Letter from Stritch School of Medicine Student Organization Leaders:
The Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine was the first medical school to openly welcome undocumented immigrants with DACA status to apply and matriculate as students. The recent removal of DACA threatens the future of our 32 colleagues (the most of any medical school in the United States) who have already invested so much in their efforts to improve the health of our country. They have overcome immense barriers, and competed on a level playing field to be members of our academic community. We find it necessary as student leaders to call for support of the bipartisan Dream Act, which would ensure protection of the future and safety of undocumented youth across the United States.
Loyola is a Jesuit institution; our mission is founded upon the principles of social justice and service to humanity. In pursuit of this mission, the training of a diverse physician workforce is paramount—people of all backgrounds should be admitted not only to promote equal opportunity, but also to deliver more culturally competent care across the socioeconomic spectrum of patients. Furthermore, our nation is experiencing a profound shortage of physicians, specifically those working in underserved communities—data has shown that underrepresented minorities go on to practice in these settings at significantly higher rates.
Contrary to persistent efforts made to portray them as criminals or freeloaders, 91% of DACA recipients are either employed or enrolled in school, even though they don’t qualify for federally subsidized student loans. Eligibility for DACA status requires that an undocumented immigrant arrive in this country prior to the age of sixteen and have been in this country at least five years without a criminal record. These individuals are contributing, tax-paying residents of the United States, the only country most have ever called home. In our own medical school and across the country, they make us a better society.
It is time for us to be advocates for our patients as well as our colleagues. This should not be a partisan issue; both liberal and conservative-leaning classmates of ours widely support the rights of our undocumented peers. They are the neighbors, classmates, and co-workers that make our communities strong. The Dream Act is a permanent solution for these undocumented individuals which gives them both a path to legal status, and more importantly, protection from deportation. We call upon leaders in the medical community, alumni of Jesuit education, and Americans of all walks of life to seek justice for our peers of DACA status. Now more than ever it is imperative to make our voices heard.
Signed,
Rana Alcheikh
Society of Women’s Health, Co-President
Lexi Riopelle
Society of Women’s Health, Co-President
Elizabeth Southworth
Building the Next Generation of Future Physicians (Academic Medicine), Co-President
Christian Perez
PSYCH MIND, Co-President
Kyle Wieschhaus
Viva La Familia, President
Elizabeth Southworth
PULSE- Pipeline program, Co-Coordinator
Brittany Watchmaker
Pediatric Interest Group, President
PULSE- Pipeline program, Co-Coordinator
Jenny Lee
Building the Next Generation of Future Physicians (Academic Medicine), Secretary
PSYCH MIND, Vice President
Jacquelyn Dang
LUC Mentors, Co-Director
Mission of Our Lady of Angels, Leadership Board
Dylan Douglas
Quinn Community Center, Secretary
Maria Poonawalla
Students for a National Health Program, Co-President
Laura Burns
Oncology Interest Group, President
Brandon Trac
Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, President
Yo Sup Kim
Radiation Oncology Interest Group, President
Jazzmyne Montgomery
American Medical Women’s Association, President
Taylor Petrusevski
Emergency Medicine Interest Group, Secretary
Eric J. Magnetta
Students Curious in Outrageous Pathology Experiences, President
Lauren Steinberg
Oncology Interest Group, Vice President
Jewish Student Association, President
Diamond Stevens
Student National Medical Association, Vice President
Kathryn Swain
Cardiovascular Interest Group, Vice President
Jennifer Shieh
Ultrasound Interest Group, Vice President
Naveen Kanji
South Asian Medical Student Association, Co-President
LUC Mentors, Co-Director
Health Career Academy, Co-Director
Boss Povieng
ATC Health Coaching, Co-Coordinator
Eda Akyar
Community Health Primary Care Clinic, Clinic Coordinator
Sarah Lloyd
Family Medicine Interest Group, Vice President
American Medical Women’s Association, Vice President-Mentorship
Aaron Perlow
M1 Class Board 2021, President
Deena Kishawi
Muslim Medical Student Association, President
Physicians for Human Rights, President
Orthopedic Surgery Interest Group, President
Weston Terrasse
Business in Medicine Interest Group, President
Otolaryngology Interest Group, Vice President
Andia Mitri
Community Health Primary Care Clinic, Fundraising Chair
Grant Van der Voort
Community Health Primary Care Clinic, Fundraising
John Wagner
New Life Volunteering Society Free Health Clinic, President
Veteran Health Partners, President
Housing Forward, Co-Coordinator
Tanesha Beebe
Stritch Pride, President
Hollie Schaffer
Otolaryngology Interest Group, President
Community Health Primary Care Clinic, Fundraising Comittee
Yaeji Park
Vascular Surgery Interest Group, President
Patrick Kramer
M4 Class Board, Class of 2018, President
Brandon Carlos Karcher
Latino Medical Student Association, President
Blake Murphy
American Medical Association SSOM Chapter, President
Andrea Grillini
Community Health Phlebotomy Clinic, Co-Coordinator
Bioethics Interest Group, Vice President
Khalil Boussi
Back On My Feet, President
Vlad Didorchuk
Ophthalmology Interest Group, President
Mitra Mossaddad
M3 Class Board, Class of 2019, President
Matthew Kroll
Jewish Student Association, President
Gabrielle Matias
Neurological Surgery Interest Group, Co-President
Community Health Primary Care Clinic, EMR Chair
Bria Murray
Student National Medical Association, Treasurer
Charles Wu
Community Health Primary Care Clinic, Treasurer
Kimber Sable
Ophthalmology Interest Group, Vice President
Student Wellness Advisory Group, Co-President
Jamie Neelon
PRIDE, Vice President
SCIPEC, Co-President
Surgery Interest Group
Sahand Ghodrati
M2 Class Board, Class of 2020, President
Dream Act of 2017 is a thoughtful initiative.
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