Editor's note

Celebrating lessons learned over the seasons 

By Wendy Peltier, MD

As the days start to get shorter and a hint of fall is in the air, summer fun is winding down and big transitions are upon us. For me, a new school year, crisp mornings and sweatshirts pulled from the closet signal it’s time to get real about preparing for my fall conference schedule. 

In this final issue of summer, Transformational Times celebrates lessons learned by those who spent a big part of the summer in the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) pipeline programs, which aim to increase diversity in medical school and biomedical research through intensive, multiweek sessions for undergraduates and high school students.  

Perspective/Opinion

AIM 2023: My First and Last Class

By Nadia Tabit, MCW Class of 2026

During a medical school interview, my interviewer asked, “What would you do if you did not get into the program?” By the time this question rolled out, the little voice inside my head had already died and every question was beginning to sound like a trick question. Was her question meant to test my unwavering commitment to the medical field or did it hold a different purpose altogether? Maybe she was hinting that we will not always get to be just one thing in life, even if we choose a single career and train for it. To say there was no other role I could picture myself in would be a lie.

If you tell a high school teacher you are considering teaching high school, they will beg you to explore other options. Despite their best efforts, I still think I would have enjoyed being a high school teacher.

Perspective/Opinion

'Sometimes you gotta put your big girl pants on,' and other favorite teachings from my summer in SPARCC

By Mary Hegeman, SPARCC Scholar 2023

I was lucky to participate in the SPARCC program at the Medical College of Wisconsin this summer. It allowed me the incredible opportunity to learn about clinical trial research and explore my interests in medicine by shadowing at Froedtert and Children’s Wisconsin hospitals while an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin.

Recently, as I was paging through my notes from the past two months, it struck me that what I’ll remember from this experience is not the statistics on pancreatic cancer or the steps for obtaining IRB approval, but the personal and professional advice from various educators.

Throwback Perspective/Opinion from Dec. 28, 2021

Holidays in the Eyes of a Medical Resident's Spouse



By Ashley Seymour, MS

The holidays are supposed to be happy, a joyful time spent with loved ones. Being the wife of a medical resident, that happiness and joy can quickly turn into sadness, loneliness, and stress. When you add the fact that your closest family and friends live hundreds of miles away, it can make the holidays ten times more sad, lonely, and stressful. While most married couples are worrying about which side of the family to spend the holidays with, we find that most of our time is spent trying to figure out if we’re even able to spend that time with family, if we’ll have to check in virtually, or if we’ll spend the holiday together or separate.

Women’s Leadership Learning Collaborative (WLLC) 2024 Cohort

Application Deadline

Friday, Sept. 8

To address the needs of leaders at MCW, the Women’s Leadership Learning Collaborative (WLLC) was launched under AWSM to mitigate barriers and provide strategies for success. The WLLC program runs for one year, with each yearly cohort building on the last to create a powerful network of MCW leaders.

The WLLC is open to mid-career level individuals in faculty or staff roles at MCW who are looking to build their leader skill set, address leadership challenges and help address internal barriers to leadership.

Members will have access to leadership training and create a collaborative cohort that supports each other.

CALL TO ARTISTS

Humanities in Medicine event

Visual and Performing Artist Submissions:

Humanities in Medicine is presented by Froedtert Hospital’s Departments of Spiritual Services and Behavioral Health

Friday, September 8, 2023

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Froedtert Hospital Clinical Cancer Center

1st Floor - Helfaer Mezzanine

We are looking for Froedtert Health and MCW staff, physicians and patients to share their visual and performing art at our next Humanities in Medicine event. Some examples of the creative works we would like to include: drawing & painting, mixed media, fiber art, photography, poetry, spoken word, dancing, music, singing and acting.

Collaboration for Scholarship Journal Club

Blind Spots in Medical Education:  

How Can We Envision New Possibilities

Join the Kern Institute to discuss recent published scholarship with its author as part of the Collaboration for Scholarship Journal Club.

On Sept. 13, Sean Tackett, MD, MPH, will discuss his perspectives article "Blind Spots in Medical Education: How Can We Envision New Possibilities?"  

KICS Journal Club

Blind Spots in Medical Education

12:15 - 1 PM Wednesday, Sept. 13

Virtual Event. Registration Required.

 The Kern Institute Collaboration for Scholarship (KICS) Journal Club offers a monthly in-depth conversations about medical education research designed to fit into your lunch break. Join us to hear from some of the best minds in the field today.