Unique and Innovative Career Paths for Physicians Subject of Annual NYMedTalks Conference
Medical Students Had the Opportunity to Learn about Careers Beyond the Traditional Clinical Practice
Unique career paths and innovative physician roles were the focus of this year’s NYMedTalks conference that took place on March 30. An annual event since 1986, the interdisciplinary conference is organized by first-year medical students of the School of Medicine (SOM) Student Senate to expose fellow students to topics beyond the traditional academic curriculum.
“The theme this year, is particularly meaningful for us as budding physicians to see it is indeed possible to pursue our extracurricular passions concurrently with traditional clinical practice,” said Ipsha Banerjee, SOM Class of 2026, who helped organize the conference. “I am grateful for the experience, both as a planner and attendee, and know we will take this day forward with us in our careers.”
Throughout the day-long conference, several speakers who had leveraged their degrees, personal skill sets and passions to broaden patient care in the fields of education, consulting, entrepreneurship and policy writing traced their career paths and shared their insights with students gathered in Nevins Auditorium.
Speakers at the event included Traci Gardner, M.D., director of community engagement and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at NYMC and chief medical officer at The Children’s Village; Jacob Appel, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., director of ethics education in psychiatry and associate professor of psychiatry and medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Sharon McLaughlin, M.D., founder of Female Physician Entrepreneurs and Business Program; Austin Chiang, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical officer of Medtronic GI; Srihari Gopal, M.D., M.H.S., executive director and global program head in the General Medicine Therapeutic Area at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals; and Henry Wei, M.D., head of development innovation at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
“Working with such talented and passionate speakers and specialists was truly inspiring, and I greatly enjoyed seeing the unique perspectives they could share,” said Audrey Huang, SOM Class of 2026, one of the student senators who organized the event. “I am delighted to have helped uphold such a longstanding NYMC tradition, and it is my hope that this event has had a positive and enduring impact on attendees.”
The SOM students who organized the event found it to be a challenging but important learning experience.
“It was a pleasure working alongside my fellow M1 senators to bring NYMedTalks back to an in-person setting,” said Alexander Park, SOM Class of 2026. “We welcomed the learning opportunities we encountered while planning this event, and thankfully had the ability to lean on the full support of the faculty and upperclassmen.”
“With an important event like NYMedTalks that traces its roots back to its founding in 1986, there is a wealth of institutional memory. This was all a huge benefit toward making the day a success,” said Derick Goff, SOM Class of 2026.
The day concluded with a specialty fair where students had the opportunity to speak to representatives from 15 specialties, network and forge valuable professional relationships.
“It's been amazing to see our community come together to create an event that not only highlights the diverse interests of our students but also inspires us to think beyond traditional clinical careers,” said Lillian Huang, SOM Class of 2026. “Look out for future NYMC physicians—business leaders, consultants, writers and more!”