When she made the decision to go to medical school, McKenzie Akers took a simple approach to the challenges she knew would await her.
Somewhere in the world, she figured, were the people she would care for someday as a physician. When that time came, Akers said, she wanted to make sure she wouldn't fail those patients.
She wanted to be ready.
For Akers, that philosophy has paid off. As she prepares to graduate from WMed in May along with her 47 classmates in the medical school's inaugural Class of 2018, she does so with the honor of being one of the first inductees into the medical school's Michigan Epsilon chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society chapter.
The AOA chapter at WMed became official in early 2018, shortly after the medical school was granted full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Students inducted into the AOA chapter are recognized as having shown dedication to academia, peer teaching, leadership, humanism, and service. They also personify AOA's motto, "be worthy to serve the suffering."
The goal of the Gold Humanism Honor Society is to recognize and celebrate students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to humanism in medicine, the highest standards of patient care, and the likelihood of becoming humanistic physicians.
At WMed, students become eligible for induction into the AOA chapter during their third year of medical school and are selected by faculty who are members of AOA.
The AOA is a national medical honor society that was founded in 1902. Today, there are more than 130 AOA chapters across the country and about 3,500 students, alumni, house staff, and faculty are elected to the organization each year, according to according to AOA's website.
Dr. Thomas Ryan, councilor for the AOA chapter at WMed, called it "a big honor" for the students in the Class of 2018 who were chosen as the medical school's first AOA inductees and said it was indicative of each student's academic success.
"The class as a whole did very well and for these students to stand out speaks volumes about what they've been able to achieve," Dr. Ryan said. "They're blazing a trail and it's important for them to set a good example and I'm confident the members we selected as the first AOA class will represent the AOA and the medical school very well wherever they go."
In addition to Akers, the other students from the Class of 2018 who have been honored as inductees into WMed's new AOA chapter are Michael Behun, Andrew Chen, Nicole Foley, Ana Villalobos, Timothy Wysozan, and Sam Yost.
After graduation, Behun is headed to the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics for residency training in orthopaedic surgery. Meanwhile, Chen and Foley will be completing their residency training in internal medicine at the Ohio State University Medical Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, respectively. Wysozan and Yost matched into pathology and obstetrics and gynecology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and University of Michigan Health, respectively.
"It's a huge honor to be invited and to be included in both chapters," said Akers, who matched with the University of Minnesota for residency training in general surgery. "Honestly, I go to school with so many fantastic people, I was sort of surprised they wanted me."
Like Akers, Villalobos was inducted into the AOA and Gold Humanism Honor Society chapters at WMed. She said she was especially honored by her induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society, an honor that is decided upon by her peers at the medical school.
"You work so hard in medical school and you try to get by, you try to learn, you try to not lose yourself in all of this and in the end when your academic work pays off, it's very rewarding and it feels good," Villalobos said. "I think one of the biggest things to never forget is why you chose to be in medical school. I think if you base your hard work on that, you'll be passionate about learning, passionate about all of your rotations, passionate about all of the things that might not seem important.
"But the fact that you're doing all of it for that patient in the future makes it all important."
Dr. Mark Loehrke, chair of the medical school's Department of Medicine and the faculty advisor for the Gold Humanism Honor Society chapter, said the fact that nominees for induction in the chapter are chosen by their classmates makes the honor that much more special.
"I think that's huge," Dr. Loehrke said. "I think as faculty we look at the students through a certain filter but I think the students really know each other best."
Akers and Villalobos were inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society chapter along with Yost and Kevin Cates, Jacqueline Dauch, Tyler Harris and Jessica Ramsay in honor of their dedication to compassion, respect and empathetic patient care.
Dauch matched into the general surgery residency at the University of Arizona College of Medicine while Harris is headed to the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine for residency training in pediatrics.
"To me, they are a tremendous inaugural class for the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the thing about these students is they can inspire and be role models not only for their fellow classmates, but for our faculty, as well," said Dr. Loehrke said. "I think that's one of the things you will hear from full-time and volunteer faculty in the community about a new medical school is that the students will inspire you to do a better job. All seven students who were nominated this year have done that for this community of physicians.
"They are an inspiration to all of us, trust me."
After graduation, Villalobos will depart for the University of Kentucky for a five-year combined residency in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry. She said her decision to go to medical school, to pursue a career as a physician, stemmed from her desire to give back and help those in need.
"I always felt like I was so blessed in my life and I thought medicine was a career where I could see myself giving back to those in need and those who are underserved who can't speak for themselves," Villalobos said. "I wanted to give what I have to others."