For students who are interested in pursuing professions in the medical field, the newly created McMed club is the perfect opportunity to get a head start. Founded by juniors Amelia Badipour and Franny Stroik, the club is connecting students with resources that will prepare them for pursuing a career in the medical field.
“The goal for McMed is to provide students interested in the medicine with resources, opportunities, and information regarding the medical field,” junior Amelia Badipour said. “We understand that it’s difficult to find opportunities for service, shadowing, and establishing connections within this field especially during this time so we wanted to create this club to help McLean students with this.”
The McMed club met for the first time on Dec. 4 through Google Meet. McMed will hold one to two meetings a month during HT Flex. For Badipour and Stroik, founding the McMed club was a way to get an early start on their career interests.
“I am interested in pursuing neuroscience. Learning about the brain has been a passion of mine for a while,” Stroik said. “I am also involved in a clinical trial at Children’s National Hospital, which is a double blind trial for FDA approval of a preventative migraine medicine. Being a part of a trial and around neurologists has opened a door for my interest in the brain.”
Badipour similarly has been inspired by her own experiences to pursue medicine.
“I am interested in pursuing a career in medicine, specifically dermatology,” Badipour said. “I have had a skin condition called eczema since birth. Being around so many dermatologists since a young age and doing my own research on eczema has sparked my interest in dermatology. My experience with eczema has made me want to help relieve others with skin conditions.”
The club plans to bring guest medical professionals and undergraduate students to their meetings to help prepare aspiring medical students for the path ahead.
“McMed is going to be having guest speakers speak about their profession, their experience, and the process that got them to where they are today,” Badipour said. “We will also be helping students find volunteering positions in the area and online shadowing opportunities.”
The McMed club is already making an impact on the future medical professionals of McLean.
“I attended the McMed interest meeting because I have always been interested in science and medicine,” junior Zach Hasan said. “I also have lots of family members who have gone into that field of work. I plan to join the club because the volunteer opportunities presented by the club seem really interesting.”
Despite its name, students of all interests can easily find their place in the McMed club.
“McMed is not just a club for people interested in medicine,” Badipour said. “People interested in dentistry, psychology, nursing, etc will find this club useful as well as it will help them find volunteer opportunities and learn more about their interests through guest speakers and many other activities.”