Social Events

As part of our continued effort to raise awareness about women’s health issues, American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) holds an annual Red Dress Fundraiser for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement. The event is the largest student-run fundraiser at the school. The night is super fun and includes a silent auction, a photo booth, speeches, and dance competitions. It is a great excuse to dress up in fancy clothing, and all proceeds go towards a meaningful cause!

A convivial carousing that some have described as “the most fun I’ve had since neuroanatomy lab” and “the most compelling reason to attend WashU”, WashU’s annual MedBall channels classiness and buffoonery in all the best ways — think Hogwarts’ Yule Ball with a sprinkle of high school prom. A completely student-planned event, MedBall offers student and faculty a break to enjoy a delectable multi-course dinner, flavorful libations, a live swing band, and a dance-able DJ for a night full of dining, drinking (responsibly, of course), and dancing the night away. If you’ve ever wanted to see a Dean do the Dougie or show off your Stanky Legg to your surgical attending, this is your chance!

This wonderful tradition goes back decades and has long been promoting interactions between faculty and medical students. It is a great opportunity for students to get involved in school programming and to provide lifelong memories for you, your classmates, and your professors.

Societies are one of many incredible things that make WashU so beautiful and unique. Each society has its own budget that is used to plan events that encourage social interactions between its members. I’ve been to St. Louis Blues games, ice skating, picnics, field days, and many more, all of which were sponsored by WashU. These events give students the unique opportunity to mingle and talk with members of other classes and faculty, all of whom are in a society. Once or twice a year we will do a cross society event where members of all three societies are invited, and it is a huge picnic filled with delicious food, drinks, and, most importantly, laughs.

The Office of Medical Student Affairs holds the Student Life Office, which works with areas like student groups, wellness programming, the Gateway Coaching Program, and the Office of Career Counseling. Our goal is to help our student body be happy and healthy by connecting them with all the resources they need. Some of our tentpole programs that we coordinate include:

The Office of Medical Student Affairs holds the Student Life Office, which works with areas like student groups, wellness programming, the Gateway Coaching Program, and the Office of Career Counseling. Our goal is to help our student body be happy and healthy by connecting them with all the resources they need. Some of our tentpole programs that we coordinate include:

• Gateway Orientation — We introduce our new students to everything they need to start their medical school journey and help them find ways to connect to other students!
• Student Activities Fair — We provide a space for students to find out more about all the fantastic student groups we have and how to get more involved. A little free swag never hurts, either!
• White Coat Ceremony — We celebrate our new students as they take a big step on their journey to becoming doctors by receiving their white coat.
• MedBall — With a team of students, we help coordinate our spring formal, a lively night of dinner, drinks, and dancing.

We also plan other events around our wellness model, which highlights six categories: Academic, Physical, Social, Spiritual, Financial, and Mental. Our programming is focused on helping students in their wellness journeys, and we’ve done this through events like our Mindfulness and Nutrition Workshop, Living on a Medical Student Budget session, our Career Talk Series, Match Week events, and more. Follow us @WUMSWell and contact us at MDStudentLife@wustl.edu with any questions you might have.

Brady Griffith (he/him/his)
Senior Manager, Student Life
Washington University School of Medicin