UK to Host Student National Medical Association Conference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 10, 2016) – The University of Kentucky College of Medicine chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) will host the 2016 Region X Regional Conference on Oct. 14 and 15.

Three current medical students — Elochukwu Ibekwe, president of UK’s SNMA chapter, Fatima Yadudu, vice president, and Cameron Henry, a past SNMA president — worked together to plan and coordinate this year’s meeting. While the planning process has been rewarding, it has also had its challenges, Ibekwe said, “combined with school, the planning process has been a little bit tough but my fellow classmates on the planning committee are very smart, hardworking and dedicated; this has made the planning process run smoother.”

Nutrition and food inequality will be the focus of this year’s meeting entitled, “The Seeds of Health: Addressing the Effect of Nutrition Inequality in Minority Communities.” The topic was chosen because nutrition inequality, such as access to fresh foods, and its consequence impact health in underrepresented minority communities.

With this in mind, the goal of this conference is to address these issues and come up with possible solutions as a community. The choice of topic was in part due to issues that are facing our Kentucky community, Yadudu said, “As of 2013, the state of Kentucky has been ranked the fifth highest in poverty with 19.4 percent of the state’s population suffering through poverty and food insecurity. We therefore thought it befitting to have that as a theme of our conference.”

A unique aspect of the conference is the inclusion of a community service project. Attendees will participate in volunteerism at community gardens around Lexington, including the Seedleaf Community Garden.

This year’s meeting is expected to attract current and potential medical students from the University of Louisville, Vanderbilt University, University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, University of Pikeville, Meharry Medical College and other schools within the SNMA’s southern region.

Interested students and staff are invited to join the UK College of Medicine at this year’s conference and can RSVP and purchase tickets through Eventbrite.

MEDIA CONTACT: Olivia McCoy, olivia.mccoy1@uky.edu, (859) 257-1076

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