IMPACT on Rural Medicine Education: Highlights from 2024 Symposium
Published on Tuesday, March 12, 2024
The School of Medicine’s IMPACT the RACE program hosted its third annual rural medicine education symposium, titled “The Rural Impact 2024”. This event was held at the Westin Jackson on February 9th – 11th and was available at no cost for attendees.
The event started on Friday evening where six School of Medicine students were awarded a full, four-year tuition and fee scholarship, valued at $140,000. In exchange for this scholarship, each student signed a contract pledging a five-year service commitment to practice primary care in a rural Mississippi community. The scholarship ceremony was followed by a reception and research poster presentation by SOM students. Plenary sessions on Saturday and Sunday focused on various aspects of health care in rural communities. This included insight into the life of a rural physician, mental health and addiction for rural residents, and a focus on the impact physicians have on these areas. Other sessions included a presentation on why outreach to these rural areas is critical and a student led panel on clinical training in rural locations.
Scholarship Recipients Pictured from Left to Right: Katelyn Powell, Mary Helen Haygood, Addie Hitt, Meagan E. Cantrelle, Donaldo Martinez Vicente | Not pictured: Benjamin Nelson
In the coming weeks, a recording of the symposium will be available through the UMMC Continuing Health Professional Education website for no charge. To access this recording, please log into CE central and search for “The Rural Impact Symposium”.