Organizer of Annual IvaDean Concert Reflects on Event

The ninth annual IvaDean Medical Student Scholarship Benefit Concert was held Dec. 7 in Kresge Auditorium to support the IvaDean Medical Student Scholarship Fund.

This year's event raised more than $3,500, a 3.4 % increase over last year's concert.

Fourth-year medical student and concert organizer Khanh Cao talks below about what went into planning this year’s event and explains why the concert—a favorite among faculty, staff and students—means so much to the College of Medicine and the Academic Health Center.

What is involved in organizing the concert?

"You have to be able to plan four to five months ahead. My greatest concern was the need for so much sound equipment, and in previous years, it was supplied by a medical student. But then I met Bernie Wells of the UC Foundation and (College of Medicine graduate) Dr. (Albert) Weisbrot, who lent it all to us. That was the No. 1 concern because without sound, there’s no concert. Even though I ran the show, there are committees, and it couldn’t be couldn’t be done without all of the volunteers. I was fortunate to have dedicated crew members.”  

Which of the performers were the most surprising, as in, "WOW I didn’t know he or she could sing, play, etc.”?

"You can’t single out a performance because everyone was fantastic this year. We had more performers this year than ever before and had to limit the number of acts (to 18).”

In your own words, what makes the concert so special?  

"Everybody who puts in their time and effort did it for IvaDean. We are all doing it for a common purpose: IvaDean. I can come to her with a question, and two minutes later she has the answer. … Even though it is her job, she does it so well. She has to deal with all four years’ worth of work, and it’s very challenging.”