By MAAB President Darren Wethers, ‘88 MD, CPE, FACP
It is with immense excitement and feelings of great privilege that I step into the role of president of the Feinberg School of Medicine Medical Alumni Association Board (MAAB). Since joining the board six years ago at the urging of alumni, former Feinberg faculty members and past president of the board Bonnie Typlin, ’74 MD, I’ve rediscovered the University and gained a deeper love for Feinberg as well as an appreciation of its mission of creating medical scholars and stellar clinicians. And, through events such as the annual Alumni Weekend, I’ve had the opportunity to reestablish old friendships and form new ones with classmates and meet the next generation of great scientists and clinicians.
While Alumni Weekend in May featured many familiar events and activities — such as Conversations With the Dean, which provided information about the medical school’s current rankings, admission rates, student body composition, and residency match statistics for this year’s class — there were some new offerings, including a live recording of the Northwestern Intersections podcast, Breaking Barriers panel, and Young Alumni dinner. These new events allowed alumni to engage in discussion about their different medical professions and reflect on their time at Feinberg, as well as connect with younger alumni who are just entering their fields of practice.
This year’s Alumni Weekend also provided me with inspiration for my plans as your new MAAB president. Over the next two years, in partnership with the board president-elect Kavitha Gandhi, ’98 MD, I will work with the Feinberg Alumni Relations team to broaden the outreach to all of our alumni: young, mid-career, and those whose careers are sunsetting. In addition, we aim to continue our mentoring efforts with Feinberg students, and we invite you to participate, too. Outside of the Alumni Weekend mentoring luncheon with the students, there are numerous ways to become involved, including being a speaker for the Alumni Physicians of Feinberg sessions (as highlighted by past MAAB president Nupur Ghoshal, ’01 PhD, ’03 MD, in her last Alumni President’s Message).
I’ve rediscovered the University and gained a deeper love for Feinberg as well as an appreciation of its mission of creating medical scholars and stellar clinicians.
Darren Wethers, ‘88 MD, CPE, FACP, MAAB President
Some of you are already doing your part to engage with students – hosting those who are interviewing for residency spots or providing virtual mentoring to students interested in your specialty areas – and we truly appreciate these efforts to connect with our students. If you are looking for ways to get to know our students and serve as a guide as they navigate medical school and beyond, please reach out to the Medical Alumni Association or me and we will work with you to find the best options.
As may be true of many of you, I have been stunned by the many challenges impacting healthcare now. Institutions that seemed inviolable, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, now find themselves struggling to redefine their missions and find a road forward. So, too, must Feinberg find a way forward in this new normal, for however long it exists. To borrow a phrase I have heard used in sports, “It takes all of us” to support the school through these trying times. We need to provide additional scholarship assistance and aid to students, who are our future alumni; fund healthcare research; and work to improve health equity in the greater Chicago community, where health needs are no less great than they were months ago. I look forward to sharing this journey with you and welcome your generous help in meeting these challenges. Through our collective efforts, we, and those we serve, are better together.
