Special Interest Organizations
Anti-Racism Action Subcommittee (ARAS)
Our mission is to create a platform where we can honestly discuss race, racism and their influence on the lives of everyone in our greater community. We included “Action” in the name of our group intentionally. Our hope is to foster continuity, accountability, and transparency in our efforts to make positive, lasting change at UT Southwestern. We believe students' voices should be heard, recognized, and used to create a culture of anti-racism at our institution.
| Fatou Sahor | Fatou.Sahor@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Erica Ogwumike | Erinmaerica.Ogwumike@utsouthwestern.edu |
Armed Forces Landing Zone (AFLZ)
Armed Forces Landing Zone student organization is a community of UTSW's fighting men and women. It aims to be a resource for veterans, current service members, and members of the first responder community – both faculty and students – to meet, socialize, and otherwise support each other in academic and professional pursuits with particular emphasis on welcoming new members to the UTSW family.
| Heather Lanier | Heather.Lanier@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Kyle Swartz | Kyle.Swartz@utsouthwestern.edu |
Asian Student Association in Health Professions (ASAHP)
The Asian Student Association aims to provide an environment for cultural enrichment for students of Asian heritage and our allies. Our goal is to promote cultural awareness and emphasize the importance of representation of Asian students in health professions.
| Deniellealexa Briones | Deniellealexa.Briones@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Jason Lee | Jason.Lee@utsouthwestern.edu |
Autism in Medicine Student Interest Group (AIMSIG)
Founded in the spring of 2020, the Autism Awareness in Medicine Student Interest Group's focus is to help educate members on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) as well as the public through forums such as United to Serve.
| Ethan Raber | Ethan.Raber@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Carson Barnard | Carson.Barnard@utsouthwestern.edu |
Biomedical Innovation Society (BI)
The Biomedical Innovation Society (BIS) is open to all medical students, faculty, and staff interested in developing technologic solutions to healthcare challenges. The mission of the BIS is to support the activities of the Biomedical Innovations elective program, while providing opportunities for participation to individuals unable to enroll in the course. Members will be empowered with the skills and mindset required to accurately assess clinical needs and develop feasible solutions in a team-based environment.
| Kanav Chhabra | Kanav.Chhabra@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Shravya Kakulamarri | Shravya.Kakulamarri@utsouthwestern.edu |
Clinical Psychology Diversity Club
Founded in spring 2008, this group believes that diversity encompasses all of the features that make individual clients unique, including, but not limited to, race, gender, ethnicity, disability, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, and country of origin/regional location. We meet monthly to discuss diversity as it relates to the practice of clinical psychology. Discussions are based on relevant literature, clinical experience, and guest speakers from various organizations in the community. In addition, the Club aims to provide volunteer opportunities for underserved and underrepresented populations in the community and to compile resources for client referrals.
| Bree Horrocks | Bree.Horrocks@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Emma Turner | Emma.Turner@utsouthwestern.edu |
Consulting Club
The club's mission is to improve business acumen of UT Southwestern trainees and facilitate their transition into business-related careers, including management consulting and life sciences consulting, via year-round education and relationship-building events engaging consulting firms, local start-ups, and peers.
| Laura Wang | Laura.Wang@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Shengqing Lin | Shengqing.Lin@utsouthwestern.edu |
Disability Working Group
Founded in spring 202, the mission of this group is to advance curricular efforts on disability at UT Southwestern, support and create a welcome environment for students with disabilities, educate others about individuals with disabilities, and create community amongst people who care about disability. This group will work to create open communication and empowerment for students with disabilities, as well as help educate our current students on people with disabilities.
| Whitney Stuard | Whitney.Stuard@utsouthwestern.edu |
Diversity & Inclusion Alliance (DIA)
Founded in summer 2015, DIA is committed to enhancing the learning environment for future health care providers to better serve our diverse population and proactively engage differences among colleagues and patients.
| Kennedy Harris | Kennedy.Harris@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Chisom Ogu | Chisom.Ogu@utsouthwestern.edu |
Financial Literacy Organization
Founded in spring 2019, the Financial Literacy Organization's purpose is to bring together a community interested in personal finance and to promote financial literacy across campus. We also strive to educate health professionals in developing strong personal finance skills and to engage students in smart financial decision making while encouraging diverse conversations surrounding finance.
| Harini Balakrishnan | Harini.Balakrishnan@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Tanner Mitton | Tanner.Mitton@utsouthwestern.edu |
Finding Meaning in Medicine
Finding Meaning in Medicine is a conversation that invites student physicians to speak from the heart about personal experiences in their everyday lives that provide access to the deeper meaning of the practice of medicine. It provides a structured and safe space for 2nd-4th year clerkship students to reflect on experiences encountered on the clinical wards, build resilience, and connect with others to find a deeper meaning in medicine.
| Priyanka Kadari | Priyanka.Kadari@utsouthwestern.edu |
First Generation College Students (FGCS)
Founded in fall 2021, FGCSS is a student organization for first generation college students. Our mission is to improve the experience of “first generation” medical professionals in training through community, mentorship, empowerment, and advocacy.
| Jack Jenkins | Jack.Jenkins@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Jesus Sotelo | Jesus.Sotelo@utsouthwestern.edu |
Global Health Interest Group (GHIG)
GHIG aims to inspire the UTSW medical community to pursue global health with collaboration, mindfulness, and advocacy. We hope to educate students and faculty alike about global health issues and to promote a global attitude centered around service and research.
| Shravya Kakulamarri | shravya.kakulamarri@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Kinza Meghani | kinza.meghani@utsouthwestern.edu |
Global Surgery Student Alliance
Founded in fall 2018, we are a special interest group of students who unite to develop and mentor the future surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians of the world. Our goal is to provide timely and affordable access to surgical care to every person, everywhere in the world. We publicly advocate on behalf of the great need within the global surgery field, advance education and research about global surgery, and produce future generations of physicians trained to address the challenges of providing sustainable care in low-resource settings.
| Amber Altaf | amber.altaf@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Natalie Gault | natalie.gault@utsouthwestern.edu |
Informatics Interest Group (IIG)
The Informatics Interest Group was established in fall 2020. Technology is becoming increasingly more ingrained in modern day medicine – through electronic health records systems, digital health apps, personalized genomics, etc. As the next generation of physicians, we need to be aware of these technologies, appreciate the flow of data through their systems, and most importantly, understand the benefits as well as the limitations of such systems in how we deliver care The Informatics Interest Group aims to bring awareness to the field of clinical informatics and empower the next generation of physician innovators. We host talks, provide networking opportunities, compile a calendar for all informatics-related events on campus, as well as facilitate participation to attend national conferences.
| Diane Chau | diane.chau@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Sairahul Pentaparthi | sairahul.pentaparthi@utsouthwestern.edu |
Integrative and Complementary Medicine Interest Group
Founded in fall 2021. An ever-growing portion of the American population makes use of natural products, mind-body techniques, non-allopathic health practitioners and other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to support their own health and treat disease or illness. Sometimes these are complements to traditional care provided under physicians, but sometimes these modalities are used instead of Western medical practice due to concerns for side effects, invasiveness, or a desire to choose more natural, more affordable, or more culturally acceptable approaches. Meanwhile, an ever-growing body of medical literature on CAM approaches is now available, studying the safety and efficacy of these modalities, as well as how they can be integrated into allopathic medical practice.
The aim of this student organization is to guide medical students through a broad tour of CAM modalities that is both cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary, to ensure a basic awareness of these approaches that can be valuable to clinical practice. Generating a safe space for patients to reveal their use of these modalities leads to shared decision-making and collaborative treatment plans that combine physician knowledge of the medical evidence with the patient's preferences for methods that reflect their values. Students will thus gain exposure to the field of integrative medicine, which weaves CAM therapies into traditional Western practice and is now a board-recognized specialty.
| Jessica McConahey | Jessica.McConahey@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Heather Lanier | Heather.Lanier@utsouthwestern.edu |
Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology Student Interest Group
Founded in spring 2021, the Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology Student Interest Group aims to provide an early look into two advanced cardiology fellowships. The organization will allow for contact with the field through potential research projects, shadowing, and contact with residents also interested in the field. The organization will have a unique mentorship program aimed at connecting students and those with a foothold in the specialty throughout the academic year.
| Shyon Parsa | Shyon.Parsa@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Bayan Mogharrabi | Bayan.Mogharrabi@utsouthwestern.edu |
Leaders in the Fight for Every Patient (LIFE)
Student Leaders in the Fight for Every Patient seeks to promote awareness of when life begins and naturally ends and to apply that understanding to the Hippocratic principle “do no harm” through educational meetings, thoughtful discussions, and community service. By valuing human life, we hope to become compassionate and honorable physicians. We believe that justice is served by acting in the interest of patients who may not be able to defend themselves and by evaluating our medical and social systems through the lens of respect for human life. We seek to demonstrate the beauty of this principle in a variety of contemporary issues and to explore its application in personal relationships and interactions with the community.
| Christian Berry | Christian.Berry@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Tyler Morwood | Tyler.Morwood@utsouthwestern.edu |
Medical Humanities Interest Group/Scope
The Medical Humanities Interest Group (MHIG) was founded in 2000 to promote student enjoyment of the humanities and to stimulate meaningful exploration of the humanities' contribution to medicine. The humanities encompass a broad variety of disciplines, including philosophy, literature, the visual and performing arts, ethics, history, and religion. MHIG is by no means just for experts: it is for all students who, in addition to their interest in becoming competent physicians, enjoy discussing the broader questions of the human condition.
MHIG also manages the yearly publication of Scope, UT Southwestern's Arts and Humanities Journal. Scope is an online literary magazine featuring writing and art created by the students, faculty, and staff of UT Southwestern. We hope the magazine serves as a vehicle for the sharing and communication of experiences in medicine, from patient care to medical research, through an artistic lens. We seek quality works and wish to encourage creativity and an atmosphere of openness.
| Christian Lumley | Christian.Lumley@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Vatsala Mundra | Vatsala.Mundra@utsouthwestern.edu |
Medical Science Liaison Peeps (MSL)
The mission of MSL peeps is to support every UTSW member to obtain an MSL position by educating each member about what the MSL job entails, improving resume/LinkedIn/social media platforms, and providing each member with a platform to speak. The goal of this MSL Peeps is to have a small community of students/post-docs that are interested in MSL to meet and discuss MSL topics and what the job entails with a synergetic, encouraging, and collaborative environment to improve on necessary skills needed for MSL, such as networking, resume building, and presenting clinical papers without the high stakes of trying to impress KOLs, bosses, etc. The topics we will discuss will be MSL related, but the skills gained (networking, presenting, science communications) from this group can be applied to other careers.
| MiKayla Stokes | MiKayla.Stokes@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Ester AlvarezBenedicto | Ester.AlvarezBenedicto@utsouthwestern.edu |
Medical Students for Choice (MSFC)
Medical Students for Choice is dedicated to ensuring that people receive the full range of reproductive health care choices, including abortion. MSFC recognizes that one of the greatest obstacles to safe and legal abortion is the absence of trained providers, and as such we work to educate and increase access to training opportunities for the next generation of abortion providers. We also work to encourage open-minded discussion about reproductive health issues and to encourage activism in government.
| Ashlyn Lafferty | Ashlyn.Lafferty@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Rachel Williams | Rachel.Williams@utsouthwestern.edu |
Mental Health and Wellness Committee
Founded in summer 2018 the Mental Health and Wellness Committee is dedicated to promoting wellness, destigmatizing mental health, and increasing the accessibility of the Student Wellness and CounselingOffice. This organization is comprised of two subcommittees that each work on different aspects of mental health and wellness.
| Nami Saraf | Nami.Saraf@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Jennifer Wang | Jennifer3.Wang@utsouthwestern.edu |
Men's Health Interest Group
Founded in fall 2015, the Men's Health Interest Group is open to all students with an interest in men's health. November is prostate and testicular cancer awareness month. To raise money for prostate cancer research on campus, the Men's Health Interest Group organizes the Beard and Mane Auction. Gallant men grow their beards (or whatever Mother Nature has graced them with) during the month of November and subsequently auction off the right to shave the beard in artistic and magnificent designs.
| Jacob Khoury | jacob.khoury@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Thanos Rossopoulos | Thanos.Rossopoulos@utsouthwestern.edu |
Mindfulness Student Association (MSA)
Founded in fall 2019, to provide opportunities for graduate students to learn about mindfulness, practice mindfulness together, and share information about the benefits of mindfulness with the larger school community.
| Karie Meltzer | Karen.Meltzer@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Monica Garza Saenz | Monica.Garzasaenz@utsouthwestern.edu |
Neonatology Student Interest Group
Neonatology Student Interest Group (NSIG) strives to fulfill student interest in neonatology through enriching educational experiences, networking opportunities, and volunteer programs. Founded in summer 2015, the goal of our established volunteer program Helping Augment Neonatal Development (HANDs) is to offer our time and attention to babies in the Parkland NICU so that they can receive human touch and interaction to foster their growth and development.
| Vatsala Mundra | vatsala.mundra@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Siddhakshi Solanki | Siddhakshi.Solanki@utsouthwestern.edu |
Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM)
oSTEM at UTSW seeks to promote and serve the LGBTQ+ graduate students and postdoctoral scholars of UT Southwestern by providing a welcoming and safe environment. oSTEM enhances awareness of the issues and situations the LGBTQ+ UTSW community encounters in the workplace. Furthermore, we serve the broader Dallas community as representatives of UTSW and its mission by participating in scientific outreach events and highlighting research performed at UTSW. We also participate in community outreach activities to promote the UTSW support of the LGBTQ+ community. We welcome all UTSW students and trainees to participate in our events.
| Anthony Hernandez Vasquez | Anthony.HernandezVasquez@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Wesley Burford | Wesley.Burford@utsouthwestern.edu |
Palliative Care Interest Group
Founded in spring 2011, the Palliative Care Interest Group is a student-run organization that aims to increase awareness of the issues related to end-of-life care and the practice of palliative medicine. Our mission is to provide direct experience, exposure, and participation in this field as a medical student, as well as to provide academic exposure through faculty contact.
| Nathaniel Wu | Nathaniel.wu@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Anusha Naeem | Anusha.Naeem@utsouthwestern.edu |
Preventative and Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group (PLMIG)
Founded in spring 2018, our student interest group is open to all health professions, medical, and graduate students who seek to learn more about how lifestyle modifications can prevent, improve, or reverse our most common illnesses and causes of death. We will work to educate ourselves, understand relevant evidence-based research, and encourage a healthy lifestyle in areas of nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other areas so that we may help make progress toward a healthier society, more sustainable medical system, and world with less suffering.
| Ruchika Mahapatra | Ruchika.mahapatra@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Jai Prasadh | jai.prasadh@utsouthwestern.edu |
PRIDE
PRIDE at UT Southwestern is an activist and social organization committed to empowering sexual and gender minority medical students and allies, increasing the number of physicians trained in LGBTQ-inclusive health care, and addressing the unique needs of LGBTQ+ communities through research, advocacy, and service.
| Cameron Wynn | Cameron.Wynn@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Mycah Freudiger | Mycah.Freudiger@utsouthwestern.edu |
Rare Disease Student Interest Group
Founded in fall 2022, RDSIG aims to promote the awareness of rare diseases throughout our community. We aim to provide lecture, volunteer, and research opportunities in cooperation with the Rare Disease Center of Excellence at UT Southwestern.
| Jennifer Cardona | Jennifer.Cardona@utsouthwestern.edu |
| William Chan | William.Chan@utsouthwestern.edu |
Refugee Women's Health Student Interest Group
Founded in spring 2022, the mission is to provide students with the opportunity to navigate the unique intersection of refugee health and women's health, which largely remains an uncharted territory. Recent news of the mass exodus of Afghan refugees exemplifies the need for refugee-centered women's health care, as the physicians of tomorrow will one day be tasked with taking care of this vulnerable population.
| Saron Gilazgi | Saron.Gilazgi@utsouthwestern.edu |
| limi Jamma | limi.Jamma@utsouthwestern.edu |
Simulation Interest Group (SIG)
Founded in spring 2018, the purpose of this group is to provide medical students with opportunities and potential project ideas to explore and participate in current simulation projects, find faculty mentors, and/or start their own projects. This group is aimed at students potentially interested in simulation, medial education quality improvement, or procedural specialties, and who might be looking to get involved in any capacity.
| Rutvi Patel | rutvi.patel@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Muhammad Harirah | muhammad.harirah@utsouthwestern.edu |
Society of First Generation Students – SHP
Founded in summer 2021, the School of Health Professions Society of First Generation Students will establish a support community, provide special interest resources, and develop a safe space for discussion of experiences common to first generation students in graduate-level health professions programs.
| Taylor Harris | Taylor.Harris@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Araceli Martinex | Araceli.Martinex@utsouthwestern.edu |
Southwestern Student Connection (SSC)
Southwestern Student Connection aims to advise and mentor pre-medical students navigating the complexities of applying to medical school and exploring their medical aspirations by using our personal experience with this daunting process. Our programs include the Southwestern Student Advising program: an advertising platform for one0on0one advising sessions, a long-term mentor-mentee matching program, and online medical student panels. We are future doctors helping future doctors we've been in your shoes, so let us help you!
Note, our advice is from our own experiences and does not represent the views of the university or its officers.
| Peter Leung | Peter.Leung@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Ishwar Chuckaree | ishwar.chuckaree@utsouthwestern.edu |
Spanish Interpreter Apprenticeship Program (SIAP)
Throughout hospitals and clinics in the United States, Spanish has become an essential tool for communicating with patients. In order to prepare students for effective communication with limited English proficiency (LEP) patients, SIAP aims to teach students about the profession of medical interpreting, including the skills, ethics, and cultural competencies needed to provide adequate interpreting services. Also, SIAP provides practical exercises to develop the vocabulary and interpreting skills (e.g., interpreting procedure, listening comprehension, note-taking, and accuracy) needed to break down linguistic barriers between physicians and patients. Lastly, we strive to cultivate cultural sensitivity among medical students.
| Karen Shore | Karen.Shore@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Michael Pannell | Michael.Pannell@utsouthwestern.edu |
Sports Medicine Interest Group (SMIG)
Founded in 2018, the Sports Medicine Interest Group provides medical students with an outlet to gain exposure to the field of sports medicine, connect with local sports medicine physicians, and increase awareness of sports medicine as a subspecialty. Our group provides opportunities for students to shadow sports medicine doctors on the sidelines, conduct sports physicals for high school and college athletes, and learn valuable hands-on skills.
| Shanee Abouzaglo | Shanee.Abouzaglo@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Sahiti Patibandia | Sahiti.Patibandia@utsouthwestern.edu |
Student Initiatives in Medical Simulation
Founded in spring 2018, the purpose of this group is to educate students on the application of medical simulation and its importance in clinical practice, to implement classroom knowledge in hands-on, life-like critical care scenario, and to learn to care for patients in unpredictable, emergent environments through interdisciplinary teamwork and effective communities.
| Mycah Freudiger | Mycah.Freudiger@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Suman Vladamani | suman.vladamani@utsouthwestern.edu |
Student Patient Advocates for the Rights of our Communities (SPARC)
Founded in spring 2017, SPARC (now affiliated with Doctors for Change) is focused to educate and to advocate. We are a nonpartisan organization focused on evidence-based health advocacy. More specifically, we help local medical students understand the implications of health care policies and proposals and connect students with actions they can take to make a difference.
| Arushii Nadar | arushii.nadar@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Ankur Bhagwath | ankur.bhagwath@utsouthwestern.edu |
Sustainability Club
The Sustainability Club seeks to promote awareness of recycling and reusability initiatives on campus and in the community. We will work with the administration to increase recycling efforts, reduce food-associated waste, and investigate opportunities to provide health care more sustainability.
| Benjamin Bielberg | Benjamin.Bielberg@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Aya Alame | Aya.Alame@utsouthwestern.edu |
Trauma-Informed Care Initiative
Formed fall 2020, the Trauma-Informed Care Initiative works to empower survivors and prevent sexual violence, particularly in health care settings, through education, service, and advocacy. Education, through events such as workshops, lectures, and social media campaigns, aim to develop skills to provide safer care to survivors as well as skills to support our peers who have experienced sexual violence. We engage in service both through organizing our own events, such as donation drives, and connecting students to relevant volunteer opportunities, such as becoming an advocate at the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center.
| Kelsey Schmitt | Kelsey.Schmitt@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Madhuri Gottam | Madhuri.Gottam@utsouthwestern.edu |
Vascular Surgery Interest Group
| Amber Ataf | Amber.Ataf@utsouthwestern.edu |
Wilderness Medicine Society (WMS)
WMIG’s purpose is to expose people to the wilderness, discuss medicine in low-resource and wilderness contexts, and provide an opportunity for students and faculty to interact outside the school environment. We are devoted to camping, hiking, and all things outdoors. We are open to all members of the UT Southwestern community regardless of academic program or career plans.
| Samantha Avoian | Samantha.Avoian@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Shravya Kakulamarri | Shravya.Kakulamarri@utsouthwestern.edu |
Women's Health Enrichment Elective (WHEE)
The Women's Health Enrichment Organization, founded in 2014, was established to provide an elective to prepare physicians in training to make informed decisions regarding patients that experience health issues linked to any women's health related topics. This means we seek to fill any gaps in the established curriculum that are not discussed in detail. We further aim to emphasize patient informed consent, autonomy and safety in topics pertaining to women's health, as well as physician information.
| Zara Khan | Zara.Khan@utsouthwestern.edu |
| Elizabeth Twichell | Elizabeth.Twichell@utsouthwestern.edu |
