EMED Executive Board members (l-r) Alexander Barrett, Drew Richard, Emily Gable, Nicole Kowalski, and Christopher Forsyth
Thanks to Christopher Forsyth, there is a new club on campus for engineering students who are interested in pursuing careers in the healthcare field.
Forsyth, a senior in biomedical engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, founded the Engineers in Medicine Society (EMED) in January to provide support, resources, and opportunities to pre-health engineering students. Fellow classmates Drew Richard, Nicole Kowalski, Alexander Barrett, and Emily Gable are helping Forsyth with his efforts and serve on EMED’s board.
“Some of my pre-health friends and I saw a need for more resources for engineers wanting to go to medical school,” Forsyth said. “While there are other pre-health clubs on campus, none of them really catered to the unique position engineering students are in. By starting the club, we saw the opportunity to create a community of pre-health engineering students to share and learn from each other’s experiences.”
EMED is open to all pre-health students from all engineering majors. Nearly 50 students from across the college have already joined, with the majority of members being biomedical, but with mechanical, chemical, and nuclear engineering students also taking part.
“EMED has the potential to unite students across many engineering departments who are planning a career in medicine,” said Lecturer and Faculty Advisor Sara Hanrahan. “This society provides resources to students who are in the arduous process of applying to a health professional school, gives them access to practicing healthcare professionals in the community, and presents them with unique service opportunities.”
Forsyth wants to bring resources directly to EMED members and is already planning events for physicians and medical schools to come speak to the group.
“Perhaps the most important benefit of the club is helping members find a community where they can get guidance from peers about the pre-health process,” said Forsyth.
EMED members received hands-on training at the recent Stop the Bleed event.
This semester, EMED is putting together a Medical College Admission Test study group to help students prepare for the entrance exam and will hold application workshops in the spring. They are also providing hands-on training to their members, including a recent Stop the Bleed training event, and will offer CPR training in the spring.
“While pre-health students volunteer often, EMED hopes to host volunteer events that will have a larger impact in our community,” said Hanrahan.
Members will be connected with local volunteer programs and encouraged to get involved. Plans are in the works to partner with the RAMutk club and join them in their travels to Remote Area Medical Clinics around Tennessee.
Forsyth is happy to see the club become successful and knowing he is helping his fellow classmates is rewarding.
He’ll be graduating next year and is in the depths of the medical school application process. He wants to become a physician and utilize his engineering background through device design and medical problem solving.
No matter where he ends up, he has laid a solid foundation for EMED, and will be helping pre-health engineering students in the years to come.
For more information on EMED visit emedutk.org.