Medical Students Launch Med School 101 to Help Underrepresented Students

At the inception of the National Medical Association (NMA), African American physicians were not allowed to join the American Medical Association (AMA), or its student organization, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the daughter organization of the NMA. “The Student National Medical Association, established in 1964, is the oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of black medical students in the United States.”


Based on this knowledge, the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine SNMA chapter has worked hard to create and maintain community and medical student involvement in the lives of underrepresented and under-resourced members of the East Lansing and Grand Rapids communities.

In the current medical climate, our chapter feels it is important to continue to be critical of the medical school pipeline and consistently help to strengthen and add to the pipeline so that more students become physicians that are representative of the populations in which we live.

In response to this need, we created Med School 101, a three-part mentorship event for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students. In the first session held on October 27, we provided all the information that underrepresented, under-resourced students need to apply to medical school. This included the primary application, statistics that make for a successful application cycle, personal statement advisement, and tips to successful get involved in research.

In December, we’ll hold the second session, which provides these students with all the knowledge and practice they need to succeed during their medical school interviews.

In the last session, the students will reconnect with the medical students who participated in these the previous sessions for further mentorship and to celebrate the success of those who have applied to medical school.

We hope that this event, the first of its kind among SNMA chapters, will become an annual part of the work that our chapter does every year.   

Oselenonome “Onome” Oboh, MCE
Student National Medical Association, Chapter Co-President

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