At the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) national convention, this past spring at Houston, medical students raised awareness of UND’s medical education program and encouraged undergraduates to apply. Tyler Brolin (from left), Michael Greenwood, Morgan Skalsky, Kyle Marthaller and (not pictured) Nicole Saur, who was elected Region 8 co-director, gathered with other students from throughout the country to take a look at their future as physicians. UND received an award for recruiting to AMSA (more than 70 percent).

The MD Class of ‘11 hosted freshman medical students at a picnic in August at University Park in Grand Forks. The annual event gives students and their families, as well as faculty and staff, a great opportunity to have some fun and get acquainted informally before the rigor of school begins.

Members of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Class of 2012 received their first white coats during a ceremony ending the first week of classes in August at the UND medical school. The first-year students, 26 men and 36 women, recited the modern version of the Oath of Hippocrates, an ancient vow to uphold basic professional principles.

Calling it “the most exhilarating experience I’ve ever had,” Mary Ann Laxen, MAL, PA-C, MAB (FNP ’91), recalls her first parachute jump this summer as part of a nationwide project to raise money for programs aimed at fighting violence against women and for scholarships for underprivileged women.  Her flight took off June 21 from West Fargo (ND) Airport. Through sponsorships, she raised more than $1200 for SOAR (Speaking Out Against Rape) and local anti-sexual violence organizations. Laxen is director of the Physician Assistant Program and associate professor of family and community medicine at the UND medical school.