Interest Groups

The Anesthesiology Interest Group (AIG) is open to anyone who has an interest in exploring the field of anesthesiology or plans to apply to anesthesiology residency programs. We plan procedure nights twice a year where students learn anesthesia techniques from physicians including intubation, IV placement, and ultrasound-guided nerve blocks. It’s a great way to get hands-on experience! AIG also helps connect students to WashU Medicine faculty by hosting several panels and networking events throughout the year.

I am very interested in going into cardiothoracic surgery, and the Cardiovascular Interest Group as well as the Surgery Interest Group have been invaluable in providing guidance, advice, and a view into the lifestyle. In the events that have been hosted so far, we have had a chance to talk to current doctors/surgeons in small group settings while grabbing breakfast, eating dinner at their house, or even grabbing some ice cream nearby. We are also linked with current students and residents that are more up-to-date with opportunities to strengthen our resumes and get more involved with the specialty.

The Ears, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Interest Group is a low-stakes way to get involved in and learn more about the fascinating field of otolaryngology. The ENT Interest Group hosts speaker panels from diverse subspecialties including otology, head and neck surgery, facial plastics, laryngology, and pediatric ENT. These events can help you learn more about unique paths within ENT and connect with faculty. We also host hands-on skills workshops where students can practice basic ENT skills like nasopharyngoscopy. Other events include case-based learning sessions, journal clubs, and shadowing opportunities. If you are committed to the specialty or just want to learn more about ENT, come hang out with us!

Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) seeks to introduce students to the world of internal medicine and all it has to offer. In the past, we have hosted patient presentations, physician panels, and injection workshops. Additionally, IMIG can provide recommendations to students who are looking for connections within certain internal medicine specialties.

There are lots of cool things happening in medicine that center on genetics — gene therapy, rare disease work, and the rise of precision medicine to name a few. The Medical Genetics Interest Group (MGIG) is a great way to explore medical genetics as a future specialty or research focus. There are lots of opportunities to attend a lunch talk or case discussion, meet faculty, and get involved in shadowing and research. Take advantage of being at a large academic medical center that sees a lot of interesting rare cases and is part of important innovative work and come to MGIG!

The OB/GYN Interest Group is a great way to explore whether you are interested in pursuing one of the many specialties in the OB/GYN field by directly hearing from current residents and attendings. The OB/GYN Interest Group organizes several different events including panels, procedure nights, and lunch talks. The procedure night event is particularly popular as you get to practice hands-on skills (including endometrial biopsy, manual vacuum evacuation, laparoscopic surgery simulators, and simulated vaginal deliveries) while also getting to know many of the OB/GYN faculty.

The Palliative Care Interest Group (PCIG) is dedicated to fostering education, advocacy, and compassionate care in the field of palliative medicine. This student-led group aims to enhance the understanding of palliative care principles among medical students by organizing workshops, discussions, and shadowing. Through these initiatives, the group helps students develop the skills and empathy needed to support patients and families facing serious illness, ensuring they receive the highest quality of care at every stage of their journey.

The Pediatrics Interest Group (PIG) focuses on providing medical students exposure to the field of pediatrics, fostering connections between medical students and pediatric residents and pediatricians, and hopefully inspiring the next generation of future pediatricians! We host lunch talks with a diverse group of physicians working with pediatric patients (generalists and sub-specialists), host shadowing opportunities, provide volunteering opportunities centered around uplifting pediatric patients, and facilitate a mentoring program with the pediatric residents. If you are interested in laughter, joy, kindness, patients who usually get better, and therapy dogs (which are always around at St. Louis Children’s Hospital), consider a career in pediatrics!

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) Interest Group is an integrated, multidisciplinary specialty focused on improving quality of life and restoring function and independence in patients who have injuries, chronic diseases, or disabilities. Some describe the PM&R specialty as “ortho without the bro.” The PM&R Interest Group holds presentations from physiatrists, facilitates shadowing, and hosts procedure nights to practice skills such as ultrasound-guided injections, epidurals, EMG, and more. Because PM&R is a smaller, more niche specialty, the interest group is a great way to get to know the faculty and residents at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and get exposed to the specialty early on. The PM&R faculty and residents are some of the nicest people and are super excited to get students interested in learning PM&R skills that are applicable to any specialty you go into. We are also the only interest group at WashU Med that collaborates with Saint Louis University medicine!

The Plastic Surgery Interest Group aims to broaden student exposure to plastic surgery as an innovative and essential specialty. Plastic surgery is a much broader and more exciting field than most people initially expect. Come to our intro interest group meeting next fall to learn more and get free Chipotle!

The Radiation Oncology Interest Group (ROIG) is open to anyone, whether you know for sure that you want to specialize in RadOnc or if you have absolutely no idea what RadOnc is and just want some free food as you learn more about the field! Our fall intro meeting panel is hosted by a diverse group of faculty and residents who are eager to give advice and share their unique perspectives. Feel free to ask anything — whether that’s about how much physics you need to know or how the job prospects are as a RadOnc attending. Other events we host include a winter research mixer (where several RadOnc faculty talk about their research and share any projects that medical students can work on), a spring post-match panel with M4s who recently matched into RadOnc, and an informal summer networking event with faculty and residents.

The Radiology Interest Group is here for anyone who’s interested in diagnostic radiology! WashU Medicine is home to the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology — one of the oldest and most prestigious radiology programs in the country. The Radiology Interest Group allows students to not only form connections with faculty but also tour the Theranostics Suite so students can get a good idea of how patients are treated with new and emergent methods!