The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) at the UT Health Science Center represented its campus to the fullest at its national conference in Washington, D.C., April 17-20.
UT won the Region 10 Chapter of the Year for its community service projects, and Marjorie Wilson was named National SNMA Member of the Year.
Because of the popularity and success of the group’s health fairs, UT also received a national community service grant. The SNMA conducts health fairs throughout the nation, educating under-served communities about their health and the importance of healthy living. The health fairs also allow members of the community to be screened for common health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Four individuals were selected to serve on the SNMA board including: Erica Curry (regional treasurer), Quinisha Logan (regional pre-health liaison), Antwon Robinson (regional parliamentarian), and Wilson (regional community service liaison).
“In the past, all the elected positions in SNMA have gone to students from historically-dominant African-American schools,” said Dr. Hank Herrod, dean, UT College of Medicine. “The strong representation in SNMA this year demonstrates how outstanding our students are and reflects the growing diversity of our student body.”
Johnny Ray Bernard Jr., president of the local chapter of SNMA, said he was ecstatic about the news.
“There are so many SNMA chapters across the nation committed to the same purpose of serving the community as we are,” he said. “We are extremely honored by the recognition.”
UT completed six projects this year, and one has been designated as a national model. The Youth Science Enrichment Program aims to expose youth to the fields of medicine and technology.
Students get further exposure to science and medicine in the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) and the Minority Association of Pre-Health Program. Other health-related programs include the Violence Prevention Curriculum and the HIV Intervention/Prevention Corps.