The first event of our bicentennial year took us to Annapolis, where students and faculty from the School of Medicine met with state representatives on January 30 to celebrate our school's milestone anniversary. It was an opportunity to educate legislators about the nation’s oldest public medical school, which – in collaboration with the University of Maryland Medical Center – trains more than half of the state's practicing physicians.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., were the honored guests during a morning breakfast with state lawmakers given by Dean. E. Albert Reece and University System of Maryland Chancellor William E. "Brit" Kirwan. Following the breakfast, students were given the opportunity to meet privately with legislators. They had a variety of messages they hoped to get across.

"My message was kind of two-fold – talking to them about the curriculum at Maryland, any changes they'd like to see made, as well as talking about the financial aspect of it," said fourth-year med student Mark Shimko. "The school does a great service to the state, it trains over half the physicians in Maryland, and they really make it a point through the curriculum to get us involved in the community. I was out in Garrett County for a month as part of my training. I had a great time, and I think it's important to continue to support programs like that. Also, if the school wants to keep bringing in the people whom they want to become physicians in Maryland, they need the money to give those students incentive to come here verses other medical schools that might have more scholarship opportunities and such."

Money was also on the mind of Victoria Shaah, a third-year student. "Student debt is an issue that is important to me and many of my classmates," she admitted. She also had another topic on her mind. "I want to discuss student diversity. The University of Maryland Medical School is one of the most diverse medical schools I've seen, and I visited quite a few, but I think even more can be done."

Amir Abdel-Waheb, a second-year student agrees. "I'm hoping to spread the word about what the school needs to attract more diverse students," he said. "Like the recruiting they did for me. I'm hoping they can continue to get funding to do more of that in underserved areas and with under-represented students, in order to bring more of them to the med school."

Having come from an underserved area of the Eastern Shore, Mark Dunn, a former registered nurse who is now a fourth-year medical student, was also anxious to spread the word about where Maryland needs doctors most – and how they can get them. "I decided to go back to school and study medicine because there is a lack of physicians on the Eastern Shore," he explains. "I applied to the University of Maryland, because it is a great school and a great program, and if you're studying medicine in Maryland, Baltimore is pretty much it. I hope to spread the word that we need increased funding, scholarship funding especially, so the school will be able to recruit talented students and those who wouldn't otherwise be able to go to medical school."