Alaska Apostille

Alaska's Pre-Med Summit

Editor's note: On April 1, 2006 the University of Alaska Anchorage held the first-ever PreMed Summit in Alaska. Two years later, the event drew participants from around the state. Director of the WWAMI Biomedical Program Dr. Dennis Valenzeno summarizes this year's event.

The 3rd Annual Alaska PreMed Summit was held Saturday, March 29, 2008 in UAA's Rasmuson Hall – and, via live videoconference, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Southeast. More than two hundred participants, speakers, and volunteers attended the event statewide.

Presented by Alaska WWAMI – Alaska's Medical School and the UAA University Honors College, the special focus of the 2008 Summit was the Medical College Admissions Test, the MCAT, which is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). An AAMC representative, Dr. Steven Barkley, discussed the test and recent changes in its format and content, “The New MCAT.” His slide presentation is available at the Alaska WWAMI web site, http://biomed.uaa.alaska.edu/pre_med_summit.html.

The keynote was an address by Chief Medical Officer for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Jay Butler, M.D., who discussed current issues in Alaska medicine and healthcare.

As with previous Alaska PreMed Summits a highlight was the discussion with panelists who represented stages in the career path toward becoming a physician – beginning undergraduate student, senior premed student, 1st year medical student, 3rd year medical student, medical resident/fellow and practicing physician. The latter position was occupied by Ross Tanner, D.O., president of the Alaska State Medical Association.

Students who attended had the opportunity to hone their communications skills through mock medical school interviews. Each student who was interviewed was given a written critique of the encounter to help improve those skills.

A host of other activities included tours of the Alaska WWAMI facilities at UAA, the opportunity to interact with representatives from other medical schools, healthcare organizations and several branches of the military that provide medical scholarships.

For more information about careers in medicine visit the Alaska WWAMI Web site:

http://biomed.uaa.alaska.edu/.

Alaska PreMed Summit information, current and past, can be found at:

http://biomed.uaa.alaska.edu/pre_med_summit.html

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Dr. Dennis Valenzeno is associate dean of Medical and Premedical Programs at the University of Alaska Anchorage and director of the WWAMI Biomedical Program. He is also assistant dean for Alaska WWAMI University of Washington School of Medicine.

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