Medical Education News - All MD Student Edition

Thursday MAy 21, 2026
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1. Message from Vice Dean Logio
2. Notices
3. Awards & Recognition
4. Student Affairs & Wellbeing
5. Financial Aid
6. Research
7. Health Sciences Library
8. Career Planning Events

What an exciting time May is! On Sunday, we graduated our largest class of MD students in the history of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine – 229 newly minted doctors. Dr. Michael Yaffe, an alum of our MSTP, served as the graduation speaker and had a wonderful and important message. If you are interested, start this video at 46.02 to hear his address. It was a wonderful celebration of all the hard work and amazing accomplishments of our students. Everyone was bursting with pride!

I want to send my great appreciation out to the current third year students, newly on clerkships. I recognize the disruption and hiccup caused by CAS 2.0. We made a promise that if it wasn’t working for students, we would pull the plug. That’s exactly what happened so we made the unhappy decision to move back to CAS 1.0. I know it has not been easy on you with some duplicate work and frustrations to learn two different systems. Please know that this was a difficult decision but mostly made to ensure that you could optimize your clinical learning without being challenged by a new system that wasn’t ready for prime time. My deepest apologies and immense gratitude to you, the students, as well as recognition to the incredible team working behind the scenes: Kris Soja, Wei Xiong, Carol Chalkley, Beth Day, Xiaomei Song, Kate Miller, Neil Mehta, Andrew Golden, and Pavel Ermakov.

And finally, congratulations to our CSR President, Ansh Shah, recipient of the Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship. He’s also helped this year’s team make it into the Final Four Round of the NCAA Championship. Good luck!

Good luck to all our first year, nearly second year students as they finish up Block 4 and officially get promoted to second year! You did it…and your replacement, new M1s, will arrive soon enough!
 

LL

Dear Colleagues, Faculty, Students, and Staff,

I am writing to share an update regarding my role within our medical school community.

Effective July 1, I will be transitioning to focus solely on my role as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for the Lerner College Program. As my formal time with the University Program draws to a close, I look forward to dedicating my full focus and leadership to supporting the CCLCM student body.

Reflecting on my time with the University Program, I am filled with gratitude. I want to express my deepest appreciation to the students who have constantly inspired me, the faculty who so generously shared their expertise, and the staff and leadership colleagues who brought such creativity and care to our daily work. The collaboration and trust we shared have been incredibly meaningful to me.

To the CCLCM students, faculty, and staff, I am excited to dedicate my time entirely to your community. I look forward to deepening our work together, championing your growth, and ensuring you have the robust support needed to thrive.

Thank you all for your continued partnership, and I look forward to what we will accomplish next.

Best regards,

Monica Yepes-Rios, MD, FACP

NFL Physicians Society and Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society Elective

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals are excited to announce that Cailin Stollar has been selected for the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) NFL Elective Rotation with the Cleveland Browns.

This one-month elective was established to encourage medical students to explore careers in sports medicine. Through the program, medical students with interests in primary care sports medicine and/or orthopedic surgery observe and participate in player and patient care within an NFL club setting. Cailin will work directly with, and under the supervision of, a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, including orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians, athletic trainers, and other members of the Browns’ medical staff. The experience provides foundational exposure to sports medicine, team-based care, and the unique clinical environment of professional athletics. We congratulate Cailin on this outstanding opportunity!

HOLA Ohio's Cinco de Mayo Festival

Dr. Yepes-Rios led a group of students, including those from SNMA/LMSA Comer y Aprender, students from the Medical Spanish elective and Case Undergrads to engage in health education at HOLA Ohio's Cinco de Mayo Festival.

Several student groups (CSE3G, SAMSA, NAAMA, AMMSA, SNMA/LMSA, and APAMSA), hosted a Cultural Crossroads event on Friday, May 8. A beautiful banner was created around student wellbeing and belonging. We also had food from different cultural backgrounds and lots of different activities and games, including corn hole and connect four.

The Wellbeing Committee, in preparation for Block 4 exams, hosted a study-a-thon Saturday, May 9. We had tutors, learning specialists, service dogs, and snacks for all who came to build community around SEQs and SSEQs.

Special "shout out" to Dawn Reid (Associate Director, Student Affairs) and Bethany Berg (Learning Specialist) for their ongoing efforts to facilitate Wellbeing Wednesdays this year! It's been a wonderful addition to SOM's wellbeing offerings!

Engagement & Wellbeing

Want to get involved with promoting engagement and wellbeing?  Email  SOM-Wellbeing@case.edu to join the Office of Student Affairs - Student Engagement and Wellbeing student committees.

Follow us on Instagram @cwru_medwellbeing

Financial Wellness Tip

Budget for occasional nonessentials to reward yourself for your hard work! Contact the SOM Office of Financial Aid at medfinancialaid@case.edu, 216.368.3666, or visit HEC, Suite 111, for budgeting assistance. -MD Student, Class of 2029

M4s - Financial Aid Webinars

If you were not able to attend the recent webinars, the recordings are available in the Debt Management course in Canvas. The AAMC Town Hall on Loan Repayment Strategies and Public Service Loan Forgiveness is available here and the Financial Insights for Early‑Career Physicians (Including Disability Insurance) presented by Dr. Sherry Yu ’16 can be accessed here. Please sign up for the Alumni listserv to receive updates on loan repayment information and legislative developments.

New Research Recognition Opportunity!

CWRU School of Medicine now offers a Research Recognition for final-year medical students who have made sustained, high-impact contributions to biomedical research. Eligible students must not be receiving a transcriptable research designation/degree and must demonstrate active research participation across multiple years. Learn more and apply: Research Recognition Application. Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement about the Community Engagement Recognition, which will honor students dedicated to community service during medical school. Questions? Contact medstudentresearch@case.edu.

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, dedicated to breaking stigma and fostering community wellness.

To support your wellbeing, browse our curated collection of wellbeing books currently housed at the Allen Memorial Medical Library.

Tip: You can request any of these materials to be delivered directly to the HEC Library for easier pickup. Just add “Please deliver to HEC” in the Notes field.

For additional support and information, visit:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

• Mental Health America

Questions? Email us at askCHSL@case.edu.

M4 Ophthalmology applicants

The Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology are jointly hosting a 90-minute webinar, Advice for the 2026-2027 Ophthalmology Residency Match Season, on Wednesday, June 3, 5:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM MT / 7:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM ET. Register for the webinar.

The panelists are dedicated educators who represent the AUPO, AAO, and the SF Match and will share viewpoints on applying for this year’s ophthalmology residency match. The latest changes to the match process will be outlined. The perspectives of Medical School Deans, Ophthalmology Department Chairs, Vice Chairs of Education, Directors of Medical Student Education, and Residency Program Directors will be included. Presenters representing different regions across the U.S. will offer tips related to ophthalmology applications, personal statements, research & extracurriculars, interviewing, preference signaling, away rotations, non-traditional applicants, and new features of the match.

M4 Summer Workshops

M4 students: The Office of Student Affairs career planning team will be hosting events this summer to help you plan and prepare your residency application.

Save the dates:

Personal Statement Workshops: June 10 (Zoom) and June 29 (in person)

M4 Specialty Advising Meetings (more to be scheduled throughout the summer)

Surgery: July 15 (Zoom)

Psychiatry: July 16 (in person)

Neurology: July 28 (Zoom)

Interview Workshops: September and October (dates TBA)

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