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UNC Advocates for Inclusion in Medicine and Science is a student organization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which has been founded for the purpose of promoting the success, recognition, and excellence of women and minorities in academic medicine and medical research. Further, we seek to understand the underrepresentation of women and minorities in MD-PhD programs and advocate for their success.

We strive to achieve these goals through:

  1. Educating our peers and community on the barriers faced by women and minorities in academic medicine and research through article discussions and book clubs
  2. Providing our members with practical career development skills through workshops
  3. Creating vertical professional networks to foster mentor and sponsor relationships with successful faculty
  4. Mentoring current undergraduates to encourage more women and minorities to pursue dual degree careers
  5. Creating peer networks to facilitate future collaborations and support through an annual Southeast Symposium.

Through these activities we hope to stimulate thought, discussion, and start a conversation on what we can all do to change the status quo.

While this group is focused on the MD-PhD career track, our events are open to all graduate and medical students.

 

Co-Founders

Audrey Verde, PhD & Kate Hacker, PhD
Audrey Verde, MD/PhD & Kate Hacker, MD/PhD

Audrey Verde and Kate Hacker were prompted to start this group after hearing the staggering statistics about the gender inequalities still present in academic medicine at the 2012 UNC MD/PhD Retreat.

Audrey Verde is an alum of the UNC MD/PhD program, who graduated in May 2016. Her intern year in Internal Medicine was at UNC, and she is currently a Stanford Radiology Resident.

Kate Hacker is also an alum of the UNC MD/PhD program, who graduated in May 2016. She completed her intern year at UNC in Surgery, and she is currently a UNC Urology Resident.