AMA Annual Report June 17, 2008

I checked the mail today and the AMA sent me a few copies of the AMA Annual Report to send to my family. Most organizations have an annual report where they discuss the mission of the organization and then talk about all of the money the spent and raised to support that mission, in detail. After I was awarded the AMA Foundation Minority Scholars Award, I was contacted by their office to do an interview for the local AMA Journal. A few months later they contacted me to see if I was interested in being featured in the annual report. I just assumed that all of us that got the scholarship would be featured in the report, but turns out I was the only medical student that they selected! So during my spring break they actually flew out a professional photographer from Chicago and their creative director who would be doing the spread for the report out to take photos of me. It was a 1.5 hour photo shoot in three different settings. It was so much fun!

Well here it is 2 months later and I got the report in the mail. Not only to I have a 2 page spread in the report, but my photo is also one of the photos on the cover of the report! The picture that they picked of me is one where I was laughing sitting in the hall “reading,” with my stethoscope conveniently laid over my backpack. I think I look a little crazy between the laughing and studying in a random hallway, but I guess it shows my personality and emphasizes that I’m a student. Then they have a little up close face shot of me with a normal smile in my white coat. That’s the pic on the cover too. Anyways, it is such an honor to be featured in this report amongst 4 other accomplished physicians!