children’s success – she has an older daughter who is an immigration attorney.

Jonathan Dominguez

Jonathan Dominguez is returning to his New Jersey roots and will begin a Family Medicine residency at Hoboken University Medical Center – just five minutes from his parents’ pharmacy. Originally from Cliffside Park, Dominguez hopes to someday open a private practice.

Dominguez’s journey in medicine began by attending a RUSM information seminar. “Immediately after, on the same day of the info seminar, I applied to RUSM,” said Dominguez. But there was a defining moment that he knew he was on the right path. “It was after I passed the first mini exam that I felt assured,” said Dominguez. “After that I studied and maintained good academic and social balance.”

Ugorji Okorie

“At 11:50 a.m. I started to twinge,” says Ugorji Okorie reflecting on the long 10 minutes before she learned whether she matched into a residency. “I began to think, what if…,” said Okorie. But at 12:01 p.m. Okorie was relieved to receive a congratulatory message by the National Resident Matching Program® (NRMP) and then the tears began flowing at 12:27 p.m. when she realized that she had achieved her long awaited dream.

Okorie matched into an Internal Medicine residency program at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Shreveport. Okorie was hoping to get into the Baton Rouge campus to be a little closer to family, but is still satisfied with her second choice. “LSU-Shreveport has great academics – it’s the largest teaching hospital in the state with all the fellowships,” said Okorie.

When she reflected on her time at RUSM, Okorie shared, “I love Ross. I loved living in Dominica.” She went on to say that the solitude gave her the opportunity to self-reflect and learn a lot about herself.

Christina Bortz

Christina Bortz is bound for New York Methodist Hospital in Park Slope to begin a residency in Internal Medicine. Bortz recounts that she was invited to participate in 20 interviews but decided to only go on 12 visits. “I canceled the rest of the interviews because I was pretty confident I’d do well, that I’d match,” said Bortz. She matched into her first choice program and has her mind set on a career in gastroenterology.

Bortz is from Ridgefield, CT and her friends and family shared in her accomplishment by giving a surprise congratulatory party.

Rachana Choksi

According to Rachana Choksi it was “exciting and nerve-wracking” while waiting for the results of the NRMP match. However, she soon realized her fears were unfounded as she is set to begin a promising career in Pathology at Temple University Hospital.

Choksi is interested in specializing in forensic pathology. She doesn’t feel strongly about returning home to Jersey City, NJ, but would like to establish her career somewhere in the northeast – maybe Boston.

It has become increasingly clear that physicians’ interpersonal skills are essential to their practice of medicine. The link between the lack of such skills and adverse outcomes has come into focus in recent years in relation to medical malpractice claims. Dr. Gerald Hickson and his colleagues at Vanderbilt University have shown that patient complaints are as likely to be related to physician behaviors as the more serious medical problems being treated. They have developed an intervention program that has proven to be remarkably effective.  It starts with peers talking candidly to physicians identified at high risk for such complaints.

Most physicians at high risk are unaware that their lack of empathetic behavior might be the cause of patients’ complaints. Malpractice is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to concerns patients have about their encounters with physicians. The larger issue is the number of patients leaving doctors’ offices feeling that they have been misunderstood, unheard, and were not being involved as partners in the decision making. Partly addressing these concerns, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) has made significant changes in its Step 2 Clinical Skills exam, now focusing on interpersonal behavior as much as clinical thinking and problem solving.

At the core of efforts to improve physician behaviors and communication is the question of whether empathy is innate or can be taught. The answer to this question is the same as for most complex behaviors; there is an innate component that may set range limits of behavior within which there is great opportunity for environmental influences, including education. Some of the most compelling films I have viewed on the development of empathy show the responses of children of different ages to a frustrated and crying child. Younger children react only by  looking up to see what is going on, while older children approach the crying child and offer a toy or a pat on the back. These types of empathic behavior, which have been shown to increase with age, and to develop earlier in girls, have wide individual variations, which may continue into adulthood.

Those who view interpersonal skills such as empathy as innate favor a selection process for medical school that looks for these skills in prospective students.  This is done by means of an interview which, while I believe is helpful, I do not think that it can accurately select for empathy. Forty years ago, when the vast majority of doctors went into primary care, perhaps they self-selected for their interest in the human dimension of practice. Popular television shows at the time, like "Dr. Kildare" and "Marcus Welby MD" highlighted this phenomenon. Currently medical education is taking good advantage of high technology and the scientific skills needed to practice good medicine. Not surprisingly, television shows like "HOUSE," which featured a phenomenal diagnostician with weak interpersonal skills, or the more likeable character in the UK series Doc Martin are popular among students.

Can we teach empathy to our students? Yes!  Last year Batt-Rawden and his colleagues in the UK published a review in Academic Medicine of 18 studies on the teaching of empathy, showing that you can improve empathy in medical school as well as reverse its decline. Effective programs to achieve this goal included basic interview courses, and learning through drama, writing, creative arts, and mentoring experiences. Evidence from other research suggests close observation and videotaping of student patient encounters, with feedback provided in small groups, can help students to focus on the subtleties of patient communication, to more correctly perceive patient affect, and to ask clarifying questions that permit mastery of one of the essential tools of empathy -- correctly identifying patient affect and responding to it.

Can we do better at Ross University School of Medicine? Of course we can. We should also take full advantage of the experiences we have in place starting with interviewing the patients in our host country, Dominica, and continuing through the tremendous diversity of practices and patient demographic experiences in the US and UK. We need to emphasize this aspect of learning to the advantage of our students and to the benefit of their future patients.

The first batch of students who took the new, revamped 2015 MCAT in April received their scores today. If you’re wondering whether the AAMC has adjusted the way they score the exam—or just want to learn a little bit more about it—check out this handy fact sheet from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), the organization that administers the MCAT.

Want even more more information on the 2015 MCAT? Check out Ross University School of Medicine’s dedicated MCAT2015 section.
 

Apr 17/18 #MCATday: Scores are now available! Go to http://t.co/2ZECvrSgKS to view. Note, scores will be avail in @amcasinfo app later today

— MCAT (@AAMC_MCAT) June 16, 2015

To our prospective students, don't forget: If you're taken the "old" version of the MCAT, our Admissions Committee will accept your scores for up to five years after you've taken the test. If you want to apply for our September 2015 class, you'll need to take the MCAT by Saturday, June 20, 2015.

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RUSM alumni Ray King, MD (above) was recently named Resident of the Year at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Georgia Regents University, Augusta.

Ray King, MD, PhD, a RUSM Class of 2010 graduate, was just named Resident of the Year at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Georgia Regents University, Augusta. Dr. King is the chief resident in surgery, and is just about to complete his training.

It goes without saying that we’re immensely proud of Dr. King’s accomplishment, but—given the caliber of our students and graduates—we also aren’t that surprised. What might surprise you, though, is the path he ultimately took to become a physician. Because it’s the opposite of what you’d expect.

A Guest Lecture Turns into a Job Offer

Some RUSM students come back to their alma mater to teach after they earn their medical degrees. For some of our grads, teaching simply becomes their passion. The opposite, though—a RUSM faculty member deciding to reverse course and become a medical school student—is far more rare. Yet that’s exactly what happened with Dr. King.

But how does someone go from a full-time faculty member to a medical school student?

Before coming on board with RUSM to teach, Dr. King held faculty positions at several medical schools in the Boston area and abroad, including Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass), and even such far-flung locations as Kathmandu University Medical School in Nepal, where he was assistant professor/course director of medical gross anatomy and histology. He’d earned his PhD in anatomy and neurobiology from Boston University School of Medicine, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in neural stem cell transplantation at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

While he was still on faculty teaching anatomy at UMass, Dr. King was invited to RUSM in Dominica as a guest lecturer. That lecture turned into a job offer – to be the course director of RUSM’s medical gross anatomy courses. He accepted and, in addition to his other responsibilities teaching, spearheaded an initiative to design and install the school’s fully integrated anatomy laboratory, which combined traditional cadaver dissections with high-tech, interactive digital learning stations.

The Medical School Professor Becomes the Student

But he wanted more—it felt like something was missing. “I was thinking about applying to medical school,” he said. “As a young faculty member, I was very fortunate to be given a tremendous amount of support from my department chair, Dr. [Sandy] Martin and [then-Dean Jorge Rios] to try many innovative projects at RUSM, and they apparently were happy with my work. Furthermore, they made an extremely generous offer for me to maintain my faculty position as well as to matriculate as a medical student.”

The offer was one he couldn’t refuse – albeit very confusing for his medical school classmates to be in class with one of their professors, he said. But the university brought him more than the chance to go to medical school. It brought him the opportunity to meet his future wife, fellow student Jessica Van Beek, MD. When they registered for the couples’ match in 2010 – he in general surgery and she in otolaryngology/head & neck surgery – people told them there was no way it would happen. “I wasn’t going to let that discourage us,” he said. “Who were they to tell us it couldn’t be done?”

Turns out it could. The couple matched at MCG, where King has concurrently served as a clinical assistant professor of gross anatomy, teaching MCG students while he was a surgical resident.  After finishing residencies in June 2015, the couple will travel to Minneapolis and Chicago for one-year fellowships, he at the University of Minnesota in colorectal surgery and she at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in pediatric otolaryngology.

After wrapping up his residency this month, Dr. King has his eye on joining a practice at University Hospital in Augusta.

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The Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) Education Summit, held in Miami on May 28 and 29, brought together Basic Science deans and chairs, and clinical chairs and clerkship directors from throughout the United States. Dr. Dorian Shillingford, head of the Dominica Medical Board, also attended the event.
 

Much important work was done. The Clinical Sciences Curriculum Subcommittee meeting, chaired by Dr. Scott Ippolito, and comprised also of members from the Basic Sciences curriculum, was open to all attendees. There was good discussion and agreement on how to move forward. “The goal is to evaluate the clinical training at each core clerkship site,” Dr. Ippolito said. There will also be a process for providing feedback to our partners, he said, to ensure continual improvement for the benefit of our students. Curriculum revision and the integration of research into the curriculum were also topics of discussion, and initiatives into which our colleagues are putting tremendous effort.
 

“We are making great progress,” said RUSM Dean and Chancellor Joseph A. Flaherty, MD. “Still, challenges remain ahead of us. I’m perpetually optimistic. I know that we’re all committed to the mission of providing opportunity for our students and helping them succeed.”

Ross University School of Medicine's 2015 Graduation Ceremony—held on May 30, 2015, at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida—was attended by about 700 of the more-than-1,000 men and women who were eligible to graduate this year, plus thousands of friends and family members. We captured the entire graduation ceremony on video, which we're now making available here for you.

The commencement address was delivered by two-time Pulitzer-Prize winner, New York Times columnist and author Nicholas Kristof. Kristof’s columns focus on global health, poverty and gender issues in the developing world, and more.

Check out the video below.
 

2015 Accomplishments at RUSM to Date

We’re halfway through 2015, and it’s been a big year not just for RUSM’s latest group of graduates, but for the institution itself. Some highlights include:

• Record-Breaking RUSM Match Year: RUSM again broke institutional records in this year’s residency match event, which saw more than 800  of our students earning coveted residencies in teaching hospitals across the United States. Our alumni earned residencies in competitive specialties—like ophthalmology, neurology, and surgery —while also obtaining placements in primary care programs, like internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. With our new residency total, we’ve broken institutional records for the second year in a row.
• New Student Center Opens: Officially opened on May 14, RUSM’s brand-new Student Center is the largest building on campus and is intended to become the hub for the RUSM community and a welcoming facility for visitors. Designed to provide gathering spaces that promote collaboration among students and faculty, the Student Center contains the library, student study space, multipurpose rooms, the Center for Teaching and Learning, food facilities that include a large dining area and space for three vendors, space for a campus store, and offices for the Departments of Student Affairs and Student Services.
• RUSM’s Step 1 Pass Rate Above US/Canadian Students: For the fourth year in a row, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) students collectively achieved a first-time pass rate on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) that is on par with US students who took the exam. RUSM students’ Step 1 first-time pass rate for calendar year 2014 is 97%, topping the rate of US/Canadian schools (96%) and osteopathic schools (93%)

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For the fourth year in a row, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) students collectively achieved a first-time pass rate on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) that is on par with US students who took the exam. RUSM students’ Step 1 first-time pass rate for calendar year 2014 is 97%, topping the rate of US/Canadian schools (96%) and osteopathic schools (93%).

What’s Step 1 of the USMLE?

USMLE Step 1 is designed to test the knowledge acquired during the basic science years of medical school. Performance on this exam is an important indicator of a student's competitiveness for residency positions. Graduates of international medical schools must take and pass the USMLE if they want to practice in the United States. RUSM students' success on USMLE Step 1 attests to the university's strong curriculum, dedicated faculty and leadership, and academic support for students.

RUSM Students Perform Well Despite Changes to Test Scoring

It’s notable that for 2014, the USMLE’s administrators raised the minimum passing score for this test. We’re very proud that, despite this change to the test, our students continued to perform very well on this critical licensure exam.

Congratulations to all of our students who successfully completed Step 1, and we wish you well as you gear up for clinical rotations in the United States.

RUSM is currently accepting applications for all future semesters. Get started on your application.

 

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Get advice from Carey James, RUSM’s Associate Dean of Operations, Analysis, and Admissions, on how to stand out among medical school applicants.

According to Associate Dean James, there are some simple, yet meaningful, steps you can take this summer that can lead to the start of your medical education.

"Once you’ve identified your top choices for medical school, make strategic connections between the opportunities at those schools and your choice of summer activities," says James. "Pausing to map out a path to your specific target schools will make both your summer and year-round activities more strategic and goal-oriented."

Read the full story at PreMedLife.

RUSM clinical student Marc Katz recently had a post from his blog, MyKittyKatz, featured on KevinMD.

The first time Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) clinical student Marc Katz submitted a piece of his writing to KevinMD.com—a popular,  influential healthcare blog run by New Hampshire-based internal medicine physician Kevin Pho —he didn’t think much of it.

That was back in 2012. At the time, Katz’s blog—which he describes now as half motivational, half “things I wish I had known before I went to medical school”—was still in its infancy. In his first entry, written just days before his flight to the RUSM campus, Katz covers some of the anxieties he felt as the first day of medical school approached—anxieties that he thought would resonate with other prospective students.

He closed out that first post with some words of encouragement. “I had to take the MCAT twice, and applied to 28 medical schools, but all it took was one acceptance to make it all worthwhile,” he wrote. “If you have explored medicine and decided that it is the path for you, don’t let anyone discourage you from it. Own it and do whatever it takes to succeed. It is what I intend to do starting on my first day of class down in Dominica.”

The day after he submitted that blog post to KevinMD.com, he was surprised to see he had already gotten an email back saying his story was accepted.

His initial thought? “Well…I guess people are going to see this now,” he laughs.

Years later, Katz is still blogging, and his work is still getting recognized. In fact, one of Katz’s recent pieces—titled “Doctors: Now is the time to develop your style with patients”—just appeared on KevinMD on June 11 of this year.

His Blog’s Mission: To Motivate Other Medical School Students

To Katz, it’s far too easy for med school students, especially those attending international or Caribbean medical schools, to get discouraged before they even get started on becoming physicians. Part of the reason that Katz’s blog exists is to help other students shake off that discouragement.

“There are going to be tons of people when you apply to medical school or for residency who say that you shouldn’t do this because the industry’s changing, or that you just aren’t good enough,” Katz says. “I want to be one more person, on their side, to say that you are smart enough. That you can do this.”

For med students who need motivation, for doctors to guide their students, and for patients to know we care https://t.co/nBNRVAk31E

— Marc N. Katz (@MarcKittyKatz) June 11, 2015

That theme—the idea that for every person who tries to discourage someone from fulfilling their dream, there’s another person willing to offer encouragement—is something that really resonates with Katz, given the circumstances behind how he ultimately enrolled at RUSM.

“When I started applying to medical school, my philosophy going into it was that it only takes one yes for all of the nos to not matter,” he says. “I just needed one acceptance, and that acceptance was Ross. They gave me the opportunity that those other schools did not. They gave me the possibility of becoming a doctor.”

In addition to motivational entries, Katz’s blog covers tips and helpful practices for current and prospective medical school students—posts like “The Medical Student’s Guide to Clinical Rotations” or a story about Katz’s three favorite study aids for the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE).

RUSM clinical student Marc Katz (above, right, pictured with fellow student Roshan Asrani) recently had his writing featured on KevinMD.com, a popular physician-run blog.

Leveraging His Blog for Practice

It wasn’t until people—mainly students from RUSM and other Caribbean medical schools—started coming up to him and saying “Wait, you’re Marc Katz? I’ve read your writing!” that he really understood what a big deal it was that his post landed on KevinMD.

“What’s really amazing about being posted on Kevin’s blog is the reach,” says Katz, who is undergoing his core rotations at New York Methodist Hospital. “Doctors who’ve been practicing for years. Residents. Nurses. Physicians’ assistants. I’ve had all of these people, from all walks of life in healthcare, writing back and saying thanks, I needed this motivation today. Or keep it up.”

Though Katz would like to publish a book at some point in his life (“maybe after residency,” he laughs—Katz is still in the middle of his clinical rotations, currently at New York Methodist Hospital), he’s busy thinking about how he can use his blog once he completes his clinical rotations, earns his medical degree, and enters residency.

“Being a fan of technology, I love the idea that I can potentially blog as a resident, or as a practicing physician,” he says. And he already has some ideas. For example, what if he was able to point one of his patients to his blog for supplemental medical advice?

“I always say When I’m a doctor, I’m going to strive to explain everything to my patients,” he says. “So if one of my future patients wants more information—on ways to get their weight under control, ways to control your glycemic index, whatever it may be—I could point them to my blog, where they’d get some additive content to help them maintain their health.”

Marc Katz (above, right, along with fellow student Mahir Maruf) is currently in his third year of clinicals. Right now, he's rotating at New York Methodist Hospital.

Keeping an Eye on the Prize: Residency in the US

Katz’s blog, coupled with his clinical rotations in New York, certainly keeps him busy.

“I feel like, every day during clinicals, I become slightly less useless,” he jokes. “When I first started my family medicine rotation, I was loaded up with all of this information for USMLE Step 1. Then you start ro tations, the doctor looks at you and says ‘Okay, this guy has asthma. How are you going to treat him?’ That’s a very basic question, one that any fourth-year student could readily answer…but as a fresh third year med student just starting clinical rotations it’s overwhelming because you know so much and yet you still know so little.”

Like Kevin Pho, Katz plans to practice internal medicine—an area that would allow him to study and treat a wide variety of diseases. “Internal medicine is an exciting specialty in and of itself,” he says. “You get to treat and learn and see everything—from cardiology to pulmonology, from nephrology to gastroenterology. You get to do everything.” He’s angling to stay in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, where he has family.

For prospective med school students considering RUSM, Katz has one more piece of advice.

“Much like the actual practice of medicine, you have to take it upon yourself to go out and learn some things on your own,” he says. “But if you’re ready to be a doctor, and you want to start medical school right now—apply.”

Read More of Marc's Writing on His Blog
 

Want to read more of Marc Katz’s writing? Check out his blog, MyKatz,or follow him on Twitter at @MarcKittyKatz.

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“It is especially important for us Canadians to know what to expect after leaving the island for our clinical years,” said Marc Bergeron, PhD, Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, and advisor to the Canadian Students’ Society. “Each semester, we have been fortunate enough to have Canadian Junior Faculty share their experiences both in the United States and Canada. Students learn the ins-and-outs of core clerkship and elective rotations, how to apply for the match, strategizing for residency, the sequencing of exams and the reality of going home. It is always an extremely informative session.”

Julia Kulikowski, 24, prime minister of the Canadian Students’ Society, and Stephanie Riviere, 25, deputy prime minister, are in their fourth semester at RUSM. “When I first came to the Club Fair, I remember seeing the giant Canada flag and feeling at home,” said Riviere, a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. “It’s nice having the community here.” The Club Fair, at which about 50 RUSM student groups and organizations staff information tables, is held during orientation. Kulikowski, a native of Burlington, Ontario and a graduate of the University of Guelph, has been a member of the group she now leads since her first semester at RUSM.

The junior faculty members who presented to the Canadian Students’ Society on July 18 were alumnae Magdalene Gyuricska, MD and Ndidi Abara, MD.  For those students who want to obtain a residency in Canada, “If it’s possible for you to do rotations in Canada and to get letters of recommendation from doctors in Canada, that’s always a plus,” advised Dr. Abara.

When it comes to getting a visa for a longer period of time, “Do not come from Dominica to the US; go to Canada and then go to the US from Canada,” suggested Dr. Gyuricska. 

The students, who were treated to a pizza lunch, were very engaged and asked many questions of the presenters.
 

(Photo: Stephanie Riviere, left, and Julia Kulikowski, officers of the Canadian Students’ Society at RUSM.)

RUSM alum Shantala Sonnad, M.D., was recently named director of Health Quest Urgent Care in Wappingers Falls, NY.  Read the full article in the Poughkeepsie Journal.  

Dr. Sonnad followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming a physician. See video to get a closer look into Dr. Sonnad’s background and perspective on providing urgent care.

Executive Dean and Chancellor Joseph Flaherty, MD, chats with Senior Director of Finance Dean Shillingford.

I met recently with Ross University School of Medicine’s (RUSM) Senior Director of Finance Dean Shillingford, to talk about the importance of budgeting, and some ideas that might be helpful for our medical students. Mr. Shillingford, a native of Dominica, began his career with RUSM on the island in 2006, as a student accounts coordinator. He was promoted steadily and in 2011, he became the director of finance and administration on the Dominica campus and in January of this year he was appointed to his current position in Miramar. Here’s some of that conversation:

Flaherty: Generally speaking, it makes good sense for everyone to prepare a budget and keep track of expenses. People need to think about what is a necessity and what is not, and that is different for everyone.
 

Shillingford: It’s important to create a budget and to write it down. As far as expenses, the big three are food, housing and transportation. When students first arrive in Dominica for the Foundations of Medicine portion of the medical education program, they may not be sure how much to budget. But by the second semester, they will know how much they need.
 

LIFESTYLE

Flaherty: Students’ standard of living has gone up; what they used to call the middle class standard of living has gone up. Medical students today wear decent clothes, eat out occasionally, take vacations. They probably had that in college. Our students have to look at their lifestyle a little differently. Going to Dominica is different. This is a study experience. You have this opportunity to learn the basic sciences and pass the USMLE® Step 1 exam with a good score. You’re not going to be spending money going places. There’s no need for a lot of new clothes; there are few functions for which to get dressed up.

Shillingford: There is a temptation for students. They studied hard all semester and they want to party. During the breaks some want to go island-hopping by plane, stay in nice hotels, go to the casinos.

Flaherty: I’m a big advocate of students setting study goals with rewards. Each day, if you study for five or six hours, you should have a short-term reward. Go out and play basketball, or whatever you like to do. If you study all week, go out on Saturday or Sunday. And if you study all semester, set aside money in your budget for a reward. I remember when I was a medical student I set aside $20 every semester, to reward myself with a trip to my favorite bookstore. I liked to read history and fiction. Still do.

TRANSPORTATION

Flaherty: The thing that students have to plan is how many trips back to the U.S. they will have to make. They may want to go home twice in 16 months. Some people get homesick.

Shillingford: As far as transportation on the island, the university provides it. Everything is within walking distance. And for excursions to Roseau and sightseeing day trips, these are also organized by RUSM and transportation is provided. You don’t really need a car.

Flaherty: There will be no events where you’re expected to drive. I think if a student wants to drive somewhere remote on the island, he or she can find three others who also want to go, and they can rent a car together for that occasion.

Shillingford: You don’t really need to buy a car just for 16 months. Gas on the island is also much more expensive than in the US. You have to discipline yourself to cut expenses. It’s always wise to reduce your expenses.

HOUSING

Shillingford: Most first semester students stay at Ross University Housing. Then they should look through our housing database for an apartment that is clean, and in a good location, and less expensive than something bigger and fancier. After all, how much time will they spend in the apartment? They’ll be spending most of their time on campus, in classes and labs, and studying.

Flaherty: Students probably spend about 80% of their awake time on campus. They should check out all of the many options available for study space and see what works for them. Very few students prefer to study at home all the time, because of the distractions there. So, how much living space do you really need? Some people are more social, and a compromise for them might be a place with maybe four bedrooms and a communal kitchen. When I was in medical school I lived in a decrepit building with about 20 other students. My room was about 10’ by 12’ with a bed and a desk and chair. It wasn’t bad. We had great camaraderie. It didn’t seem like a hardship.

FOOD

Shillingford: Eating out is always more expensive than eating at home, no matter where you may be. You can save a lot of money by limiting the number of meals that you eat in restaurants.

Flaherty: It’s also probably easier to eat healthy if you cook a little. Our students can go to the market once a week to shop for fresh food. They can freeze leftovers in containers and have enough to eat for a few meals. This is what many of them do. It’s also a good way to make friends, shopping, cooking and eating together. During Orientation on campus we offer a presentation on the unique foods of Dominica and how to prepare them.

There’s a lot of information we give students, from the time that they are accepted to RUSM, about what to expect on the island and how to arrange for what they need, including housing and transportation. We are here to help. What students need to do for themselves is to think about their expenses and how they will budget for the basic necessities, as well as for the rewards they will give themselves along the way. And, as Dean Shillingford advised, “write it down.”

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