Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Honor Society October

Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Student Honor Society October 23, 2013 Regina Gandour-Edwards, M. D. Councilor

AOA or AΩA • Medical honor society for US and Canada • Founded 1902 U Illinois by medical students to promote improvement of scholastic standards and to advance the profession • In 1902, medical education was a largely unregulated apprenticeship model of varying quality. • Flexner report 1910

Alpha Omega Alpha • Greek alphabet. . beginning end beginning letters, signifying scope of medicine • Motto “Worthy to Serve the Suffering” • 124 medical school chapters

AΩA’s founding, University of Illinois

Members Medical Students Residents and Fellows Alumni Faculty

Student Selection National Standards • Eligible – Top 25 Percent of Class • Election – One Sixth of Class – Scholastic Achievement – Leadership, Fairness, Compassion, Integrity, Service Recommended 6% during Junior year and remainder Senior Year

UC Davis SOM Student Selection • USMLE Step One score as surrogate for academic achievement in Year 1 and 2 • Best marker in a pass/fail system (? ) • Honors in the six required Year Three Clerkships i. e. Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetric Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry • Generates a composite score for top 25% • Closed meetings for election

UC Davis SOM Student Selection February: Select 6 (6%) from the Year Three Class. Will have 3 clerkship grades. Select up to 3 Housestaff and 2 Faculty and/or 1 Alumnus. August: Select remainder of Class (now 4 th years) for 17%. Have all clerkship grades.

Value • National recognition • Assist in residency applications • Responsibility to provide service to school during busy Year 4. • Educational and service projects

AWA Programs • • • PHAROS Magazine Visiting Professorships Student Research Fellowships ($$) Student Essay and Poetry Contests ($) Leaders in American Medicine ($$$)

The Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria Magazine featuring essays, poems, artwork relative to medicine

AOA Student Members Class of 2014 David Anderson, Elizabeth Brezninski, Alex Buss, Whitney Fisk, Jacob Gire, Tsung-Yen Hsieh, Christina Kinnevey, Kristopher Klem, Andrew Meyers, Erin Meierhenry, Nicoloas Prionas, Andrew Rong, Phillip Summers, Greg Westin, Stephanie Wong, Simon Wu

Questions?