Medical Student Government

Being an at-large member of the Medical Student Government (MSG) is a great, low-commitment way to get involved with behind-the-scenes decisions at WashU Med. There are two at-large positions: Member for the Health Equity and Anti-Racism Committee and Member for the Committee on the Oversight of Medical Student Education (OMSE) and Phase One Operations. Each position attends meetings with their respective committees and is responsible for providing class input into the subjects discussed. As someone who hadn’t been involved with student government in the past, I’ve really enjoyed connecting with the administrative faculty, as well as voicing my classmates’ perspectives.

Hi, future WashU Med students! My name is Jiwon, and I have the privilege to serve as the M1 class president. My favorite aspect of serving as the class president has been the opportunity to contribute to building a cohesive student community, as well as to meaningful, positive changes for our school. In this role, I serve as a bridge between our student body, the deans, and other members of the administration dedicated to our education and student life. As president, you get to serve as a student representative on various committees and ensure that the perspectives of our fellow students are heard on topics ranging from the intricacies of the curriculum to the pulse of student life and the nuances of school policies. Beyond this, the class president gets to organize interclass and interprofessional events by collaborating with upper-year MSG members and representatives from other health professional programs (e.g., physical therapy) at WashU Med. Finally, I’ve loved the opportunity to support the independent initiatives of other class officers, who have come in with amazing ideas!

In the Medical Student Government (MSG), you get to work with a dedicated and passionate group of folks on initiatives that can directly impact the medical student experience. Whatever position you are in, you get to be a resource and a voice for your classmates. If any of this resonates with you, I highly encourage you to run for a position with the MSG!

As the Community Engagement Representative (CER) of Medical Student Government (MSG), I serve as the person who connects WashU Med students with other WashU graduate programs and the greater St. Louis community. In this position, I work with medical school administrators, fellow graduate peer committees, WashU faculty, and community organization leaders to strengthen our engagement and understanding of our place within St. Louis. I share volunteer and service-learning opportunities with WashU Med students, and I meet with MD student group/community partnerships to assess their effectiveness in supporting community organizations and in delivering equitable, actionable care. Beyond creating dialogue and long-term partnerships between WashU Med and the community, I also work closely within the Gateway Health Equity and Justice Curriculum to facilitate medical student involvement in the St. Louis community health care. It is truly a privilege to be the CER, to learn more about frontline community issues, and to foster WashU Med’s continued growth and compassionate service toward people of all backgrounds and needs.

Interested in technology? Want to help shape education at WashU Med? IT Liaison might be the role for you! We work closely with the Educational Technology and Innovation Unit (ETIU) and the Office of Education (OE) to convey student requests to the administration, share technology tips and tricks with fellow classmates, test rollouts of new educational platforms, and communicate admin/IT updates with our class. Personally, I’ve been amazed by how much ETIU empowers us to do — from suggesting code for Keystone (our teaching/learning platform) to coding applications for fellow students! If you like programming or classwide organizing, this is a great way to advocate for your classmates and to learn more about medical education!

As a Medical Education Representative (MER), I have been deeply impressed by the extent to which WashU Med values prompt and effective action to student feedback. My role involves active participation in meetings with administrative faculty and overseeing the various components (i.e. modules, threads, etc.) within the Gateway Curriculum. These meetings serve as platforms for addressing real-time issues and devising strategies for continuous improvement. Many of our meetings focus on student feedback, with some sessions even featuring randomly selected students to ensure inclusion of a diverse range of perspectives. Working as a MER, I collaborate with our thread and module liaisons to present feedback gathered from the student body.

It’s worth noting that each module and thread undergoes annual adjustments based on prior feedback. This commitment to iterative enhancement ensures that the Gateway Curriculum remains in a state of continuous improvement and productive change, ultimately benefiting current and future students.

The Officer of Student Representation (OSR) at WashU Med is in charge of two major roles: (1) being the class’ officer of student representation, and (2) representing the school at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Organization of Student Representatives. As your class’ officer of student representation, you’ll be the wellness and professionalism representative, which basically means that you’re in charge of promoting and creating wellness activities. Whether it’s bringing puppies before exams, organizing a WashU Med Friendsgiving, or planning a gingerbread house decorating event, the OSR role is largely what you make of it. Furthermore, you’ll travel to and represent WashU Med at the annual AAMC LSL and GSA-CiM-OSR conferences along with the other OSRs from each class. These conferences have been a great way to hear about what’s going on in the broader medical community and network with both faculty and students from other medical schools.

The Medical Student Government (MSG) social chairs plan social events for the entire class throughout the year! Collaborating closely with the Office of Student Affairs and the MSG, our primary responsibility is to curate and coordinate a range of events catering to our peers’ diverse interests. From organizing small-scale initiatives like group coffee chats to planning larger events like holiday parties, there’s something for everyone! This position is an excellent opportunity to fine-tune your organizational and communication skills, particularly in liaising with the administration and other student leaders. More importantly, organizing these social events fosters a sense of community and belonging among our peers, creating a more cohesive and supportive atmosphere within the bustling environment of medical school.