Report from the Student National Medical Association 2010 Conference

SNMA Conference 2010 Chicago

It is early Spring in Chicago and this is my first visit to the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) annual conference.  The SNMA is the oldest and largest independent student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color.  CFHI has supported this conference in the past and we have been happy to have the help of the SNMA in increasing awareness of CFHI programs to more and more students.  We have been looking forward to actually being here this year and as the conference begins, it is clear that the students who have assembled on this balmy weekend in Chicago have a great deal of interest and wonder about Global Health.

From the CFHI Table at the 2010 SNMA Annual Conference in Chicago

It is only the first day of the conference and the stream of students who have come to learn about CFHI programs has been almost nonstop.  This medical education conference carries the title Healthy Impact 2010: Educate, Advocate, Empower.  The goal is to further the SNMA mission to support the pursuits of current and future underrepresented minority medical students and successfully train clinically excellent, culturally competent, and socially conscious physicians.  The organization of the conference and its program are as impressive as the seriousness of the students.

Not even 24 hours on the ground here in Chicago, and already I have met CFHI alumni from CFHI programs in Bolivia, South Africa, and India.  I look forward to the coming days and the sharing of ideas and experiences.