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Albert Manudhane

Making the Most of Medicine: Albert Manudhane

For some, medical school is more than learning the ins and outs of putting the patient first, taking vitals and so on. Over the past three years, Albert Manudhane, a rising fourth-year College of Medicine student, has focused on relationships with his peers, faculty and mentors—relationships that will last a lifetime.

We sat down recently to talk with Albert about his journey through the College of Medicine.

Are we seeing double or do you have a look-alike on campus?

Anthony Manudhane (also a rising fourth-year College of Medicine student) is my twin brother. He went to the University of Akron for undergrad and I went to Youngstown State University. We both came through the BS/MD program. It’s nice facing the challenge of medical school with somebody you’ve been close to for so long. It’s exciting to see him grow and develop as I do.

So what brought you to NEOMED?

The BS/MD program played a very important role in my path to NEOMED. The cohorts encourage us to all be friends and not to compete against each other, but rather help each other out. I can name countless times when my classmates have helped me out during hard times and I’ve helped others. The friendships I’ve made at NEOMED, both at NEOMED and through the BS/MD program, have been some of the most important relationships in my life and will probably impact me for a lifetime. I really enjoy being able to just help each other out, help each other study, quiz each other, and just be there for each other in a non-competitive environment.

I think those relationships will continue to be strong once we go out into the professional world.

As a third-year College of Medicine student you completed a number of clerkships. Tell us about one you especially liked.

My favorite clerkship thus far was internal medicine. With that said, I really enjoyed the procedural aspect of surgery. I think that NEOMED has strong faculty in every single discipline and I think it is especially strong in the department of internal medicine. I say that because many people that I look up to, my mentors in many different fields, especially the ones I’ve gotten to know at NEOMED in the department of internal medicine: Joseph Zarconi, M.D. (’81), professor and chair of internal medicine; Paul Lecat, M.D., professor of internal medicine, pediatrics, and family and community medicine; Denis Lunne M.D. (’88), assistant professor of internal medicine; and Eliot Mostow, M.D., M.P.H., professor of internal medicine and chair of dermatology.

Besides third-year clerkships, what else are you involved with at NEOMED?

I am on the Student Impact Committee and NEOMED Student Council.

Dr. Lecat and Anita Pokorny, director of the Career Center in Student Affairs, reached out to me to see if I was interested in being a part of the Student Impact Committee, a place where I get to help with continuous quality improvement related to the University. It is a good thing to be a part of and it aligns with my mission to help NEOMED become a better place. I was thrilled when they reached out.

As for NEOMED Student Council, I think it is very important to give back. That can be accomplished through volunteering and a number of other ways, and I really like that in Student Council you have interaction between you, your peers, your friends, and faculty. It’s a liaison position to serve between students and faculty. I really do value my relationship with our students. My best friends go to this school. To me, it’s a unique and honorable role to help voice student concerns, the concerns of my peers and friends, and really impact change on an institutional level.

What makes you proud to be a part of NEOMED?

I’m proud of NEOMED’s sense of community. We have such a unique school and I say that because we have so many different pathways to enter the school. I think NEOMED has given me the ability to interact with people from many different backgrounds on a very professional level.

What is your best piece of advice for rising third-year College of Medicine students?

I’ll keep it simple: Be pleasant, be on time and study hard.