Virginia Tech® home

VTC Chapter Student National Medical Association

Student National Medical Association

Leadership

Student Leadership

Juliet Suen
Collin Tanchanco Ocampo

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Michael Bergen
Dr. Angelica Witcher

National Organization Website

Note: contact information for student leaders and faculty mentors is available for current students only.  

Group contact info

Email: vtcmeddocs@gmail.com

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical  students, addressing the needs of underserved communities and increasing the number of clinically excellent and culturally competent and socially  conscious physicians. 

We intend to achieve this goal through: 

  • Advocacy: serving as a credible and accurate source of information and activism relevant to minority issues 
  • Representation: Increasing the presence of minority mentors in research and medicine and fostering development of future minority leaders in these fields
  • Volunteerism: Serving the needs of underserved communities and communities of color
MedDocs: Medical discovery of careers. A new weekly after-school program for high school students designed to provide mentorship and exposure to careers in science and medicine

MedDOCs = Medical Discovery of Careers

Sponsored by the VTC chapter of the Student National Medical Association and the VTC Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, MedDOCs is a student-run after school pipeline program for Roanoke area high school students from backgrounds under-represented in medicine with the goal of providing high-school students with mentorship and exciting them about pursuing education/careers in science and medicine.

The topic of focus for the Spring 2022 block is neurology. Students will: 

  • Meet Carilion Clinic doctors 
  • Learn about brain anatomy, diseases, and imaging
  • Dissect an animal brain 
  • Tour neuroscience research labs
  • Participate in a stroke rescue simulation
  • Connect with VTC medical students
  • Meet other high school students from the greater Roanoke region

More information about MedDOCs

  • Started at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in NYC ~20 years ago as a pipeline program
  • Med student-run after school program for high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine 
  • Goal is to provide the students with mentorship and excite them about pursuing education and careers in science and medicine. 
  • Weekly after school program (e.g. Thursdays evenings) run in 8 week blocks 
  • 2 medical student mentors per group of 5-10 high school students

Contacts for MedDOCs