Latino Med Student Conference a Success

The recent Latino Medical Student Association’s (LMSA) Midwest House of Delegates Meeting and Leadership Conference, hosted by University of Cincinnati College of Medicine students, was deemed a success.

About 30 medical students from the region attended, and "all commented on how beneficial the conference was,” said second-year medical student Alex Cortez, co-director of UC’s LMSA chapter.

This was the first time the UC chapter, which formed in 2011, hosted the annual LMSA event. The LMSA Midwest consists of dedicated medical students from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin and strives to develop effective Latino(a) physician leaders in health care to become effective patient advocates and physician leaders in the government, private sector and community.

"The speakers were superb … one of the attendees said it was the quality you would see at a national conference,” Cortez said of the half- day lectures series presented by local physician leaders and health care administrators.

The conference also included a welcome reception and an afternoon of Cincinnati tourist excursions, including a night at the Cincinnati Reds game in a box suite gifted by the Cincinnati Hispanic Chamber.

"We had the opportunity to discuss with our peers various issues on diversity and medicine—namely the needs of the Latino community in our cities,” said Cortez.