The LAFP Foundation Receives Letter of Appreciation for Student Sponsorship at the AAFP National Conference

Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians,

First and foremost, I hope that everyone has made it through Hurricane Gustav with as little damage as possible. We are doing well in New Orleans and it seems we did not suffer nearly as much damage as central LA. We all wish the best for you, your families, and your patients and hope delivery of medical services can be brought back to full operations as soon as possible.

On behalf of the senior Tulane medical students who are interested in careers in Family Medicine, I would like to thank you for your generosity in sponsoring a part of our attendance at the AAFP’s National Conference in Kansas City last month.

Twelve medical students from Tulane, including ten seniors, attended this year’s AAFP Resident and Student National Conference in Kansas City. They were able to expand their primary care horizons by attending workshops on such topics as health policy, working with insurance companies, and practicing medicine abroad. Students attended dermatology, obstetrics, and orthopedics seminars. Some chose to practice in suture clinics while others listened to residency program directors’ tips for successful residency applications. After waking up to morning yoga sessions, most of their afternoons were spent on the exhibit floor where they were able to speak with representatives from over 400 FM residency programs from across the country. This was invaluable to their ability to choose programs fitting of their individual personalities at the beginning of the application process.

The students represented Louisiana in quality as well as quantity. Six students, Emily Donaldson-Fletcher, Nicole Gilg, Katie Hall, Randi Sokol, Mithu Tharayil, and sophomore Carolyn Tejirian received First-Time Attendee scholarships from AAFP that covered the cost of their travel and registration. Senior Claire Fung was recognized with the Student Community Outreach Award for her participation in the JumpStart Pierre Part community intervention to promote healthy lifestyle choices in southern Louisiana.

More information on JumpStart Pierre Part can be found at www.jumpstartpierrepart.org/

The following Tulane students attended the conference:

Emily Donaldson-Fletcher
Claire Fung
Nicole Gilg
Katie Hall
Dan Herleth
Chris Kroner
Shuchin Shukla
Randi Sokol
Carolyn Tajirian (sophomore)
Mithu Tharayil
Vanessa Vanderpool
Lua Walter (junior)

Thank you for your support of future Family Physicians!

Chris Kroner
MD/MPH candidate
President, class of 2009