Alpha Omega AlphaMedical Student Honor Society

October 23, 2013

Regina Gandour-Edwards, M.D.

Councilor

AOA or AΩA

• Medical honor society for US and Canada• Founded 1902 U Illinois by medical students to

promote improvement of scholastic standards and to advance the profession

• In 1902, medical education was a largely unregulated apprenticeship model of varying quality.

• Flexner report 1910

Alpha Omega Alpha

• Greek alphabet..beginning end beginning letters, signifying scope of medicine

• Motto “Worthy to Serve the Suffering”• 124 medical school chapters

AΩA’s founding, University of Illinois

Members

Medical Students

Residents and Fellows

Alumni

Faculty

Student Selection National Standards

• Eligible– Top 25 Percent of Class

• Election– One Sixth of Class– Scholastic Achievement– Leadership, Fairness, Compassion, Integrity, Service

Recommended 6% during Junior year and remainder Senior Year

UC Davis SOM Student Selection• USMLE Step One score as surrogate for

academic achievement in Year 1 and 2• Best marker in a pass/fail system (?)• Honors in the six required Year Three Clerkships

i.e. Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetric Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry

• Generates a composite score for top 25%• Closed meetings for election

UC Davis SOM Student Selection

February: Select 6 (6%) from the Year Three Class.

Will have 3 clerkship grades.

Select up to 3 Housestaff and 2 Faculty and/or 1 Alumnus.

August: Select remainder of Class (now 4th years) for 17%. Have all clerkship grades.

Value

• National recognition

• Assist in residency applications

• Responsibility to provide service to school during busy Year 4.

• Educational and service projects

AA Programs

• PHAROS Magazine

• Visiting Professorships

• Student Research Fellowships ($$)

• Student Essay and Poetry Contests ($)

• Leaders in American Medicine ($$$)

The Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria

Magazine featuring essays,poems, artwork relative to medicine

AOA Student Members Class of 2014

David Anderson, Elizabeth Brezninski, Alex Buss, Whitney Fisk, Jacob Gire, Tsung-Yen Hsieh, Christina Kinnevey, Kristopher Klem, Andrew Meyers, Erin Meierhenry, Nicoloas Prionas, Andrew Rong, Phillip Summers, Greg Westin, Stephanie Wong, Simon Wu

Questions?