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CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT: UC-DAVIS

The UC Davis MEDLIFE chapter has been doing an incredible job this year, they won the MEDLIFE Fundraiser award for 2015, as well as managing to grow their chapter this year. Today we talked with chapter leader Tara Piryaei to find out how they did it.

1

When and how did your chapter begin?

Our chapter was started in 2012 by a group of motivated students looking for sustainable change.

What strategies do you use to promote MEDLIFE on campus? 

Much of our strategy involves chalking and flyering in crowded areas with the most freshman. We make sure to sign up for all involvement fairs and club promotion days, and have our executive board and general members make announcements to their classes. Facebook promotion is also very successful and includes posting on multiple UC Davis group pages.

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What system do you use to recruit new members? What process does a new member go through once part of the chapter?

Our new members must accumulate a certain amount of MEDpoints in order to be active members. Members can accumulate MEDpoints through participating in community service, outreach, fundraising, coming to every meeting, and even through attending our socials!

4

What activities do you organize to keep your members interested throughout the year? 

We have a large event every quarter that involves a lot of planning, and our members play a big role in planning these events with us. We also bring in various speakers as well as hold multiple workshops, such as a Spanish workshop and a vitals workshop. We start off every meeting with a game to ensure our members are getting to know each other. Occasional free food helps too!

2

What are your goals as a chapter for this academic year (2015-2016)?

For the 2015-2016 academic year, we plan on holding a large successful fundraiser each quarter, from Entertainment Showcase, to MEDTalks, to Springsplosion. We hope to gather enough donations from these events to fund a second project. We also strive to send at least 50 people out to mobile clinics over the course of the year. Lastly, we hope to create a lasting bonding with our members that will encourage them to return to our meetings.

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Hear it From MEDLIFErs

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Reya Seby
Western University

This trip motivated me more to pursue a career in the healthcare field so that I can use my resources to help those who need it the most, similar to MEDLIFE’s mission.

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Victoria DiCanio
University of Connecticut

It was most enjoyable to finish the hard work and see how big a difference a group of individuals can make. It was such an amazing experience.

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Anita Woo
University of Toronto

I enjoyed the mobile clinics the most, especially the dental and triage portions. I would definitely recommend a MEDLIFE trip, it was a great experience.

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David Saff
Maclay High School

The most enjoyable part of my trip was hanging out with the amazing group of kids I was with. I would highly recommend a MEDLIFE volunteer trip to others.

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Sydney Sansone
Nova Southeastern University

This trip made everything that I was learning in my public health courses come to life and immersed me in a new culture while also learning about medicine.

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Abygail Youmans
College of Charleston

Being involved with MEDLIFE is not like joining another club - its bigger than that. It is about joining a movement that seeks to help change people’s quality of life for forever.

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Emi Hofmann
University of Central Florida

Not only was I able to participate in a week long Mobile Clinic, shadowing doctors of all types of specialties including pharmacy, dentistry, gynecology, and more, but I was also able to learn about the culture and visit incredible places.

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Julian Takagi-Stewart
University of Toronto

One thing that I really loved about this trip was that MEDLIFE made sure that the volunteers got an understanding of the complexity of issues that lead to underprivileged people in communities outside of the main city

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Hannah Van Hofwegen
University of Ottawa

Whether it was basketball with the local kids, assisting the doctors, talking with families, building washrooms, holding babies, or spending time with the people who were on the SLT with me, this was an amazing opportunity that I would do over and over again.

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Isabelle Holt
Cornell University

I loved learning about the patients MEDLIFE has followed and how they offer real help to people with chronic/urgent conditions. It is amazing how the organization formed real connections with the communities.

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Valerie Lindeborg
Parent

Our family had the privilege of participating in multiple trips with Nick [founder] and his amazing staff. Their expertise made the trips unforgettable while instilling in my boys the fundamentals of good character: selflessness, compassion, and empathy.

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Harry Vildibill
University of Georgia

As an aspiring physician, MEDLIFE motivated me to further continue my goal of becoming a doctor. In fact, I enjoyed the Tanzania Service Learning Trip so much that I decided to go on another trip to Cusco, Peru.