FMIG Kickoff Event!

Tuesday's kickoff event for FMIG, "What is Family Medicine", had a great lineup of panelists who demonstrated the diversity of opportunities in practicing family medicine. Over 120 BUSM students came to hear what the panelists had to say, and to enjoy the free Thai food. (By the way, we are sorry for those of you who didn't get food -- we were expecting 80! We'll make sure you are well fed at our next event.) Dr. Brian Penti is currently a hospitalist in Family Medicine at BUMC. He spoke about his wealth of international experiences in Bolivia, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Cambodia and his current involvement in training programs for doctors in Vietnam. Dr. Alysia Green shared her stories of "sideline medicine" as a sports medicine family doctor and how her passion for sports had a major impact on her career choice. Dr. O'Brien shared her career path, which began in rural private practice and has led her to BUMC where she is involved in Labor and Delivery and pursuing her MPH in Maternal and Child Health. Dr. Shah discussed what life is like in a community based health center in Boston and gave advice to the students on how to key into their personal interests in a career path. Finally we got to hear from Kevin Kless, a fourth year at BUSM, who shared his own reasons for choosing family medicine. After hearing from first and second years after the panel, the event turned out to be an incredibly informative first glance at Family Medicine.