A pediatric internist, a psychologist, a plastic surgeon, a pediatric oncologist and several practitioners of emergency medicine all shared unique experiences and provided a diverse range of answers to student questions. Discussion topics ranged from surviving medical school to empathizing with patients. Questions about balancing medical careers with a family were raised as well. Students had more time after the panel to speak with the doctors one-on-one over a dessert buffet catered by The Black Sheep.
Charles Drew Health Professions Society Co-Chair and event moderator Kipp Weiskopf '07 was impressed and pleased with the high student turnout; the event filled Paino Lecture Hall in the Earth Sciences Building and left many more students standing in the back of the room.
"We were glad student attendance exceeded our expectations, especially since the panelists were essentially taking time out from saving lives to come speak with us," said Weiskopf. "All of the panelists had to rearrange their schedules and drove from Boston and New York to come here, so we are proud we could provide them with a good crowd."
Emergency medicine specialist Dr. Peter Shearer '89 particularly impressed Weiskopf when speaking about his high level of job satisfaction. "[This was] especially in light of the fact that he was working all night in the ER and hadn't had a chance to sleep before making the four hour drive up to Amherst," Weiskopf added.
Other students valued the helpfulness of the panel in providing a clear outlook on life in the medical profession. One such student, Griffin Biedron '08, said, "It provided a unique perspective to aspiring doctors with a straight-edge and no-spin outlook. It was refreshing to listen to doctors that had experienced this profession well after the initial awe had worn off."
The Charles Drew Health Professions Society, officially recognized by the Association of Amherst Students for the first time this year, intends to make the alumni panel an annual event following its huge initial success.