Among numerous residency recruitment efforts to reach the URM medical students, MAO sends URM residents to strategic SNMA fairs as ambassadors not only for MGH/MAO, but also for the specific departments in which they are training.

	Growing the physicians of tomorrow MAO provides information about both, Student Programs and Resident & Fellow Initiatives, with the purpose of engaging competitive URMs interested in training at the Mass General Hospital. Photo: Nicte Mejia, SNMA 2006 Fair at HMS
	Expanding networks MAO is building networks with several medical schools all over the country by attending strategic national residency recruitment fairs. Photo: Rivka Colen (left) Nicte Mejia (right) in the SNMA 2006 Fair at Harvard Medical School.
	Building a community We are creating a strong and commited community of URM physicians, eager to share their unique experiences as being both, part of the MAO family, and trainees at the residency/fellowship programs at MGH. Photo: Jose Mora, Celina Mankey (MAO staff member), Rivka Colen, Nicte Mejia.

If you are part of the MAO family and you are interested in attending one of the 2008 residency recruitment national fairs, please e-mail Emeli valverde at evalverde@partners.org

Student National Medical Association (SNMA)

URM residents in the SNMA 2006 Fair, Region I, in Seattle, WA.

The Student National Medical Association is the nation's oldest and largest organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. Membership includes nearly 5,000 medical students, premedical students, residents, and licensed physicians.

Local chapters based at allopathic and osteopathic medical schools throughout the nation implement SNMA programs and activities. Region VII of the SNMA is comprised of Harvard University, Boston University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Tufts University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Vermont and Yale University. The Multicultural Affairs Office and the Massachusetts General Hospital actively support the efforts of the local SNMA chapter at Harvard. For more information, please see the National web page at http://www.snma.org

 
National Boricua Latino Health Organization (NBLHO)

The National Boricua Latino Health Organization (NBLHO) is a Latino student group representing health professions students from the northeast region of the United States. Its mission is to recruit Latinos into higher education, educate the public and one another about Latino health issues, advocate for increased Latino representation in health related areas, and promote awareness about social, political and economic issues as they relate to Latino health. It also serves to create a support network for Latino students.

This group was formed in 1970 in response to Latino medical students demanding a voice. Today, there are approximately eleven active medical school chapters, and 200 medical student members in the area between Washington, D.C. and Maine. New chapters and members are being added every year. The NBLHO is a proud member of the National Network of Latin American Medical Students (NNLAMS). This is a national partnership between other regional Latino medical student groups to create one strong voice for Latino medical students throughout the entire United States. For more information, please see the National web page at http://nblho.org/

The 2009 NBLHO national conference will be on February 20, 2009, and will be hosted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The conference will include a series of workshops and panels addressing various issues impacting Latino health, such as health care policy accessing health education.

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