FMIG Gave Student Leader Path to Success
Sept. 28, 2023, David Mitchell — When Anum Khan needed more money during her first stint in medical school, she took a few years off to work and save for her education. She struggled with imposter syndrome and questioned whether she would return to school.
“I was very hard on myself,” said Khan, who will graduate from the Windsor University School of Medicine in December, “but one of the things that drew me back was the need for more primary care physicians.”
While working in a Hamilton, N.J., radiology clinic, Khan volunteered with the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection program, which provides free screening and other services for uninsured and underinsured people living below the poverty line. Seeing physicians come together to serve their communities inspired her to finish her medical degree and pursue family medicine training.
“Taking time off helped me understand the community and see what was really needed with my own eyes,” she said. “That gave me the fire and drive to go back to school knowing that this is what I want to do, and this is how I want to practice medicine.”
Khan helped form Windsor’s family medicine interest group and is serving as its co-president this year. The FMIG was recognized as a Program of Excellence by the AAFP in July during the National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. The student group has a busy agenda:
- monthly Zoom calls with Windsor alumni who have matched into family medicine residency programs and can offer insights and advice on how to have a successful match;
- a month-long virtual boot camp to prepare students for the Match, covering issues like applications, interviews, personal statements and letters of recommendation;
- virtual and in-person clinical skills workshop on subjects like suturing, splinting and casting and phlebotomy, which the group plans to expand this year; and
- bi-monthly workshops led by faculty and students with experience in research to aid members interested in publishing original research, as well as one-on-one mentorship with experienced faculty, alumni and student members.
In 2022, Windsor, which is based in Saint Kitts and Nevis, became the first international medical school to participate in the Primary Care Leadership Collaborative. The student group’s PCLC project is focused on addressing health care disparities among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through additions to the school’s curriculum and community outreach efforts.
The FMIG hopes to organize a Special Olympics event in Chicago, where many Windsor students complete their clinical rotations, in partnership with Muhsen, a nonprofit organization that serves people with intellectual, mental and physical disabilities.
Through the PCLC, Khan was paired with mentor Olusunmisola “Sunmi” Oyesiku, M.D., a Windsor graduate who practices family medicine in Selma, Alabama. In addition to work on the PCLC project, Khan has assisted Oyesiku with online work related to the rural physician’s mobile clinic.
“She’s been a true inspiration because, similar to my medical trajectory, she has had to overcome some obstacles,” Khan said. “It had been really hard to find a mentor I could relate to.
Grant Program Offers Funds for FMIGs
The Family Medicine Student Organization grant program is open, and family medicine interest groups are eligible to apply for two types of grants.
Applications for core grants, which support typical FMIG operations, will be reviewed each month through March 31, 2024.
Additionally, student organizations are eligible to apply for up to $500 in special grant funding to support a qualifying project that promotes family medicine. Projects are judged on creativity, collaboration and innovation. Special grant applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with the first deadline on Nov. 30, 2023. Later deadlines are Jan. 31 and March 31, 2024.
Visit the grant home page to learn more.
There were a lot of people that I idolized in the sense that I thought, ‘Wow, I could never do what they do.’ Dr. Sunmi was the first to say, ‘Don’t doubt your capabilities, and don’t let doubt prevent you from doing good work.’ Getting to know her, having her guidance and having her as cheerleader on my side was something that really pushed me to finish my degree and pursue family medicine, so I’m grateful that I was able to connect with her.”
Khan will participate in the 2024 Match and hopes to find a residency with a focus on community outreach and serving underserved people.
“When you have an amazing group of individuals who want to see a positive change in a community, being surrounded by those people is awe inspiring,” she said. “It makes you want to do better. It makes you want to be in the forefront of change. It makes you want to believe that you can make a difference within the health care system. I hope that I keep that fire and keep that motivation.
“Once I’ve graduated residency, I hope to work in a clinic environment where there’s not only an emphasis on treating patients, but getting to the root of the community’s limitations, whether that’s access to health care or access to resources.”
Khan said she encourages students to get involved with their own FMIGs.
“Regardless of where you are in your medical education, regardless of how nonlinear your path has been, or if you feel lost, it benefits you to get involved with such an organization because it can give you such a clear image of what you want,” she said. “One thing that has made me more confident in myself, my career and my education is that I can see that this is what I want to do. I have no doubt in my mind — with the resources that I was able to obtain, the knowledge that I have now and the people that I’m surrounding myself with — that I can do it. And it’s all because of FMIG and PCLC and AAFP.”