A special event designed to provide current OUWB medical students with access to the school’s alumni recently was held for the second consecutive year.
The “Alumni & Student Mixer: Specialty Speed Dating-Style Event” was hosted Nov. 11 by OUWB Alumni Engagement, Graduate Medical Education, and the Office of Student Affairs.
It was held at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital (WBUH) in Royal Oak. Alumni representing various specialties were positioned at stations where more than 30 current students took advantage of brief opportunities to ask 12 residents anything.
The purpose was to help students build valuable networking skills outside of the classroom and create an opportunity for alumni to share advice and experiences about what life is like after medical school.
“Not only does this event provide connection with those who graduated from OUWB before them, but networking is a huge part of working with others in medicine,” said Jennifer Root, Ed.D., assistant dean, Student Affairs & Career Development.
“Our goal is to train up our students to be able to build this soft skill outside of the classroom but will be ever so present in the work that they do in the future,” she added.
Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, welcomed everyone and emphasized the importance of having a valuable opportunity to connect with alumni now established in their respective fields. He urged current students to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from alumni and expressed appreciation to the residents.
“Thank you for making our OUWB students a priority,” he said. “We know you lead busy lives … it’s incredibly meaningful that you are lending a hand to our students and helping them by sharing your experiences.”
Chelsea Smith, development associate, said the event exemplifies how OUWB is a “family.”
“The alumni are all in residency at (WBUH),” she said. “Who better to give them advice?”
“Plus, we encourage alumni to stay connected to OUWB and one of the more important ways to do that is to connect them with students,” she added.
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| Ekaterina Lavroushin-Clark, M.D., OUWB ’25, talks with (from left) Nedi Affas, Julia Barto, and Cassandra Vyazmensky. |
Alumni like Ekaterina Lavroushin-Clark, M.D., OUWB ’25, said it was important for her to be part of the event. She currently is a first-year OB-GYN resident at WBUH.
“It feels like just yesterday I was in these students’ shoes … it’s important to give back and share my knowledge,” she said.
She also noted how significant alumni were to her as a medical student.
“I kept my options open and tried to make the most out of every rotation,” she said. “I encountered several alumni along the way who really helped guide my journey towards where I am today.”
Brandon Metcalf, M.D., OUWB ’22, is a fourth-year pathology resident at WBUH. He said it was particularly valuable for him to be at the event so that he could give current students opportunities to learn about pathology.
“I like to go out, share my story and talk about how I got into it, and dispel any stereotypes,” he said.
Metcalf also recalled how beneficial it was to meet OUWB alumni when he was a medical student.
“It’s very helpful, especially for those who are interested in a specific field and want to learn more about how to be successful in that path,” he said. “It’s nice (for alumni) to engage with students to show them how we have gone on before them and found success.”
M1 Gabriele Seilo said he asked a lot of questions about the pros and cons of different specialties.
“What I find most interesting about what they’re saying is that they all seem to be very passionate about what they’re specifically doing,” said Seilo. “That’s encouraging because there’s a whole big world of medicine out there.”
M2 Nooraldin Kamalaldin attended the event for a second time. He asked questions about lifestyles related to the different specialties as well as compensation.
“I learn more and more every time I attend this event,” he said. “The alumni have been so kind to share recommendations and details about how a career trajectory can change … they’ve been very, very open.”
M1 Margaret Pfeiffer said she was “really touched that so many alumni took time out of their day to come and get us so excited about medicine.”
“That’s what makes OUWB so special … that people are willing to give back to the community that taught them,” she said. “It just makes me feel like I’m at the right medical school and excited for my future.”
