DMS Alumni Reflections
Of course my most important memory is of my good friends and classmates; without them, the task of completing the degree program would not have been possible.
I also remember how important several teachers and mentors were: Don West, Martha Regan-Smith, Joe O'Donnell, Margaret Karagas, John Wasson, George Spencer-Green and Robert Santulli. They all have one thing in common which made them invaluable role models for me: They cared about my personal goals and understood what motivated me to become a doctor. In the competitive world of DMS where reward and recognition is based on scores, rankings and "correct" answers, they were my assurance that the process of learning and personal and professional integrity are what matters most in the practice of medicine.
—Katie Carlson '99
I remember how much I grew through the Doctoring course in the first two years. It really made the basic sciences come alive, the approach to patient care provided a solid foundation to establishing strong rapport with patients (My approach today has roots to these courses!), and the small groups were a great place to explore a wide variety of topics: ethics, basic approach to physical examination, developing a ddx; developing camaraderie with future colleagues.
BTW, I loved my time at Dartmouth!
—Anonymous '99
The clinic activity I remember the most was the Morbidity and Mortality conferences that took place on Fridays at noon. I remember being thoroughly impressed by the general internists and their ability to dissect the initial information presented and develop a broad and accurate differential diagnosis. I remember thinking to myself, "I want to be that talented and informative when I am an internist". Nine years later, I am proud to say that I am often invited to Morbidity and Mortality as the general internist discussant at the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor VA where I serve as the Director of Primary Care and the Associate Chief of Medicine. The academic environment and the faculty's willingness to teach at DMS, motivated me to want to spread a career in academic medicine, which to date, has been extremely rewarding.
Since my clinical work is primarily at a VA hospital, I prescribe generic medications only. I specifically remember a wonderful lecture given by Dr. Nierenberg when he described the benefits of using generic medications versus brand name medications. He told a classic story of his wife doubting his love for their children when he came home from the store with generic Tylenol for their sick child. She questioned why he had not purchased the name brand that she was used to using and seeing on television advertisements. To this day, I use that story over and over when I explain to my patients why generic drugs are as good as brand name drugs. They typically get a chuckle.
—Adam S. Tremblay '99