2018 Residency Programs Showcase

Harvard Affiliated Residency Programs Showcase – September 8, 2018

The Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership, in collaboration with the Harvard-affiliated hospitals, hosted the fourth annual Harvard Affiliated Residency Programs Showcase on September 9, 2017 in the Elements Café of the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School (HMS). As an expansion of the HMS Visiting Clerkship Program, this event provided URM medical students in their 3rd or 4th year from the New England region as well as other states with an opportunity to meet and network with Harvard affiliated residency program training directors, attending physicians, fellows and residents.  It was expected that the participating students would learn more about the residency programs that are offered here at HMS affiliated hospitals through this interactive and informal setting.

Through our vigorous recruiting effort approximately 206 URM medical students registered and more than 100 faculty, trainees and residents of HMS affiliated training programs participated in the Showcase.

The Showcase program began with brief welcome remarks given by Harvard Medical Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership and Harvard affiliated teaching hospitals, followed by resident panel discussion. This year, a residency program directors panel discussion was added to the program. Participating students also had an opportunity to interact with representatives attending hospital exhibit tables. The Showcase ended with the specialty group discussions/networking with faculty, fellows and residents. Specialty groups included Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, and Radiology.

The responses from both the hospital training programs and participating students were positive and both groups expressed an interest in attending a similar program in 2018.

The Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership, in collaboration with the Harvard-affiliated hospitals, hosted the fifth annual Harvard Affiliated Residency Programs Showcase on September 8, 2018 in the Tosteson Medical Education Center (TMEC) at Harvard Medical School (HMS). As an expansion of the HMS Visiting Clerkship Program, this event provided URiM medical students in their 3rd or 4th year from the New England region as well as other states with an opportunity to meet and network with Harvard affiliated residency program training directors, attending physicians, fellows and residents.  It was expected that the participating students would learn more about the residency programs that are offered here at HMS affiliated hospitals through this interactive and informal setting.

Through our vigorous recruiting effort approximately 265 URiM medical students registered and more than 100 faculty, trainees and residents of HMS affiliated training programs participated in the Showcase.

The Showcase program began with brief welcome remarks given by Harvard Medical School Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership and Harvard affiliated teaching hospitals. The welcome remarks were followed by two panel discussions:  Resident Panel Discussion; 2) Residency Program Directors Panel Discussion. Participating students also had an opportunity to interact with representatives at the hospital exhibit tables. The Showcase ended with the specialty group discussions/networking with faculty, fellows and residents. Specialty groups included Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, and Radiology.

The responses from both the hospital training programs and participating students were positive and both groups expressed an interest in attending a similar program in 2019.

Comments from the Showcase participants:

“Excellent experience.  I wish I knew about this last year and I will definitely promote this at my medical school.”

“I have come to this event three times because it is so great. Thank you so much for organizing this. It is very encouraging to see the high value Harvard affiliated residency programs place on diversity.”

“It was great. I walked in and it honestly felt like home, which I was not expecting because it is Harvard. However, I left feeling like I actually have a chance of getting into the Visiting Clerkship Program (VCP) and a residency program here. That is my hope!”

“It was my first time attending, and I think it was an excellent event. Very well planned.”

“Overall excellent.  An amazing networking opportunity.”

“Thank you for holding such a special event. It was great seeing the rooms so full with so many people of color and different backgrounds going into medicine.”

“Thank you very much for this event! It is critical to have this information for students like me. Not in a million years would I have thought HMS was an option for my training. The information provided, and students I talked to at this event, made it somewhat tangible as an option in the future.”

“Great experience, highly recommended.”