AΩA Activities

AΩA’s goals are to promote professionalism, scholarship, leadership, and service in medicine. In recent years the Alpha Illinois chapter has been taking steps to increase our involvement in these areas. We continue to look for ways to improve ourselves and our surroundings.

Current activities

The Heartbeat 8K Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, July 17th. It will take place in Cherry Valley, IL, right outside Rockford. The event helps to promote a healthy lifestyle in the community and raises money for the SwedishAmerican Heart Center in Rockford. According to their web site,

Our mission is to promote awareness in the community about America’s number one killer, heart disease. We want this race to be used as a memorial to all those who have been victims of heart disease, while providing education and fund-raising within our community towards the fight against heart disease. All race profits will be given back to local organizations for this cause.

One of the two race directors is AΩA treasurer Ryan Enke. This will be a chapter-wide volunteering event for AΩA members. Volunteers do not have to be AΩA members, however. AΩA Rockford representative Jeff Cook is coordinating recruitment of students (and family and friends) from the UIC–Rockford campus; those who are interested may contact him. Others who are interested in helping out or who have any questions may feel free to contact Ryan. We will be helping out from 7:30–10:30 a.m. For those coming from Chicago (or other places), we can arrange carpools. All AΩA members are encouraged to participate.

The American Cancer Society holds a weekly call-in show on the Chicago Access Network television station, a local public access channel. The hosts discuss cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment and answer viewers’ questions. AΩA members help answer the phones and take donations. It is an enjoyable experience and the ACS is very appreciative of our help. The show takes place on Tuesday nights from 6:30-7:00 p.m., on channel 21.

The Student-Run Free Clinic is a clinic run by UIC medical students on Tuesday nights. The weekly clinic is completely volunteer-run, providing basic health care to those in need. Students from the M1 to the M4 levels participate. AΩA contributes to the clinic in several ways. AΩA alumni Stephanie Banasczek and Alex Sauper and current member Nirali Shah participated in its founding. The Alpha Illinois chapter donated $300 to the clinic in March, and the clinic also was one of the recipients of the AΩA Medical Student Service Project Awards in 2003. Finally, AΩA members are strongly encouraged to volunteer their time at the clinic, and we will soon hold an AΩA night at the Clinic where members will staff the M3 and M4 positions. If it goes well, we will make it a regular feature.

AΩA members will form a small panel to speak in August at M1 orientation (when the incoming M1s can choose various panels to which to listen and ask questions). The tentative topic is “How to Succeed in Medical School.”

Last year, AΩA members held a question-and-answer session for the M2s to help them prepare for the USMLE Step 1 exam. We plan to repeat this event next year, and are looking to expand into additional panels this year. In addition, we have collected and posted USMLE Steps 1 and 2 study tips from AΩA members.

We are tentatively planning a “wine-and-cheese”–type social for AΩA members and alumni. This will probably take place in October.

AΩA is working with the Chicago Medical Student Council to set up a tutoring program for M1s and M2s who are struggling with their classwork. Tutors will be AΩA members, other medical students who have honored the class, and possibly graduate students as well. This program will be part of the newly-created Academic Support Network.