University News

First Pre-Med Symposium at WIU March 8

February 16, 2017

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MACOMB, IL – Students at Western Illinois University are receiving a boost in the transition to medical school though the first Pre-Med Symposium March 8, thanks to a donation from Dr. Jill Brody, her practice, Macomb Eye Associates and several current and former physicians.

The Dr. Jill M. Brody/McDonough Eye Associates Pre-Med Symposium will be held from 5-7 p.m. in the University Union Lamoine Room. The schedule includes:

• 5-6 p.m.: Medical School Table Fair

• 6 p.m.: Keynote speaker Dr. Dimitri Azar, dean of the University of Illinois Chicago Medical School

• Distinguished All Western Panel with moderator Dr. Mike Waters:
- Jill Brody, MD, ophthalmology
- Amy High, MD, obstetrics and gynecology
- Jeffrey Liles, Loyola Stritch School of Medicine

The symposium will provide students with opportunities to learn about medical school while interacting with medical school representatives.

"We need to 'grow our own' doctors, and it starts by informing WIU undergraduates about the process of applying to medical school," said Brody.

WIU Centennial Honors College Director Rick Hardy approached Brody about the creation of a Pre-Med Symposium, similar to the Honors College pre-law symposium.

"This initiative is a one-stop shop for information about medical school and to alleviate the students' fears about the process of applying," she explained. "It will benefit WIU undergraduate students interested in medicine, especially those interested in practicing medicine in a rural community. It will benefit them by opening their eyes to the medical school application process and what it is like to be in medical school."

Brody added rural communities across Illinois and the United States often find it difficult to recruit and retain doctors, which is why she is working to combat this issue.

"The new symposium may aid in doing just that, and that's why I wanted to help establish this symposium," she said. "It appealed to my sense of giving back to a community that has welcomed me with open arms and the need for more doctors within this community. WIU is an integral part of Macomb, and if we can convince more students to go into medicine and some of them to return to Macomb, that is ideal."

Along with Brody and McDonough Eye Associates, the 2017 symposium is co-sponsored by Dr. Amy High; Dr. Donald Dexter, Dr. Russell R. Dohner; Dr. Dennis and Virginia Samuelson and the Western Illinois University Foundation.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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