MACON/SAVANNAH/COLUMBUS – Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) was well represented at this year’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC), held April 16 in Orlando, Florida.
During the national meeting of thousands of underrepresented minority medical and pre-medical students, MUSM students joined the SNMA executive committee and were recognized for various achievements.
The SNMA is an organization committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students, addressing the needs of underserved communities and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians.
Veronica Prince, MS2 and president of MUSM’s SNMA Macon Chapter, joined the SNMA Executive Committee as national president-elect. She will serve during the 2022-2023 academic year and will assume the role of national president during the 2023-2024 academic year.
“Since joining the Mercer family, I have witnessed immense support of students’ involvement within the SNMA,” said Prince. “Mercer continues to support these students as they uphold their academic responsibilities to Mercer while completing their fiduciary responsibilities to the SNMA.”
Kendra Moore, MS3 and former MUSM SNMA president, was sworn in as SNMA Region IV regional director, a role in which she will serve from 2022-2024.
Lindsay Smith, MS1 and 2022 ACT Scholar, also joined SNMA Region IV leadership as treasurer.
MUSM also won numerous chapter and individual awards. The Wilbert C. Jordan Research Forum is the poster presentation portion of the AMEC, and MUSM students won first place in two categories:
- Community Service: Shaquita Greene, Sabrina Worrell-Fraser, Joncel Stephens, Latisha Pryor and Alicia May
- Health Policy and Legislative Affairs: Veronica Prince
“Mercer University School of Medicine is honored to have such outstanding students who are committed to improving health for all Georgians but especially rural, marginalized and underserved communities,” said Dr. Jean Sumner, dean of Mercer University School of Medicine. “The leadership of these young women is impressive. We are very proud of the example they set, the research they do and the difference they make.”
MUSM will host the SNMA Region IV Medical Education Conference in Macon during the 2023-2024 academic year. This regional gathering will introduce pre-medical and medical students from the southeast and the Caribbean to the Mercer community as they participate in a conference centered on leadership skills, academic enrichment opportunities, organizational experiences and project development training.
“The SNMA has been one of the biggest support systems throughout my medical journey. It was only right for me to continue my service to the organization within this capacity,” said Prince. “As a first-generation student and young Black woman, I struggled to find representation within medicine, but knew that I wanted to be a doctor. The SNMA empowers its members and expands their worldview to mature them into providers who treat the whole patient while remaining connected to their own humanity.”
“One of the goals of the SNMA is to be an accurate source of information relevant to minority issues in the field of medical education,” said Wanda Thomas, MUSM’s chief diversity officer. “Having national and regional representation in the SNMA shows that our students have worked hard to be the voice of minority health issues. Our students are phenomenal and make us proud every day.”
