USC | KECK - School of Medicine of USC

Cuddling in the Hospital-Volunteer Opportunities

If you’re interested in neonatology and mother-infant care or just enjoy working with babies and their crew, the Cuddle Club and Family Medicine Interest Group have two exciting volunteer opportunities available to you through LAC-USC! These opportunities are small time commitments (if you wish them to be) and a great chance to get exposure to this aspect of patient care. We will train you for both, no experience is necessary.

Cuddler: You will work primarily with ‘boarder babies’ (infants whose mothers are unable to care for them due to illness or drug/alcohol addiction) and assist the care team in cuddling, feeding and burping these newborns. Often, these infants are being treated for maternal addictions and their early days can be quite distressing. Adequate human contact is central to their development and sometimes those needs aren’t fully met. The role you play here is extremely formative to their well-being long after their hospital stay.

Parent educator: In concert with the lactation specialist, you will give parents helpful tips on how to best care for their child. You will explain how to read infant signals, wrap/hold/feed babies in the safest ways and how to manage an infant’s sleep-wake cycle. You can help clarify misconceptions about newborn handling and play a lasting role in the care of these young patients.

If you’re interested in getting involved, respond to this email and we’ll keep you informed on training dates!

Lironn D. Chitayat
Keck School of Medicine, Class of 2014
University of Southern California
chitayat@usc.edu

AMWA Annual Meeting-February 1 Deadline for Student Abstract Competition

Dear GSA Community,

I hope you don’t mind my posting this excellent opportunity that may be of interest for your women medical students. I am sending this on behalf of the student leaders of AMWA. The Annual Meeting happens to be in Miami this year, and your students may have an interest to submit abstracts, attend the leadership conference, and apply for funding for travel as well. Please circulate as you see fit.

“Dear Student Affairs administrators,

As current student leaders of the American Medical Women’s Association(AMWA), we can personally attest to how committed AMWA is to furthering the careers of its medical student members. On behalf of AMWA, we would like to invite each of your students to our Annual Meeting, and draw your students’ attention to the leadership, research poster, and travel grant opportunities below.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Clark, UCLA MS-IV – AMWA Student President
Lori Brandt, Albany Medical College MS-III – AMWA Conference Chair
Regina Toto, George Washington University MS-III – AMWA Conference Chair
Marissa Orenstein, University of Miami MS-III – AMWA Assistant Conference Chair

AMWA Annual Meeting — February 1 Deadline for Student Abstract Competition, National Leadership Elections, and Travel Grant Funding!

AMWA’s Annual Meeting is the leading strategic career and personal development conference for women physicians, medical students, and residents. AMWA presents an exciting program for its Annual Meeting, Achieving Success as Women in Medicine, on April 13-15, 2012 at the Sofitel Miami, Miami, Florida.

Gloria Steinem and Rachel Naomi Remen, MD are keynote speakers. Session topics range from mentoring and breaking the glass ceiling at all career stages to issues in global women’s health such as stroke risk, cardiovascular disease, the human papilloma virus, and advances in imaging. World experts on women’s health and women’s advancement will lead hands-on workshop sessions.

AMWA has designed a mix of student-oriented programming, with mentoring sessions, hands-on skills workshops, and a poster competition, to enhance the educational experience of student members. AMWA also provides an extensive range of leadership opportunities for students and offers a large number of student-only travel grants.

Student Abstract Competition — Students involved in research related to women’s health or women in medicine are encouraged to submit an abstract for the opportunity to present a research poster.

Student Leadership Positions — AMWA’s student division grows and advances only through the efforts of dedicated student leaders like you! Each national leadership position varies greatly with respect to responsibility and time commitment. However, each requires a passion for advancing women in medicine and women’s health. National and regional leaders are elected by vote each year at the AMWA Annual Meeting.

Student Travel Grants — AMWA will be offering travel grants up to $300 each to qualified student applicants in order to subsidize conference costs.

For more information, visit http://www.amwa-doc.org/ and http://www.amwa-doc.org/page3-135/UpcomingAnnualMeetings

Hilit F. Mechaber, MD, FACP
Associate Dean for Student Services l  Associate Professor of Medicine l
Director, Office of Professional Development & Career Guidance l
Director, Honors Program in Medicine l University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine l  RMSB Room 2155B
PO Box 016960 (R-128) l Miami, FL 33101
hmechabe@med.miami.edu
305.243.7978  fax 305.243.8389