Two Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) students were recently recognized with national awards for their accomplishments.
Logan LeBlanc, a third-year medical student, is one of 15 medical students chosen by the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE) to participate in a two-week program in Germany and Poland this summer.
Conor McWade, a fourth-year M.D./MPH student, received the 2017 Excellence in Public Health Award from the United States Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee. He will receive the award on May 11 at VUSM’s Class Day.
LeBlanc, who is from Houma, Louisiana, received a BS in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry from Louisiana State University, where she focused her research on synthetic organic chemistry and the development of molecules for colon cancer detection. She hopes to go into internal medicine and eventually do a fellowship in palliative care.
FASPE engages graduate students and early-stage practitioners in five fields (business, journalism, law, medicine and seminary) in an intensive course of study focused on contemporary ethical issues in their professions.
The FASPE medical program provides a holistic curriculum that focuses on ethical problems faced by doctors in their practices by examining the role of physicians and the medical profession in the Nazi state, underscoring moral codes governing doctors can break down or be distorted with devastating consequences.
“I am eagerly looking forward to FASPE as an experience that will impact me not only as a future physician, but more fundamentally, as a person,” LeBlanc said. “For me, FASPE is a welcome opportunity to step back from the fast-paced environment of the modern hospital and to reconnect with the humanitarian principles that underlie the practice of medicine.”
McWade, who is from Portland, Oregon, received his bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Vanderbilt University and was selected for the Mabelle Arole Fellowship at the Comprehensive Rural Health Project. He spent one year living in Jamkhed, India, studying a rural health care delivery and comprehensive development model.
Created by the U.S. Public Health Service to inspire medical students to commit themselves to public health and to become leaders in the field, the Excellence in Public Health Award recognizes medical students who show their dedication to public health by making exceptional contributions to their communities.
During summer 2015, McWade traveled to Guyana, where he worked with the Georgetown Public Hospital, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the University of Guyana to engage with them on issues of road traffic safety.
McWade, who graduates in May, is going to UC Davis Medical Center for his residency in Emergency Medicine.
“I am always amazed by the accomplishments of our students. It is wonderful to see Logan and Conor recognized nationally for their dedication and hard work,” said Amy Fleming, M.D., associate dean for Medical Student Affairs.
