Illinois Medicine

medical honor society by Kevin McKeough Already accomplished, AΩA inductees reach new heights The College of Medicine recognized these future leaders in medicine with an induction ceremony for new AΩA members, held Oct. 21 in conjunction with reunion weekend. Befitting the students' high achievement, the event was held in the 39th Floor Penthouse of Hotel 71, along the Chicago River in downtown Chicago. "This is a great honor. You guys have been A 14 | WINT ER 2 011 working full speed since kindergarten," Joseph A. Flaherty '68, MD '71, Res '75, dean of the College of Medicine, told the inductees. "You got into AΩA, but that wasn't your goal. Your goal was excellence, and you achieved it. We're proud of you, and we laud you." "Membership in this society confers recognition of an individual's dedication to the profession and to the art of healing," added Charles Owens, MD '85, Res '91, chief of inter- ventional medicine and AΩA faculty adviser. "It is an acknowledgement of your hard work, your dedication and your academic achievements." The 39 students inducted during the ceremony joined an elite group of about 3,000 students, alumni, house staff and faculty who are chosen for AΩA each year from 118 medi- cal schools nationwide. Membership among Alpha Achievers LL ILLINOIS MEDICINE STUDENTS are excep- tional, by virtue of their commitment to caring for others and their academic achievement that opened the doors to their attending medical school. Among these compassionate, accom- plished young people, the members of the Al- pha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society are particularly remarkable. students is limited to a maximum of one-sixth of the members of a graduating class, who must be in the top 25 percent of their class academically and demonstrate leadership, professionalism and a firm sense of ethics. Members of the chap- ter are involved in tutoring and mentoring first- through third-year medical students, including helping them prepare for their medical licensing examinations. AΩA membership has special significance at the College of Medicine because the society was founded in 1902 by William Webster Root and five other medical students at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago, the college's predecessor. The October event was a joint effort of the college's AΩA chapter, the Office of Medical Advancement and the Office of Student Affairs. "AΩA is a big deal, and we wanted to let the current members and alumni know how much of an honor we consider it to be. We wanted to make members feel special and inspire them to great things as well as recognize an achievement that is a lot of hard work," said Michael Kralovec, a fourth-year student and president of the College of Medicine's AΩA chapter. Prior to the induction ceremony, students, proud parents and faculty members mingled during a dessert reception. "It's fun to get together and celebrate with all my fellow students," said Krista Childress, M4. A first-gen- eration college student, she was joined by her parents, Chris and Theresa Childress. "This is awesome. We're in Bruce Wayne's penthouse," said Sam Hutson, M4, referring to the fact that the venue had been used as a set for the film The Dark Knight. Turning serious, he observed that "medicine is the best job in the world: saving people's lives." Fourth-year student James Song reflected on the effort required to be chosen for AΩA. "It took sacrifice as far as time with family and friends. It's being motivated to be the best doc- tor you can be for your patients," he says. During the ceremony, inductees came forward as Kralovec read their names, receiv- ing pins signifying their AΩA membership and shaking hands with Flaherty, Owens and Kathleen Kashima, PhD, senior associate dean of students. Afterwards, the students and their parents basked in the honor. "It feels great. Obviously, it's a lot of hard work to get to this point, and I hope to use it to help others," said Christopher Groh, M3. "I knew he was capable of this since he was 5," said his father, Larry Groh. "He's always been extremely curious, and his passion for learning is unparalleled." Norb and Sharon Schwartz expressed similar thoughts about their son, Brian Schwartz, M4. "He's always been very focused, always wanted to be a doctor," Sharon Schwartz said. "You have to really want to do this."

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