Dear entering class of 2019,
Upon your arrival at orientation, you will be assigned to a Learning Community (LC) based on your clinical campus assignment. It’s like sorting students into Hogwarts houses, with your own mascot and faculty mentor! The LC program allows you to build stronger relationships with your classmates in a smaller group setting within a large class. At each regular meeting, we provide an inclusive and safe space to discuss topics such as medical ethics, wellness, and professional identity formation, which are all important conversations, and opportunities to learn from each other’s perspective to become well-rounded physicians. Being in an LC also means you have access to peer mentors in other classes, who often have the best advice around.
Each LC is named after inspiring physicians within UAB School of Medicine who serve as a role model for us. For example, the Oparil LC is named after Dr. Suzanne Oparil who is a cardiologist, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and the Director of the Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program. She developed novel treatments for hypertension, including ACE inhibitors. We got the chance to meet her when she gave us lectures during our cardiology module. Go Oparil Otters!
A large part of the UABSOM Learning Community program is being engaged in the Birmingham community. Our students are passionate about service and community engagement, as well as participating in the LC cup- a bit of a friendly competition between the LCs. We strive to earn as many points for our LC to win the LC Cup while contributing for a good cause at each event, for example, Equal Access Birmingham (EAB) Heart and Sole 5k Run, LC Olympics, cornhole tournament, Diaper Drive, Student National Medical Association (SNMA) healthcare summit, free health screenings at the Lovelady Center, and penny wars. Hirschowitz LC won the LC Cup in 2018. Which LC will be next?!
The LC representatives have shared what LCs mean to them:
"Your learning community is your family in medical school. You go through all the ups and downs of medical school with them, but also all the ups and downs of life. You always have somebody you can talk to, hang out with, or study with! Since we have such a big class of medical students, learning communities are a great way for students to have a close-knit family during medical school.” -Christine Nguyen, MS1
“My Learning Community greatly helped me transition into medical school. Whether we are discussing our next social, giving advice on academic resources, or learning about medical ethics together, LCs give you a space to have open and honest discussion about topics you don’t get in the classroom. From day one of orientation, my LC gave me a sense of connection and community. I feel like this is especially important for regional campus LCs like ours because we are going to Tuscaloosa together during 3rd and 4th year rotations.” -Annabelle Friedman, MS1
“Being in an LC has exposed me to classmates from all walks of life in more ways than ever before. I’ve met classmates who are married with kids, who have had careers before coming back to school, who have traveled abroad to places I’ve never been. It has helped me put my experiences into perspective. It also reminds me that no matter where you come from or where you are now, you can still learn to balance a difficult career and a life outside of medicine.“ -Amir Ahmed, MS1
“Being a part of the Lyons LC has entirely changed my med school experience. I’ve met my best friends, who I most likely wouldn’t have become close to otherwise. I’ve found people who I can go to in times of distress or worry. I’ve become a better person, a person more focused on what we have in common than what we have different, a person who is more ready to be there for others and understand their struggles. Even though I’ve only known these people for a short time, they have impacted me tremendously, and I am forever thankful for the relationships I have formed and the growth I have experienced as a result of my LC.” -Jacquelyn Hovey, MS1
“LCs are a great way to promote the overall wellbeing of the medical student and remind them of their identity outside the context of studying. They allow students to get to know one another on a deeper level and give them opportunities and experiences to make meaningful connections throughout our four years as medical students and beyond.” -John Hunsicker, MS1
“The Learning Community program at UAB does a great job of helping students get acclimated to medical school while promoting community engagement with their peers and faculty members. For students who are just moving to Birmingham, it also provides a great avenue for them to explore the City and to get to know the community that they live in. Without the Learning Communities, it would be hard for some students to feel at “home” within UABSOM and Birmingham.” -Vince Bonner, MS1
Here is a collection of photos from service days, monthly social events, and many more:
Written and compiled by Isabella Mak.