Underrepresented Minority Students Gather for Second Annual City-Wide Mixer

In 2018, Carmen Javier, a third-year Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine student, came up with the idea to host a mixer for Student National Medical Association and Latino Medical Student Association members as a way for underrepresented medical students and physicians throughout Northeast Ohio to network.

The groups gathered recently for the second annual mixer, welcoming medicine and pharmacy students from local SNMA and LMSA organizations, as well as NEOMED’s Black Student Association.

The mixer was sponsored and hosted by Sonja Harris-Haywood, M.D., a clinical associate professor of Family and Community Medicine and the NEOMED-Cleveland State University Partnership for Urban Health.

Schools represented included Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and NEOMED’s Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy. Pre-medical students  from Cleveland State University also attended.

The mixer included a catered dinner that allowed students and physicians time to network. There was also an educational panel at the event that consisted of fourth-year medical students from each of the institutions, as well third-year pharmacy students from NEOMED.

The students talked about what has brought them success, as well as mistakes that they have made throughout their journeys in medicine or pharmacy school. They discussed navigating medicine and pharmacy as a minority students, prepping for board exams, how to successfully navigate clinical rotations, and applying for residency.

There were also physician mentors and NEOMED faculty/staff in attendance including Andre Burton, J.D., vice president for human resources and diversity, and Victor Torres, Director of Global Engagement.

— Laura Allen, a second-year College of Medicine student, contributed this reflection.