A monthly newsletter for prospective and accepted students of the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Watch how Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is preparing students for careers as medical professionals with experiences designed to help them take on the challenges of 21st century medicine. 

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EDUCATION
As part of their Health and Society coursework, medical students met with policy leaders to learn how implementing better health policies can improve the overall health of communities.
Student Explores Encephalitis in the Newborn Brain
    
RESEARCH
Gregory Schwartz, PhD, assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Physiology, and his lab map neural circuits in the retina that send visual information to the brain, work that could inform future treatments for blindness. 
Investigating How Cholera Bacteria Toxins Inhibit Autophagy

CLINICAL
Children with allergic disease have about twice the rate of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Examining Optimal Dosage for Heart Failure Drug
Focus on the MD Curriculum

Christian Bengtson, a fourth-year medical student, decided to participate in the Education Centered Medical Home because of his interest in community medicine. "I think the neatest thing about this program is starting from the first year, I could see how different elements we learn in class start connecting with the patient experience," he said.
Instead of completing a traditional primary care rotation in the third year of medical school, students have the option to participate in the Education Centered Medical Home ( ECMH), a program for students to work with the same doctor and group of patients for all four years of medical school. This new model launched with the renewed medical school curriculum in 2012 with an emphasis on hands-on learning experiences and early clinical exposure.
 
Each week students staff the clinic with their preceptor and work collaboratively to care for high-risk patients. The clinics serve underserved populations throughout the city of Chicago.
 
Students will learn first-hand about medical outcomes, patient safety and quality improvement, including how to design, implement and evaluate improvement plans. The model, which helps students build a professional identity as early as the first year of medical school, offers 360-degree assessment opportunities, with feedback from patients, peers and preceptors linking back to Feinberg's eight core competencies. 
 
Read more about student experiences and perspectives here
 
Why did I Choose Feinberg?
 
Alexandra Jones Adesina is a fourth-year medical student.  
Alexandra Jones Adesina, a fourth-year medical student, shares what factors were important in choosing to attend medical school at Feinberg.  

Why did you choose Feinberg?
You hear about really great schools and you read about them online and sometimes it's hard to know what the personality is going to be like when you get there. I was so excited when I came for my interview that everyone was so welcoming and so friendly.  

What has impressed you most about Feinberg and why?
I've definitely enjoyed all of the friends I've made here and the diversity of the student body and how passionate everybody is to come in and work really hard. I've also enjoyed the relationships that I've formed and the mentors that I've had just guiding me along the way, giving me feedback and helping me become the best doctor I could possibly be.  

What do you like about Chicago?
There is so much to do; you can't run out of things to do. It just feels like home.
Admissions Q&A

Are joint degree programs available?
Feinberg offers a number of joint degree programs for MD students. Learn more about degree options and all of Feinberg's educational offerings via the program listing.
 
Can a medical student take courses at other Northwestern schools?
A student enrolled in the MD program at Feinberg can take up to one additional course a quarter in other schools at Northwestern without additional tuition, on a space available basis. These courses must be taken for a grade and credit (not audited) but will not appear on the student's medical school transcript and cannot be credited to a dual degree.