You can flip through the pages below, or click for a larger view. Please let us know what you think of our publication and what you would like to read about in future issues! You can send a message to MedAlum@vcu.edu or offer input via our online form.
Click here to view full screen
Fall 2021 Feature Stories
Meet the Class of 2025Our newest M1s aren’t afraid to take chances. They’ve jumped out of planes over the Caribbean and off a 21-foot cliff in Cancun. They’ve climbed the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains and started their own companies. They’ve served vulnerable communities, from Los Angeles’ Skid Row to rural Ethiopia. The class also includes the first cohort of Dean’s Equity Scholars.
Match Day 2021Coming to a medical center near you! Find out where our graduating students are headed for residency training.
Even as the coronavirus escalated, so did alumni engagementAs the coronavirus pandemic and its impact spread, so did the level of engagement among our alumni who came alongside their alma mater during the crises of the last year. “Our alumni have been so gracious with their time, knowledge and experiences,” Class of 2024 President Waleed Ahmad says.
Recorded sessions of webinars featuring SOM alumni panelists are available:
VCU Link connects medical students and alumniThe School of Medicine’s Alumni Connect student group is asking alumni to join VCU Link, the university’s online community for career advice and networking. “Remember what it was like to be a med student — perpetually lost and looking for guidance,” the Class of 2023’s Krishna Ravindra says. He hopes alumni will provide mentorship and insight into medical and science careers.
A champion of good ideasAppointed chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine just four months into the coronavirus pandemic, Harinder Dhindsa, M.D., faced a health care crisis that was also an unprecedented leadership challenge. “He is a boots-on-the-ground leader. If there is a problem to be solved, he is ready to roll his sleeves up.”
15 for 15This year marks the 15th anniversary of the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center’s naming, paying tribute to Dorothy A. and Stanley F. Pauley’s $5 million transformational gift that laid the foundation for its growth. In celebration of this year’s milestone, the School of Medicine has spotlighted 15 of the advances made possible by the center’s good work.
Through Your EyesAfter retiring in May 2020 from Smyth County Family Physicians, Paul G. Brown, M’82, has been adjusting to a more serene lifestyle as he spends much of his time in the workshop behind his home creating beautiful reproductions of Queen Anne and Chippendale furniture. “Every piece is different. There’s this magic to wood. To see something as simple as a dovetail come together flawlessly, or to carve something like butter … is incredibly satisfying."
First Person: Vaccine experience promotes new perspectivesResponding to a request during a spring vaccine elective to describe her experience as a vaccinator, the Class of 2022’s Alexa Cecil wrote, “I think it’s interesting how one day can shift one’s perspective on an entire year. A year filled with sadness, fear, desperation and despair; with confusion, fatigue, loneliness and frustration — and then one day happens, and everything feels different.”
COVID coverageTo keep up with the latest campus news related to COVID-19, please visit these VCU and VCU Health resources.
- VCU Health outpatient clinic treats chronic, post-COVID lung, heart and neurologic conditions
- Pandemic drives largest decrease in U.S. life expectancy since WWII, even more so for people of color
- Home Based Primary Care program delivers vaccines to hundreds of homebound patients, caregivers
- Massey Cancer Center joins efforts to address unexpected COVID consequence: HPV vaccines decline
- Connection made between adverse childhood experiences, heavier burdens during pandemic
- Despite delay in response, vaccine provides significant protection to patients with cirrhosis
- VCU Health Hub at 25th works to boost vaccine access for harder-hit Black community
- Student and faculty member recognized for paper on racial disparities in COVID’s impact on emotional well-being
- Ongoing smell-taste loss survey IDs lingering short- and long-term effects on quality of life
- Alumni contributing to nation’s COVID-19 response
We want to see you in the next issue of 12th & Marshall! Let us know your latest news at go.vcu.edu/MedAlum or via email at MedAlum@vcu.edu.