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Newsletter

LMSA West
MENTORSHIP

Executive Board
Please welcome our 2015-2016 LMSA
West Executive Board!

Featured Advisory Board Member:

Efrain Talamantes, MD, MPH, MBA
Dr. Talamantes is an Internal Medicine staff physician at UCLA,
after completing his residency at the University of California,
Davis. He graduated from UCLA in 2008. As a medical student
he served as Southern CEO and later on as VP of Website. As a
resident he continued to work and train subsequent VPs of
Website plus assisted with the UCLA Regional Conference.
See interview article on page 2

Save the Date!

In this Issue

Annual Conference

We are focusing on
MENTORSHIP.
Please read about
our VP of
Mentorship, Fatima
Reyes, on page 3.

April 7-10, 2016

WesternU is excited to host this
years Annual LMSA National and
West Regional Conference! Please
see flyer on the back cover!

Northern CEO
Martn Escandn
Southern CEO
Daniel Diaz
CEO-Elect
Elberth Bert Pineda
CIO
Mariana Martinez
CFO
Viviana Huang-Chen
VP of Alumni Relations
Armando Martinez
VP of Community Affairs
Susana Sandoval
VP of Conference
Obed Barrera and Ruben Mora
VP of Grant Writing
Cecil Mayra Benitez
VP of History
Raul Meza
VP of Mentorship
Stephanie Varela and Fatima Reyes
VP of Newsletter
Janetta Arellano
VP of Policy
Alfonso Robles
VP of Scholarship
Jorge Torres
VP of Website
Miguel Ruvalcaba
Northern Undergraduate Rep
Katherine Brito
Southern Undergraduate Rep
Alexis Velasquez

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Specialty: Internal Medicine
Employer: MLK Jr. Community Hospital
Medical School: UCLA
Residency: UC Davis

Interviewer: Allen Rodriguez, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,
arodriguez@mednet.ucla.edu
Where did you complete your training?

Why did you decide to go to UC Davis for

residency?
I wanted to work with my mentors Dr. Mark
Henderson, Dr. Jose Morfin and Dr. Jorge
Garcia. They were instrumental in my decision to
go to UC Davis.

How did you and your wife meet?
My wife and I interviewed at UC Davis for
internal medicine residency on the same day.

What is your current work schedule like?
Take us through a standard day?
Early start, I see patients all morning, attend
hospital meetings, see more patients and jump on
a few conference calls, catch up on e-mails, and
read a few personal statements (edit), and then
get home to have a late dinner with my family. I
work approximately 15-20 days a month like this,
and the rest are solely dedicated to family,
friends and my mentorship work.

How often does your pager beep?
I have a cell phone- no more pagers! lol


How has having a child changed your life?
Having a child has helped me feel great about
what I have accomplished, and has given me time
to reflect on what I should do next. It's given me
a lot of energy and passion to keep working
harder.

I went to undergrad and medical school at UCLA,

where I took 2 years off to complete the MBA at
Emory through a scholarship, and then did
Internal Medicine residency through UC Davis. I
then entered a Robert Woods Johnson Fellowship
to study health outcomes research and received
an MPH back at UCLA. I have just completed my
training this year and now I have been hired as
medical director for inpatient services at the
recently re-opened Martin Luther King Jr.
hospital in South Los Angeles.

What is your role in your new position, and
how do you like it?
I get to hire and train employees for inpatient
services of the hospital and get to set the tone
and set expectations for our hospital
service. And I get to round - a lot. It feels nice to
be doing the right thing for me, and knowing Im
doing the right thing for the community

How have you been able to be so involved
with so many different organizations, and
what is your advice for us students wishing to
do the same?
Join organizations that share your vision, ideals,
core values, and that will support you.

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Interviewer: Janetta Arellano, University of Washington School of Medicine, Janetta@uw.edu

What are you goals in your current position?

Fatima Reyes, MS3

My goals are to improve the utilization of

technology to reach more undergraduate
students and provide encouragement, mentoring
and resources for students who interested in
medicine all over the country. I would also like to
improve some of our partnerships with
professional organizations to provide medical
students additional networking opportunities.

Keck School of Medicine/USC

What brought you into medicine/LMSA?
As a little girl I wanted to be a physician. I believe
that healthcare is a human right and I came into
medicine to help improve access for my
community. When I arrived at UCLA as an
undergraduate I did not succeed in anything
science and lost confidence in myself. After
college, I found an amazing mentor at work that
encouraged me to go back to school and
challenged me to explore opportunities outside
of my comfort zones. I was accepted into a postbacc program in Philadelphia, learned to brave
the east coast winters and I learned the skills I
previously lacked. My science grades improved
and I gained admission to medical school.

Joining LMSA was a natural part of my medical

school experience. As an undergraduate student I
studied History and Spanish and have always had
a deep connection to my Mexicanidad. As a first
generation physician, I consider it my
responsibility and privilege to mentor students of
color to increase diversity within healthcare.
Are you currently working on any projects?
Third year. I am currently scheduled to work 72
hour weeks and then study. It limits my ability
for extra projects but I am I am working with
LMSA West and LMSA National to improve our
opportunities and resources for undergrads.

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Author: Joana Loeza, UCSF School of Medicine, joanaloeza4@gmail.com

There was no deficit in the number of events

designed to welcome the incoming class at UCSF.
LMSA at UCSF had the pleasure to help coordinate
and attend several of the events geared towards
welcoming underrepresented students. We
helped to kick the year off with the
Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) picnic at
Dolores park. The purpose of this event was to
allow the incoming underrepresented students to
meet one another as well as the upperclassmen.
We were also accompanied by post-baccalaureate
student from the UCSF post-baccalaureate
program. In short, we enjoyed the sun, ate pizza,
and played soccer!

On Sept 12th, Dra. Erica Manrriquez and Dr.

Stephen Villa graciously opened their home in
order to welcome our incoming LMSA students.
We mingled and asked our LMSA residents
numerous questions ranging from what is a case
study to how did you become a competitive
residency applicant? During this event, I also
had the pleasure of running into Dra. Diana
Robles, who I had previously met at the LMSA
Western Regional Conference. Similar to how she
captivated me when delivering the senior speech
at the Senior Gala, she eloquently expressed how
she deals with racial remarks. Just remember,
those comments are never about you. They are
about the person who is stating them. This event
helped me truly understand one of the main
reasons why LMSA is so crucial for many Latino
medical students. Although several of us might be
the first in our families to attend medical school,
older LMSA students and residents serve as the
sibling who can guide us along our road to
residency. It is up to us to reach out and ask for
help.

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Author: Cesar Gonzalez, Keck School of Medicine/USC, gonz819@usc.edu

USCs LMSA hosts its first annual Mentorship

Conference. Dr Arias (seen in the center holding
the microphone), USCs Dean of Admission gives
a speech to over 150 pre-medical students on
what they can do to improve their chances of
gaining admission to medical schools. The
student panel on stage consisting of MS1-3s
watch and wait to answer questions.

As part of the chapters mentorship program,
USCs LMSA decided to start the year with its first
annual Mentorship Conference. Ricardo Padilla
(the chapters Mentorship Chair) was in contact
with pre-med advisors from universities
throughout California. Overall, nearly 200 premedical students responded with RSVPs and over
150 actually attended the Mentorship
Conference.

The conference was intended to teach the premedical students what is expected in the
application process and what makes candidates
stronger than others. It was also
intended to introduce the premedical students to their future
mentors so they can put a name to
the face as Ricardo Padilla
explained.

The conference opened up with
opening remarks from the two
LMSA co-chairs, Javier Sotelo and
Vanessa Ramirez. They explained
LMSAs mission statement and
what the USC chapter planned on
achieving with mentorship.

After opening remarks, Dr. Arias, USCs Dean of

Admissions spoke to the audience about her
experience in reading applications and what it
was that she and other deans looked for in
applicants. According to a pre-medical student in
the audience, it was priceless to hear from a
direct source what schools look for in applicants
and it was a sentiment very commonly expressed
throughout the event. The pre-medical students
were explained the gruesome process that is
applying to medical school and were given advice
by Dr. Arias herself.

After the keynote speech, a student panel of four
first years, one second year, and a third year
medical student provided a question and answer
session. The conference ended with a series of
tours around campus. Judging from online
surveys, Ricardo Padilla expressed delight with
the feedback he received and the USC chapter
looks to continue this Mentorship Conference
tradition.

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Author: Jaime M. Jimenez, Charles Drew University/ UCLA, JMJimenez@mednet.ucla.edu

Partnerships for Progress (P4P) Health Careers

Mentoring Program of the Charles Drew
University of Medicine and Science is a program
dedicated to providing guidance to underserved
high school students interested in the health care
professions. A medical student serves as a
mentor, and the program provides clinical skills
workshops, college preparation materials, and
assists students in developing community-based
leadership skills to help address the dynamic and
growing needs of the Los Angeles community.

The program allow students to directly become

leaders in their communities by developing
leadership and public speaking skills. Secondly,
the community research project encourages
creativity and also enables students to become
independent learners. Additionally, it fosters
long-term relationships between the medical
student mentors and high school mentees, with
the hope that mentors provide effective
longitudinal guidance.

CDU is committed to compassionately serving

underserved populations and promoting
community engagement. Instilling such values
early on and creating relationships between
medical students and young avid learners, such
as high school students, can help foster and
strengthen their interests to not only pursue a
medical degree but also one day give back to
their own communities.

The program is a full year of mentorship,

incorporates community involvement and
enriching experiences. Activities include a meet
your mentor luncheon with a guest speaker that
provides words of encouragement for the
mentees as they continue their academic
endeavors; Project Santa Claus an event where
underserved families receive donated gifts for
Christmas; various career, time management and
SAT workshops; and lastly, students present their
proposed community service project with the
opportunity to be awarded a scholarship that is
based on their participation and project proposal.

Mentor and
Mentee
Workshop -
Brainstorming
Community
Project

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Author: Jessica Albanese, University of Nevada School of Medicine,
jessicaalbanese@medicine.nevada.edu

Nevada has finally achieved official LMSA chapter

status, and we are looking forward to making
LMSA a strong presence on the UNSOM campus.
As the new class of incoming students is getting
settled in and comfortable with their new
environment, we are looking to recruit new,
enthusiastic members who are not only
interested in community outreach and
mentorship, but in leadership and promoting the
LMSA mission as well.

We are very happy to announce that we
have forged a partnership with the High Sierra
Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Through
this collaboration, LMSA members based in Reno
will have the opportunity to serve as student
ambassadors for AHEC. AHEC plans numerous
events during the academic year all over
northern Nevada, so ambassadors will have the
opportunity to travel around the Reno-Tahoe
area and interact with students ranging from
elementary to high school. These events include
classroom visits and student-led tours of the
medical school.

One event that the High Sierra AHEC
organizes that we are particularly excited about
is Operation Health Care Bound, a program in
which middle and high school students from all
over the Washoe County School District are
transported to the University of Nevada campus
and get the chance to participate in hands-on
demonstrations and break-out sessions from a
wide array of health career vendor booths. We
will also be working this semester on developing
an interactive session for these students.

LMSA members who are in Las Vegas for their

clinical rotations will still be able to partake in
mentorship activities. Our first program will be
with the East Career and Technical Academy, a
magnet high school that offers a medical
professions program. The role of LMSA members
in this program will be creating case studies and
lesson plans to engage students and help them
develop critical thinking skills. We think this will
be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate and
draw attention to some of the social issues in
medicine, specifically health disparities among
underserved populations. These visits with
students will give us one-on-one time to answer
their questions and share our experiences
working with the patients at our county hospital.

Throughout these experiences, we will be
providing students with an UNSOM LMSA email
address in which students will be able to contact
the members and continue to follow-up with any
questions that may come up. Students having the
availability to get in touch with us after these
often one-time events will give us the ability to
still build those mentor-mentee relationships.
Clearly, we have big goals for this year, but we
are determined to make LMSA a permanent,
positive presence at the University of Nevada!

Alex Coe presenting a

case study to students at
Reed HS in Reno
(May 2015)
7

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015
Authors:

Yulemi Velazco
yulemiv@email.arizona.edu

Maria Fernandez
mariafdz@email.arizona.edu

Fernando Picazo
fpicazo@email.arizona.edu

University of Arizona, College of Medicine -
Tucson

LMSA at UAOM works with undergraduate clubs

through our History and Physical Exam clinics.
We volunteer to teach undergraduate groups
sections of the H&P including, cardiac,
abdominal, and neurological exams. These events
are held twice a semester, with 10 medical and
10-20 undergraduate students participating
during each session. We also tailor the events to
fit the needs of certain groups. A club in
particular, Global Student Embassy (GSE), was
travelling to Nicaragua during the summer to
volunteer in medical clinics and asked us to help
them prepare. We taught them skills that they
would need during the clinics such as, taking vital
signs, common medical-related phrases in
Spanish, and how to effectively work with an
interpreter. After their return from Nicaragua,
Lauren, the president of GSE shared that The
LMSA H&P clinic really helped everyone learn the
basics of taking vitals so that they felt comfortable
taking them at Clnica Verde in Nicaragua and, as
a result, gained more hands on experience.

The H&P clinics are an opportunity for

undergraduates to gain skills relevant to their
pre-medical activities, and a way for them to
learn about what we do in medical school.
Beyond teaching the H&P, it is a time where we
inquire about their aspirations, offer them
guidance on how to succeed during their
undergraduate studies, and simply encourage
them. Continued on the next page
8

Tucson High School/University

of Arizona Undergraduate
Mentorship Program mentees
in the Simulation Lab

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

To accomplish this, a medical student is paired

with one undergraduate and one high school
student. Participants meet for two hours on a
monthly basis, with each session involving
different activities/topics. Subjects like career
readiness, discussions with physicians, suturing
workshops, and a multitude of simulation
activities (CPR, phlebotomy, and laparoscopic
surgery) are activities implemented to stimulate
continued interest in health professions and be of
assistance in students paths to health care
careers. We hope these efforts lessen the
difficulties that socioeconomically disadvantaged
students face, and lead to an increase in the
number of said students entering health
professions.

A second program that is most directly intended

to mentor students is our Tucson High
School/University of Arizona Undergraduate
Mentorship Program, which we carry out in
collaboration with the University of Arizonas
chapter of Student National Medical Association.
We provide guidance to high school and
undergraduate students who have encountered
difficulties related to their socioeconomic status
while striving to become health professionals.
Our purpose is to draw from our personal
experiences as well as our perspective as medical
students to help our mentees find solutions to the
difficulties they face.

LMSA H&P C
linic with the
Global Stude
group. Stude
nt Embassy u
nts were pra
ndergraduate
cticing medic
effectively w

al Spanish, a
orking with a
s well as
n interprete
r to prep for
Nicaragua.
9

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2015

Author: Ariana Malagon, UC Irvine School of Medicine, amalagon@uci.edu

UC Irvine LMSA Meet & Greet with

Faculty Advisor, Dr. Marco Angulo,
and Health Scholars

UCI LMSA kicked off the year with a Meet & Greet
dinner event for new MS1s to learn more about
what we do at the School of Medicine and in the
community.

This was a great opportunity for new students
interested in LMSA to meet active and previous
board members who have truly made a
difference through their involvement in LMSA.
The idea was that with older members who have
been through first year, they can immediately
mentor new students about how medical school
has been (the good and bad), pass on advice
about staying on top of school while being
involved in organizations/clubs, and share words
of wisdom from what LMSA has taught them
through the years. We shared our personal
stories of mentorship and how important it is to
give back and be a mentor to someone else.

Our faculty advisor, Dr. Marco Angulo, brought

his students from the Health Scholars Program to
join our event and meet the medical students.
This was perfect because the new medical
students were able to experience mentorship
first hand and it immediately became clear how
powerful their words of advice were to the prehealth students. After this event, we successfully
recruited a strong executive board of 12
members and added a new senior advisor
position for 2 very dedicated board alumni in
their Masters year.

This specific event really set the tone for the new
year, even more so than the usual student
activities/involvement fair. The design was
more intimate and allowed for personal
conversations between old and new members,
the beginning of lasting mentorships. With the
addition of an undergraduate pre-health group,
the dynamics shift and you realize there are
people that you look up to and hope to be like
one day, and there are students not yet in
medical school who aspire to be in your shoes. It
really brings everything full circle.
10

MENTORSHIP

FALL 2016

As we have settled in to the new academic year, the WesternU Chapter of LMSA has already
solidified a projected schedule of deadlines to adequately prepare for the National LMSA
Conference next year, beginning April 7th. We had a general meeting with all students interested in
facilitating the planning process and created committees to focus on specific planning areas, such as
the gala, the networking event, special guests, and food, of course. We are expecting close to 500
students (pre-med and med students alike) so we are planning on having anywhere around 50-60
workshops on Friday and Saturday and various Residency directors and other interesting prospects
at the Exhibitor Fair.
Overall, we are very excited to be hosting the National LMSA Conference in the Western Region at
our very own campus. We hope it will provide an opportunity to network and edify the pre-meds
and medical students who attend, while providing an opportunity for the LMSA Familia to enjoy the
fruits of their labor and each others company.