Students share their experiences with studying abroad and are honored during "International Fellows Day," held on May 5 in the Weill Education Center.
Weill Medical College held "International Fellows Day," on May 5, in the Weill Education Center. Second-year students who worked abroad after their first year and medical students who pursued international electives during their fourth year were honored during the program. Generous sponsors whose gifts to the Medical College helped fund the students' international projects were also honored.
The program included oral presentations and poster exhibits by four students: Jonathan Lee-Melk, who worked in a small village in Bolivia; Nancy Lange and Julie Myers, both of whom worked in Senegal in an infectious disease center; and Vassily Eliopoulos, who returned to the site of his Peace Corps experience before medical school (the Solomon Islands), to offer his services. Poster exhibits by the other students described projects in 19 countries (Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Mali, the Netherlands, Solomon Islands, Senegal, Suditrol/Italy and Sweden).
Dr. Warren Johnson, the B.H. Kean Professor of Tropical Medicine, gave the welcoming remarks, saying he hoped students had gained experiences that would shape their practices and outlooks on medicine. His remarks were followed by greetings from Dr. Antonio Gotto, dean of the Medical College, who reflected on Weill Cornell's "long tradition of involvement in international medicine." Dean Gotto continued, "Despite (recent) international security and health concerns, Weill Cornell saw an increase in the number of students participating in international studies compared to last year."
The fellowship awards bestowed were the Dr. B.H. Kean Class of 1964 Fellowships, presented by Mrs. Collette Kean; Milton B. Rosenbluth Fellowships, presented by Dr. Milton Rosenbluth; Max Kade Foundation Fellowships, presented by Dr. Wolfgang Aulitzky; Ida S. Scudder, M.D. 1899 Fellowship, presented by Edwina Scudder Youth; the Marian Blankenship Fellowship, presented by Dr. James Blankenship, '80; American Hospital in Paris Fellowships, presented by Meg Naughton; United States European Medical Education Exchange Fellowships, presented by Dr. Oliver Fein; and the Connie M. Guion, M.D. 1917-AOA Fellowship, presented by Joan May.
Students offered interesting summaries of their international studies. Following are just a few examples:
Dorinna Mendoza, a recipient of the Dr. B.H. Kean Class of 1964 Fellowship, observed the practice of medicine in Argentina: "It was interesting to see medicine practiced in South America. Argentina's medical education system is a very different system in which only 10 percent of the graduating medical students go on to residency. Therefore, those who continue are stellar."
Catherine Johnson, a Max Kade Foundation fellow, said of Austria: "The culture of medicine is different in Austria. With a nationalized medical plan, there is universal access to the public medical system. The hospital atmosphere in Vienna is (also) much different than in the U.S. The lobby of the enormous hospital houses a grocery store, bakery, full-service post office as well as the more common gift and flower shop. It was also surprising to most of us that smoking is permitted and very prevalent in the hospital."
Nancy Lange, a Dr. B.H. Kean Class of 1964 fellow and Julie Myers, a Dr. Milton B. Rosenbluth fellow, spoke on the stigma associated with certain infectious diseases in Senegal, which prevents people from disclosing information even to their own families. Jonathan Lee-Melk, the Marian Blankenship fellow, talked about the health inadequacies in Bolivia and the struggles he endured trying to get medical assistance for the poor. Lee-Melk, whose goal is to become a pediatrician, said he learned a lot about the skills and challenges involved in advocacy.
Vassily Eliopoulos, a Dr. B.H. Kean fellow, was amazed by some of the cultural differences of the Solomon Islands: "How amazing it is to see what they have preserved in comparison to what we've lost in regard to community, family and commitment to others." Eliopoulos also talked about the hospital environment in which he worked: "It was one of the few places where you could show up to work wearing a bright orange T-shirt, as I did. Not only is it accepted; it's appropriate."
Dr. B.H. Kean Class of 1964 Fellows
Paul Baker (Class of 2005)
Tricia Desvarieux (Class of 2005)
Vassily Eliopoulos
Johnny Kwon (Class of 2005)
Nancy Lange
Dorinna Mendoza
Michael Walton (Class of 2005)
Dr. Milton B. Rosenbluth Fellows
Helen Azzam
Jason Billinghurst
Elisa Muñiz
Julie Myers
Russell Nord
Douglas Weinstein (Class of 2005)
Max Kade Foundation Fellows
Laleh Golkar
Isabel Green
Kirana Gudi
Rafaz Hoque
Catherine Johnson
Eleanore Kim
Kelly Krueger
Saaron Laighold
Jessica Peña
Beth Preminger
Michael Peterkin
Amber Tyson
Danique Van Dongen
Ida S. Scudder, M.D. 1899 Fellow
Tina Meyer
Marian Blankenship Fellow
Jonathan Lee-Melk
American Hospital In Paris Fellows
Michelle Denburg
Alexander Greenstein
Zanie Leroy
Michelle Roach
Joshua Stern
United States European Medical Education Exchange (USEU-MEE) Fellows
Steven Balt
Lindsay Smithen
Annie Wu
Connie M. Guion, M.D. 1917-AOA Fellow
Jason Fish
The annual International Fellows Day is hosted by the Medical College's Alumni Relations Office; much of the funding for the students' international electives comes from alumni gifts.
Photos by Janet Charles.