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September 28, 2024
The Vovis Center's inaugural Ignite the Fire: A Prehealth Student Conference seeks to connect aspiring future healthcare professionals to expert guidance on how to prepare for standardized exams, level up study strategies, and be the strongest candidate possible at the time of application. The conference will feature keynote speaker, Denise A. Martinez, MD, Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, and interactive sessions with academic coach, Amanda Brem, founder of The Brem Method. Students who attend the full conference (9:00am-3:00pm) will get access to comprehensive test prep resources and materials as well as a swag bag of Knox merch.
This is a FREE conference. Register to Attend by September 13!
8:30-9:00am Registration and Check-in
Alumni Hall Second Floor Lobby | Register on-site, get a swag bag with Knox merch, and learn how to get discount codes for test prep resources and materials!
9:00-10:00am Opening Breakfast and Keynote Address
Alumni Hall Trustees Room 302 | Enjoy a full breakfast and be inspired by keynote speaker, Denise A. Martinez, MD. As the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, Dr. Martinez is a family medicine practitioner and an advocate for culturally responsive healthcare. Learn about her journey as a Latina pre-med student to a family medicine physician – and hear what she wished she knew as a pre-med in college.
10:00-10:50am Study Skills Workshop
Alumni Hall, Trustees Room 302 | Speaker: Amanda Brem, The Brem Method
Want to learn how to study more effectively for your classes and exams? Join academic coach Amanda Brem for an interactive workshop on study skills and test preparation. In the workshop, you will learn how to use empirically-validated study techniques to build a realistic and motivating study schedule for any course or exam. You’ll identify the factors that influence your ability to study, and discover techniques for building good study and health habits.
Science & Math Center (SMC), A201. Speaker: Amanda Brem, The Brem Method
In this session, academic coach Amanda Brem will introduce you to the MCAT and answer all your questions about this important exam. You’ll learn the 31 content categories and 7 skills tested on the MCAT, how the questions are structured, and what the test day looks like. Amanda will also walk you through the MCAT registration process, how the MCAT is scored, and what you need to know before starting your MCAT prep. There will be time at the end for Q&A, so bring all your MCAT-related questions!
Alumni Hall, Evelyn Handler Forum 300. Moderated by Lisa Harris, Knox Vovis Center for Research & Health Professions Advising
Learn from local and alum healthcare professionals from the fields of nursing, physician assistant, athletic training, and dentistry.
12:00-12:50pm Lunch and Round Table Chats with Healthcare Professionals
Alumni Hall, Trustees Room 302 | Have an informal conversation with a healthcare professional over lunch. Students will choose where they wish to sit based on the healthcare professional seated there.
1:00-1:50pm Test Taking Anxiety and Stress Management
Alumni Hall, Trustees Room 302 | Speaker: Amanda Brem, The Brem Method
Stress and anxiety affects nearly everyone at some point in their academic journey, and can be really hard to overcome without effective tools. In this interactive session, academic coach Amanda Brem will guide you through tools and strategies you can use to manage your study stress and handle anxiety on test day. We’ll also address effective techniques for handling procrastination, burnout, self-sabotage, and imposter syndrome that can come up during your coursework and exam prep. We’ll finish with techniques to address your biggest challenge areas and build confidence in your academic skills!
Amanda Brem, The Brem Method | Alumni Hall, Trustees Room 302
Ready to start thinking about your MCAT prep? In this session, academic coach Amanda Brem will walk you through a typical MCAT timeline and study plan. You’ll build a sample weekly schedule based on your strengths and weaknesses, and work in small groups to determine the type of resources that will best suit your learning style. We’ll wrap up with a discussion of the various MCAT resources and their pros and cons.
Lisa Harris, Knox Health Professions Advising | Alumni Hall 115 Lincoln Douglas Room
What makes an applicant great? In this session, Prehealth Advising Director Lisa Harris will explain what to expect in the health professions graduate school application process and how to prepare now so you can strengthen your application. We will also explore what things might “set you apart” from other applicants. This session is intended for students interested in health professions outside of medicine (MD).
3:00-5:00pm Conference Ends, Optional Sessions until 5:00pm
Amanda Brem
Amanda Brem is the founder of The Brem Method, a holistic academic coaching company that has been helping students reach their academic and testing goals since 2019. She received her Masters in Biomedical Sciences from Boston University on her path to medical school, but pivoted when she found her true calling was teaching and guiding future doctors on their pre-med journey.
She uses her education background combined with her time as a D1 rower and athletic coach to build effective and motivating test prep curriculums. Alongside her deep knowledge of science and test taking strategies, Amanda's programs are rooted in compassionate coaching, a growth mindset, and meeting students where they are at in their path. When she isn't teaching science or study skills, Amanda is skiing with her husband, reading Harry Potter by the fire, or whipping up creative meals in her home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dr. Denise Martinez, MD
Dr. Denise Martinez currently holds the position of Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and serves as Professor of Family Medicine at UC Riverside School of Medicine since August 2023. Her journey has come full circle as she returned to the Inland Empire of California, where she spent her formative years, to continue her mission of promoting diversity and equity in healthcare education and practice.
Before her tenure at UC Riverside, Dr. Martinez was recognized as the youngest medical school assistant/associate dean in the country, ultimately spending 12 years at the University of Iowa School of Medicine in leadership and serving last two as Associate Vice President for Health Parity for University of Iowa Health Care.
Throughout her career, Dr. Martinez's dedication to DEI and health disparities have garnered awards such including the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Career Achievement at the University of Iowa, the institutions highest award. In 2022, she was also honored with the National Latino Medical Student Association's Phil de Chavez Faculty mentor of the Year Award for her unwavering commitment to mentoring students, her tireless efforts to reduce health disparities, and her innovative work in creating pathway programs. She additionally has been named one of the 100 Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists in America by Cell Mentor, and previously awarded 40 under 40 for Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum.
https://www.knox.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/medicine/prehealth-conference
Printed on Thursday, November 21, 2024