​RICE PRE-MEDICAL SOCIETY

Our 2022 Medical Speaker’s Conference covered Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Ethics and policy in medicine have been long standing topics of discussion, especially as new technologies develop and health disparities persist. We examined how different areas of study within medical ethics intersect to influence health policy. A few subtopics of highlight at the conference include neuroethics, transplant ethics, health disparities, and medical decision making. 

​

 

Our 2021 Medical Speaker’s Conference covered Pandemics and Public Health: An Analysis of COVID-19. Beyond presenting a novel therapeutic and scientific challenge, COVID-19 has drastically affected areas of public health, health care management and epidemiology, while raising ethical and organizational issues. Through this conference, we will examine how this virus and America’s approach to mitigating the pandemic differs from that of previous public health threats. In particular, the conference will discuss the increased emphasis of maintaining public health through general sanitation practices and the shortcomings of our current healthcare system, as well as the impacts on various demographics and mental health.

​

 

The 2020 Rice Medical Speaker Conference will focus on The Future of Gene Therapy. Gene therapy and editing is an ever-changing field in science and medicine, and we are excited to hear the projects of different professionals, researchers, and doctors and their perspectives in this field. We hope that listening to the expertise of our speakers will not only unpack the complexity of gene therapy but also excite students to think critically about the possibilities and the implications of such powerful science. We heard from the following guest speakers: 

• Dr. Hoda Badr

• Dr. Andrew Childress

• Greg Millett

​

 

Our 2019 Medical Speaker Conference was focused on An Interdisciplinary Look at Cancer. Cancer is a very complex disease, and we wanted to highlight the many fields fighting to end it. Hearing from not only physicians, but also economists, researchers, and organizations with expertise in this sphere will inspire our pre-medical students and encourage them to carefully consider how they can play a part in this important work. We heard from the following guest speakers:

•  Dr. Anaeze C. Offodile II, M.D, MPH, (Executive Director for Clinical Transformation at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery)

• Dr. James Willson, head of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT)

• Dr. Kevin Madden, Assistant Professor in the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine at MD Anderson.

• Dr. Swaminathan Iyer, President of the Indo-American Cancer Society

​

​

​Our 2016 Medical Speaker Conference explored the theme of global health and included the following guest speakers:

• Dr. Peter J. Hotez (Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine)

• Dr. John Wolf (Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine)

• Kelly Perdue (CEO of The Living Bank)

• Dr. Kelley Maynard (Rice 360)

• Catherine Chen (Houston Global Health Collaborative)

• Kemly Philip-Pandya (Global Health Interest Group at UTH, Frontera de Salud Student Leader)

• Stephanie Allen (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

 

​

Our 2015 Medical Speaker Conference, entitled "Uncovering the Red Tape: How Will Law Affect the Future of Medicine?" included the following guest speakers:

• William J. Winslade, Ph.D., J.D.

• Charles Begley, Ph.D.

• Rajender Aparasu, MPharm., Ph.D., FAPhA

• George Santos, M.D.

• Heidi Voelker Russell, M.D.

​

Our Spring 2014 Medical Speaker Conference was entitled "Boon or Burden? The Role of Technology for the Modern Doctor" and featured the following speakers:

• Dr. Billy Cohn, M.D., FACS, FACCP, FAH

• Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, M.D.

• Dr. Jude Theriot, M.D.

• Dr. Mas Takashima, M.D., FACS, FAOOA