Medical Student Government

The Medical Student Government (MSG) is the main communication pathway between the student body and the administration. MSG takes an active role in addressing student concerns and is responsible for advancing student interests and welfare to achieve excellence in academic pursuits and professional interactions. Students, faculty, and administrators use MSG extensively as a facilitator of important dialogue. Many large- and small-scale changes in student life at this medical school, from the most recent curriculum changes to a variety of social events, have come about as a result of discussions that have taken place within the framework of MSG.

Each of the four medical school classes elects a class president, a medical education representative (MER), a representative to the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and a representative to Washington University’s Graduate Professional Council (GPC). In addition to four class representatives, four students are elected as class social chairs to help plan numerous class events and organize orientation activities for the incoming first-year class. Finally, an IT liaison is elected by MSG to serve as the IT/technology voice and address related class concerns. The positions are described in more detail from each representative below.

President: The president has the honor of representing class concerns and ideas to the administration and faculty as well as planning numerous activities. There is a large variety of activities throughout the year, from the M1/M4 mentorship dinner, to admissions breakfasts and pizza parties, to class show, to diversity week, and many more. In addition, if there is a committee for any group, the president most likely serves as a student representative: admissions, student affairs, medical education, alumni relations, diversity, career office, facilities, and even Becker Library construction. Although the role of president is a large time commitment, it is a great honor to represent the class and work with very responsive administration. – Connie Gan, M1 President

MER:  As MER, you serve as the primary point of contact between the administration, course directors, and your fellow students. This position allows you to serve on multiple curriculum committees, help analyze course evaluations and work with course directors to improve their courses, and advocate for your classmates. The administration at WUSM is highly responsive to student feedback, so as MER, you have the potential to make real changes to improve the educational experience for your class and for future years. – Jason Morris, M1 MER

OSR: As a representative of WashU to the AAMC, you have the opportunity to meet faculty and OSRs from other schools at the national AAMC conference and bring back successful ideas to implement here. This position also entails championing professionalism and wellness among your classmates. Key responsibilities in this regard include hosting a yearly M1 Professionalism Luncheon with faculty and students and refining/proposing programs to preserve student wellness. – Gautam Adusumilli, M1 OSR

GPCR: As a GPCR, you get the chance to meet with people from all of the other graduate schools of WashU and the professional schools surrounding the medical campus as well (namely the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Goldfarb School of Nursing). It’s just a great way to get involved outside of the medical school and bring opportunities (social and professional) to your classmates that may otherwise not be possible. – Neel Raval, M1 GPCR

Social Chairs: Basically, being a social chair is the best opportunity to promote balance, entertainment, and general merriment to your classmates.  With the confidence of your peeps, you get to be the mastermind behind the year’s most exciting and typically booziest gatherings, promoting trips to pumpkin patches, shredding around ice skating rinks, and of course, throwing sick parties that your classmates will rave about for weeks or have no recollection of. In addition, you get to be a part of a great team of people who similarly enjoy having and crafting good times for everyone. There’s never a dull moment, and who knows, you might be the next baller responsible for “eau de keg stand” emanating from the lecture podium in Moore Auditorium or the hangover reminding everyone of the unsurmountable regiment of awesome that you served them the night before. – M1 Social Chairs 

IT Liaison: As IT Liaison, I have two primary objectives: 1) to collect and communicate the IT needs of my classmates to the medical school administration, and 2) to work with the MER to technologically enable new educational initiatives. I have a large amount of freedom to work on my own projects as well, so I make helpful how-to resources for my classmates and (unofficially) serve as our class tech support line. – Cory B. French, M1 IT Liaison

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