Making the Rounds with Founding Dean Barbara Atkinson, July 2nd, 2019

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Breaking News -

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto Visits School of Medicine - Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) hosted a roundtable discussion at the UNLV School of Medicine Monday July 1st. The topic: The high cost of prescription drugs. Sen. Cortez Masto was joined by Nevada State Senator Yvanna Cancela, Dean Atkinson, and the leaders of Southern Nevada's healthcare industry.

Dean Atkinson Wins "Healthcare Hero Award" for Lifetime Achievement. Nevada Business Magazine will feature Dean Atkinson and the rest of the winners in their September issue.

New Location for Family Medicine Clinic - The Family Medicine clinic has moved to the Las Vegas Medical District. The clinic is now located at 1524 Pinto Lane, 2nd Floor. Family Medicine's offices have also moved. They are now located at 1701 Charleston, Suite 590.

Making the Rounds with Founding Dean Dr. Barbara Atkinson

Issue 201 - July 2, 2019

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This week, we’re taking another look back at one of my earliest newsletters, it’s from December 2015. Back then, we spent a lot of time thinking about the type of students we wanted. They needed to be bright and inquisitive with elite GPA’s and strong MCAT scores. But just as importantly, we were looking for students who showed some “fire in their bellies.” In other words, young people who may have faced adversity and battled through it. On top of all that, they needed to have strong ties to Nevada. Now, for a while, we were afraid of not being able to find enough outstanding students who fit the bill. But you know what, so far we’ve done it, and I couldn’t be happier with our 120...and soon to be 180 students. Each one is uniquely talented, and brings something special to the school. When our students work in small groups, which they often do, you can see the magic happen. They’re challenging their classmates, while supporting each other through the sometimes difficult grind that is medical school.

THE EARLY DAYS: IMAGINING THE UNLV SCHOOL OF MEDICINE STUDENT

UNLV School of Medicine students pose for a photo inside a classroom at the Shadow Lane Campus. Thoughtful planning about the "type" of student the school was looking for has paid off. Members of the first three classes of students are bright, come from diverse backgrounds, and are either from Nevada or have very strong ties to the area.

Newsletter From December 8th, 2015

When we submitted our accreditation documents, we had to identify the type of students we want in our program. What are their values and personal characteristics? What kind of future physician leaders do we want to graduate?

Samuel Parrish, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions led this effort. He has overseen similar efforts for two other medical schools -- Drexel College of Medicine and Quinnipiac School of Medicine.

Dr. Parrish and his team, composed of UNLV faculty and University of Nevada School of Medicine faculty, along with community members, shaped our student admissions process with this premise -- We want outstanding students, from diverse backgrounds and experiences, who demonstrate personal qualities of community activism, leadership, perseverance, resiliency, optimism, and dedication to exemplary patient care; and who will stay in Nevada to take care of Nevadans.

How will we find these students?

All students who want to attend medical school in the U.S. apply through the American Medical College Application System (AMCAS). When students apply through AMCAS they must choose which schools they would like to attend. Medical schools then evaluate the students who select their programs. Next, the medical schools send a secondary application to the students who meet their qualifications for an interview.

Students who want to attend the UNLV School of Medicine will go through the same process. The only exception is that we will give every Nevada student who applies and who meets our basic requirements an interview. In addition, students with strong ties to the state will receive an interview. We also will consider older students who have decided to go into medicine, and first generation college students who often prefer to be near their families.

Our scholarship program will help us attract outstanding students. Matching each student with their scholarship donor will help our students create a long and lasting bond with the incredible people of this community. We believe requiring each student to complete at least 400 hours of community service also will help them become more rooted in our community - especially when they see the impact they can make. And lastly, since our medical school is community based, it provides our students with many opportunities to build relationships with patients, physicians, health care teams, and hospital systems across Southern Nevada.

We are working hard to build more residency and fellowship programs in Las Vegas in all the needed specialties so students don't have to leave Nevada to finish their education. I personally can't wait to meet our charter class of 60 students. It's going to be a very rewarding day.