Annual Pub 2022 - Flipbook - Page 11
Dr. Kahn told Aynlender that there are a number of positives to working on a dual degree now rather than waiting,
as he did. Too often, he said, family and clinical responsibilities make it di昀케cult to go back to school. “Often, you
just don’t have time to do it,” he said.
Career opportunities also can blossom with a dual degree, said Dr. Kahn, who championed the dual MD/MBA
degree at Tulane University School of Medicine just as he has at UNLV. “When you look at advertisements for leadership positions in health care, an MD and MBA is often recommended,” he said.
He said physician entrepreneurs are also helped by an MD/MBA: “They develop a technology and then are able to
commercialize it.”
Over the years, Dr. Kahn, who says his MBA has helped create realistic budgets, said physicians have abdicated
their leadership roles in health care to those who just have business backgrounds. Pro昀椀ts, he said, too often have
become separated from the humanity of healthcare.
“The U.S.,” he said, “needs the humanity in medicine that physicians provide, as well as business principles for the
country to become the leader in healthcare that we want it to be.”
Honor Societies Recognize Commitment to Excellence, Compassion
by Paul Harasim
In 2021, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, was granted permission to establish a campus chapter of
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA), a national honor society that began more than a century ago, as well as a chapter of the
Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society, an organization that was founded in 2002.
Seldom does a newly accredited medical school receive such prestigious status.
Neil Haycocks, MD, the medical school’s vice dean for academic affairs and education, calls the fast approval of both
chapters “a昀케rming of what we’re doing at the medical school” in terms of teaching, research, community engagement,
and patient care.
AOA, founded in 1902, originally focused mainly on scholastic achievement, but
now includes leadership, community service, research, professionalism, and identifying physician leaders and service to their communities. Since its founding,
nearly 200,000 members have been elected to the society, which now has 135
chapters.
The 昀椀rst ten students of the medical school inducted into AOA were Anita Albanese, Monica Arebalos, Kristina Cordes, Shilpa Daulat, Toyokazu Endo, William
Gravley, Emily Guyaux, Sierra Mastrantonio, Jordan Miller, and Colby Shreve.
AOA membership is meaningful to those who receive it. “When I received a call as
a medical student that I had been elected, it was a life highlight,” said Dr. Marc J.
Kahn, dean of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine.
The Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society believes that the heart of healthcare is humanism – true humanistic
care, according to the society, is compassionate, collaborative, and scienti昀椀cally excellent. The society, which now
has more than 175 chapters in medical schools and residency programs, is comprised of 40,000 medical students,
physicians, and other medical professionals.
The 昀椀rst inductees into the medical school’s chapter included Danielle Arceo, Tyler Blackwell, Kelsey Constantine,
Taylor Gillis, Darlene Julian, Jeanette Liou, Mason Montano, Elli Tian, and Brianna Yee.
“There are many awards that honor academic achievement but the Gold Humanism Award recognizes something that
is often overlooked -- the compassion and humanity that is so critical to the practice of medicine,” said Dr. Kahn.
UNLV.EDU/MEDICINE
11
