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When they were recently nominated for induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society at WMed, Arlene Ho and Christine Tran said the news served as an affirmation of their commitments to empathy, compassion and humanistic medicine that have guided them during their time as learners at the medical school.

“It was an entire honor,” Tran said. “We’re nominated by our classmates and chosen by some of the people that I admire most and it was an honor to know that I was so trusted by my classmates and our professors.”

Tran and Ho learned in October that, in addition to being part of the newest group of students to join the Gold Humanism Honor Society, they were chosen by their peers to serve as the chapter’s first-ever president and vice president, respectively.

The new leadership roles mean that Tran and Ho will play key roles in determining what service projects the chapter will be a part of to contribute to the WMed community and the broader community in Southwest Michigan.

“This is a real show of appreciation from their peers about the kind of physicians they are going to be someday,” said Dr. Mark Loehrke, chair of the medical school’s Department of Medicine who, along with Dr. Cheryl Dickson, serves as a faculty adviser for the GHHS chapter at WMed. “I hope the things they accomplish as leaders sets a standard and a strong foundation for the other leaders who will follow in their footsteps.”

Tran will graduate from WMed in May and is pursuing a residency in internal medicine. Ho, meanwhile, came to WMed along with Tran as a member of the ���ϲʿ���ֱ�� Class of 2021 and will graduate as a member of the Class of 2022 after spending this academic year pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration from Western Michigan University.

Tran, Ho, and 10 other students from the Class of 2021 – Pooja Avula, Marine Bolliet, Jesse Chou, Ryan D’Mello, Katie Jones, Patrick McCreesh III, Lucas Rich, Emma Swayze, Lo Tamburro, and Claire Tanager – are part of the third class of students to be nominated for induction into the GHHS chapter at WMed, joining members from the classes of 2019 and 2020 who have been recognized by their classmates and the GHHS selection committee as humanistic future physicians dedicated to compassionate, respectful, and empathetic patient care.��

The GHHS chapter at WMed became official after students in the medical school’s inaugural ���ϲʿ���ֱ�� class graduated in 2018. Eight students from the inaugural class were inducted into the medical school’s Upjohn Humanism Honor Society, the predecessor to the GHHS chapter.��

“I think everyone in the Gold Humanism Honor Society are already great leaders and everyone is just very naturally passionate about contributing to the WMed community and giving back,” Tran said. “To be chosen, I think it shows that our classmates have a lot of faith in us as leaders and as team members to serve WMed and the community well and hopefully we will get a lot done this year despite COVID-19 restrictions.”

In the middle of the pandemic, Tran and Ho, and other students from the GHHS chapter have been busy finding ways to give back to their fellow classmates and the wider community. In that way, they are using their strengths as compassionate and empathetic future physicians to focus on the well-being of the student body at WMed.

Dr. Dickson, who serves as the medical school’s associate dean for Health Equity and Community Affairs, said the focus on service to their fellow classmates is part of an ongoing effort by members of the GHHS chapter to form “near-peer” relationships and mentorships that can serve as a strong support system as students navigate the rigors of medical school.

“Christine and Arlene can be models for future GHHS leaders,” Dr. Dickson said. “I just think that both of them are so personable and they are both quite capable.”

That focus on service by GHHS has included hosting virtual sessions with first- and second-year students to discuss their fears and worries surrounding COVID-19 and how things have changed for them as learners over the last several months. Prior to the White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2024 in September, several members of the GHHS chapter put together a video for the medical school’s newest students discussing what the white coat meant to each of them.

They are also working with student interest groups to coordinate volunteer activities at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission and formulating plans to host more virtual discussions about several topics, including burnout, morale, and continuing frustrations from the pandemic.��

“That really represents what GHHS is all about, that connection and compassion for our patients, but also our peers,” Ho said. “With the stay-at-home orders and social distancing, a lot of the traditional medical school support systems are disrupted in a way so I think it’s really important for us to be creative and try to help people and build upon that sense of community as much as possible.

“That’s what WMed is known for, our strong community support system, and we want to be able to bring that together in a creative, virtual manner,” she added.

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