The Loyola Student National Medical Association honored for dedication, commitment to the needs of medical students of color
MAYWOOD, Ill. -- The Loyola Student National Medical Association (SNMA) has been awarded the P.R.I.D.E. Chapter of the Year Award at the SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference.
"I am glad to share the good news that our SNMA chapter received a national award for all the many services and leadership accomplishments they have achieved in this academic year," said James G. Mendez, assistant dean for student affairs, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "Our students continue to do great and meaningful work and represent Stritch well on both the local and national stage."
The P.R.I.D.E. Chapter of the Year Award is given annually to the chapter that best exemplifies the founding principles of the SMNA, the nation's oldest and largest student organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. Those are:
* Perseverance in academic achievement;
* Recruitment and retention of minority students;
* Intensity of advocacy and leadership;
* Dedication to service and humanity and
* Enthusiasm for SNMA.
The Loyola Student National Medical Association Named National Chapter of the Year – Page 2
The 34-member Loyola SNMA was recognized for include starting a weekly tutoring program for elementary students, coordinating a letter-writing campaign in support of national health-care reform, executing a series of Black History Month programs, organizing the Taste of Loyola fundraiser and participating in the March for Health Equity in Selma, Ala.
Membership in the SNMA is open to all students. Its programs address the health needs of underserved communities and communities of color. In addition, SNMA is dedicated to ensuring that medical education and services are culturally sensitive to the needs of diverse populations and to increasing the number of African-American, Latin and other students of color entering and completing medical school. Membership includes more than 8,000 medical students, pre-medical students, residents and physicians in the United States and in the Caribbean.
The Loyola University Chicago Health Sciences Division (HSD) advances interprofessional, multidisciplinary, and transformative education and research while promoting service to others through stewardship of scientific knowledge and preparation of tomorrow's leaders. The HSD is located on the Health Sciences Campus in Maywood, Illinois. It includes the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, the Stritch School of Medicine, the biomedical research programs of the Graduate School, and several other institutes and centers encouraging new research and interprofessional education opportunities across all of Loyola University Chicago. The faculty and staff of the HSD bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a strong commitment to seeing that Loyola's health sciences continue to excel and exceed the standard for academic and research excellence. For more on the HSD, visit LUC.edu/hsd.