Sharing memories, experiences all part of IM Specialty Speed Dating benefits

[Department of Medicine faculty and medical students in the Internal Medicine Student Association – UArizona chapter gather for Specialty Speed Dating Night, involving round robin 8-minute conversations with physicians from different IM subspecialties.]

DOM faculty and medical students in the Internal Medicine Student Association – UArizona chapter gather for
Specialty Speed Dating Night, involving round robin 8-minute conversations with physicians from different IM subspecialties.

With about a dozen faculty and twice the number of medical students, the Second Annual Internal Medicine Speed Dating Night hosted April 10 by the Internal Medicine Student Association at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson in cooperation with the Department of Medicine Office of Education, was a rousing success by all measures.

See a mini-photo gallery from the festivities and learn about what students and faculty thought below.

Held at HSIB 532, the event offered a showcase for different specialties in internal medicine, including primary care, for students considering their options before deciding on clerkships and sub-internship rotations as third- and fourth-year medical students. Specific subspecialties represented by faculty present were: allergy and immunology, cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatric medicine, hematology and oncology, hospice and palliative care, infectious diseases, and nephrology.

Nhat Nguyen, a first-year medical student (MS1), said he found the experience inspiring.

“I met many physicians who offered invaluable insights,” Nguyen said. “Through the event, I learned about what each specialty offers and solidified my interest. In addition, I got a chance to connect with physicians one-on-one, asking them questions that I am personally curious about and setting up a time for future shadowing opportunities. What a great beginning step toward my future career.”

Allyson Molzahn, also an MS1 and, like Nguyen, among co-chairs of IMSA, added, “The speed dating event fostered invaluable one-on-one and small group interactions between medical students and attending physicians. It provides a unique platform for meaningful dialogue, enabling medical students to glean insights and forge connections that are often hard to come by otherwise.”

[Dr. Amy Klein, director of the Hospice & Palliative Care Fellowship in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, talks about the special care needs of her specialty with Kyle Cook (gray shirt) and Ethan Ross (blue shirt) as geriatrician Dr. Julia Cremer looks on. ]Amy Klein, MD, an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, agreed.

“This was such a great opportunity to meet students early on in their career in medicine. I love discussing my field of Palliative Medicine and helping future doctors understand that it is really about patient’s being able to live as well as possible while they are going through a serious illness,” said Dr. Klein, who’s also program director for the Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship and director of palliative medicine at Banner – University Medicine Tucson.

“It was wonderful to meet a group of first-year medical students considering careers in Internal Medicine,” said Laura Meinke, MD, a critical care specialist in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine. “They were all wonderfully energetic and asked great questions. I appreciated the opportunity to tell them more about my field, and hope that several will join us when it comes time to select a residency.”

Dr. Meinke also is DOM assistant vice chair for education and director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus, something all the students were interested in learning more about.

Also participating, Amy Sussman, MD, who serves as faculty advisor to IMSA and is vice chair of education and clerkship director for the Department of Medicine as well as fellowship director for the Division of Nephrology, also was a popular pick for students.

Dr. Sussman said of the event, “It's a great way to get them interested in Internal Medicine and introduce them to all the different specialties within our field! And it's a lot of fun and I know the students appreciate our presence and mentorship greatly.”

She’s looking forward to the Third Annual Internal Medicine Speed Dating Night next year.

MINI-PHOTO GALLERY:
Mouseover images to see captions and click on them to enlarge.

[Drs. Olivia Hung and JR “Ken” Pineda, both cardiologists, chat as other faculty and medical students continue to arrive.] [First-year medical students and co-chairs of the UArizona Internal Medicine Student Association, Nhat Nguyen, Ethan Ross, Allyson Molzahn and Leena Idris confer on how to start the evenings activities.] [A light dinner is served courtesy of Chipotle Restaurant to feed everyone’s curiosity and break the ice prior to Specialty Speed Dating start.] [Ethan Ross (blue shirt) and Kyle Cook (gray shirt) listen to Dr. Amy Klein, director of the Hospice & Palliative Care Fellowship in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, as geriatrician Dr. Julia Cremer looks on. ]

[Carlos Barraza (in dark hoodie), Mac McGraw (in green hoodie), and Sawsan Zamzeer (on right) with Drs. Ryan Wong and Amy Sussman, from the Division of Nephrology. Dr. Sussman also is the DOM vice chair for education and clerkship director. Dr. Wong is director of the IM sub-internship.] [Dr. Muhammad Husnain, of the Division of Hematology & Oncology, chats with first-year medical student Allison Molzahn. ] [Dr. Puneet Shroff, allergist in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, tells students Taylor Veschio (left) and Alana Hendrickson (right) about the importance of primary care and the role of internal medicine’s subspecialties in supporting that. Behind them, the Division of Endocrinology’s Dr. Sarah Penquite talks with student Leena Idris.] [Nicole Perry (left) and Quan Vo (right) hear about the complexities of critical care medicine with Dr. Laura Meinke, with the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine. Dr. Meinke also offers insights on the Internal Medicine Residency Program, which she heads as director.]

[Ethan Ross (blue shirt) and Kyle Cook (gray shirt) listen to Dr. Amy Klein, director of the Hospice & Palliative Care Fellowship in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, as geriatrician Dr. Julia Cremer looks on.] [The Division of Gastroenterology’s Dr. Cameron Thompson answers questions of Nhat Nguyen, a first-year medical student and co-chair of the Internal Medicine Student Association at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson.] [The Division of Infectious Diseases’ Dr. Saman Nematollahi (in green shirt) tells medical students Jessica Ives (in glasses) and Bianca Aguilar (in red hat) about the breadth of work these specialists do in medicine from helping prevent hospital-acquired infections to diagnosing afflictions caused by specific bacteria, viruses or fungi. He’s associate director of the UArizona Infectious Diseases Fellowship.] [Taylor Veschio (in white), Ali Shaikh (in black jacket) and Alana Hendrickson (in green) hear the Division of Endocrinology’s Dr. Sara Penquite tell them about the breadth of ways in which diabetes care touches other specialties including cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology and geriatric medicine.]

(Photos courtesy of David Mogollon)

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“DOM faculty enlisted for April 10 IM Specialty Speed Dating Event” | Posted April 3, 2024

Release Date: 
04/16/2024 - 4:45pm
Media Contact: 
David Mogollon | Communications Manager, University of Arizona Department of Medicine