NYMC Students Selected for Prestigious AAMC RISE Leadership Program
Anoosh Kouyoumdjian and Sumaita Mahmood Joined 100 Medical Students Nationwide for the AAMC Program Preparing Future Physicians for Residency and Beyond
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Fourth-year medical students Anoosh Kouyoumdjian and Sumaita Mahmood were among just 100 medical students nationwide chosen to participate in the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) annual leadership seminar, RISE: Developing Future Leaders in Academic Medicine & Science, in March. Held this year at the University of Utah, RISE is designed to equip graduating medical students with the leadership skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges and opportunities of residency.
“The experience at the AAMC RISE conference was truly unlike any conference I have ever attended,” says Kouyoumdjian, who recently matched in radiology. “This gave us a platform for conversation and collaboration, where we were able to uplift and support each other.”
Throughout the weekend, Kouyoumdjian and Mahmood attended sessions on developing their mission statements, acknowledging their strengths, and thriving in residency. Small group sessions encouraged open dialogue and self-reflection.
“For me, it was the best thing that I could have experienced to transition from undergraduate medical education to general surgery residency,” says Mahmood.
One grounding activity of the conference was to build your mission as a future leader in medicine, noted Mahmood, with each day built to ease soon-to-be interns' concerns, such as their role during codes, when the demands of residency intensify, and who they are during their fleeting moments of free time. “It was a space that brought together people who love making lists and plans, to make a list, plan, mission, vision, and more for residency and beyond—and for that I will be forever grateful.”
But the weekend was not without some fun, as well. Saturday evening, Mahmood and Kouyoumdjian got to experience some of what Salt Lake City has to offer with a private tour of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and later, a trip to watch Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson's free light and sound installation, "A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake," at Memory Grove Park near the Utah State Capitol.
“The friends I made at the conference were from different specialties and geographical regions, with many of us making plans to keep in touch,” says Kouyoumdjian. “I know this experience will stay with me for a long time, and I am so grateful to NYMC for nominating me, so that I had the opportunity to attend.”
