BY ANDY RIVERA
This year, we held the 10th annual Latino Medical Student Association Conference, hosted at Tulane School of Medicine. Each year, we decide on a theme for the conference and this year’s theme was: “Es Tiempo de Cambiar: The importance of Diversity in Medicine”. Our conference is a 3 day conference, beginning with high school days, focused on introducing the field of medicine to high school students, through workshops, physician panels and interactive lectures. The second day was geared towards medical students, with special events that included discussions over current issues in medicine, SIM center sessions, resident/attending panels of various specialties and more. The final day is where we elect new regional board members, through the participation of regional chapter members from the southwest region.
Every aspect of the conference went smoothly, and really could not have asked for a better turnout. There were many hands on deck from our local regional chapter members (Tulane and LSU), in addition to those who were able to make it, which included our regional board members and other regional chapter members. We were fortunate to have the support of so many residents and faculty members throughout the day, all of which helped to make the conference the success that it was. In all, we hope this conference helped to inspire high school students to pursue a career in medicine, and our pre-med and medical students in a way that will benefit their future. We also thank our residents and faculty members for their time throughout the day, and we hope that this experience will encourage them to continue on the path of mentorship.
