My name is Chantel Thompson and it is with humility and passion that I am running for the position of  President-Elect of the Student National Medical Association.

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My journey as a leader in SNMA began in the Dynasty of Region VI with my MAPS chapter at Hampton University learning to forward our mission as a general body member. I moved on to the Great Region VIII, as a chapter member of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where I served on both the community service and black history celebration committees. On these committees, I dedicated my time to community outreach and the campus understanding of African-American culture. My leadership skills were soon recognized, and I was elected Chapter Co-President of PCOM SNMA. As Co-President, our chapter not only determined to remain strong in the SNMA’s central mission but echoed the national call to service by creating an effective community health promotor series, encouraging underrepresented minorities in medicine and bolstering member engagement. At this level, I worked to identify the immediate concerns of our members, the campus and the community to direct resources in solving problems at the grassroots. This resonated when my chapter was awarded 2019 Region VIII Chapter of the Year, demonstrating regional recognition of our local SNMA vision.

 

It was in addition to my position as Co-President that I gained experience moving forward an agenda at the national level with the National Community Service Committee. With the opportunity to collaborate with a team, I worked to increase awareness of the SNMA National Monthly Protocols. My involvement increased my working knowledge in supporting regional and local health promotion activities from a national position.

 

The image of the SNMA as a symbol of diversity and advocacy encouraged one of my more rewarding experiences creating programming within my institution dedicated to the SNMA tenet of cultural competence. As Director of the PCOM Cultural Competency Program, a novel, grant-funded, collaborative initiative, I worked directly with the administration to promote health equity and cross-cultural training in medical education. As Founder and Chair of the Cultural Humility in Medicine Symposium, I also organized campus leaders to cultivate a sustainable program from the ground up. This program, which was awarded the 2019 Innovative Program of the Year by my medical school’s Student Organizations Council further honed my abilities in strategic planning, program building, and collaboration.

 

As the current Region VIII Associate Director, I work intimately with my Regional Director to provide oversight to regional officers and chapter presidents. This year, we worked to ensure alignment with President Agboghidi’s executive agenda, “A Visionary Impact” by promoting local programs and to sustain our regional activities. As Chair of the Program Committee, I continued to strengthen my programming experience, organizing the 2020 Region VIII Medical Education Conference (RMEC) and producing the largest attendee registration, clinical workshops, professional sessions, and exhibitor fair participant numbers to date. This position allowed me to demonstrate the importance of utilizing effective communication, support, and organizational management at the national and regional levels. These experiences, in conjunction with my enthusiasm and vision for the organization, reaffirms my dedication to the SNMA and has solidified my decision to run for the office of President-Elect.

 

In what has now proven to be uncertain times, I believe that it is now more important than ever that we remain solidified in the impact which the SNMA has to diversify medicine and eliminate health disparities across the nation. I am committed to steering this organization toward the goals of its national, regional and local members with an executive agenda that encompasses the foci “Protect, Promote, Embrace, Encourage”: Protecting the pipeline which inspires the next generation, Promoting community partnerships at the grassroots, Embracing its members who advance its mission, and Encouraging health equity and cultural humility. As I continue to look towards the future, I remain strengthened in what the SNMA has built throughout the past administrations and faithful in its current leaders. I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to lead the SNMA. It is with an extraordinary passion for both its members and mission that I intend to advance this organization in support of a vital, prosperous future.