AUIS’s NORD Chapter launched in late 2017. AUIS School of Medicine student Harjot Randhawa was the catalyst behind this development and is the Founder and first President of this student chapter at AUIS. Below is an excerpt of his comments to AUIs Students and Staff from last year, Stay tuned for Harjot’s published article coming this week.
Dear AUIS,
It is with my great pleasure to inform you that AUIS has been officially accepted as a student chapter by the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD). I am ecstatic about this news and I wanted to share it with you all.
I would like to take a moment and express my gratitude. I want to thank Dr. Penney and Dr. Agnihotri for giving me the chance to present this opportunity to AUIS and giving the support that I needed to start this chapter. Mr. Bailey and Mr. Perry, I want to thank you both for your continuous support and help through the process of the application. Ms Garner and Ms. Silva, I want to thank you for the enthusiastic support you provided me in helping establish this student chapter.
Elizabeth Hoey, who is the Manager of Student Initiatives at NORD, is the person who helped me setup the chapter. She has corresponded with me continuously and has expressed her interest in talking with faculty members. In the next coming weeks, she would like to setup a time to have a conference call to get to know us better and answer any questions we might have.
This is a great platform for students and the school. It will provide networking opportunities for students, alumni, and the school to work together with medical and non-medical professionals across the United States. There are plentiful opportunities for students to now work on research databases, do poster presentations at events, conduct events to raise awareness of rare disorders both on the island and at clerkships, and network with residency programs. In addition, students that are part of our school chapter will have exclusive opportunities to rotate at renown hospitals such as the Children’s National Hospital at Washington DC.
The next major event is taking place in Washington DC. The annual Summit in Washington D.C. NORD‘s Rare Disease and Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit addresses major changes to the nation’s healthcare system, and features over 20 speakers from the FDA and more than 80 thought leaders from the patient community and industry. It provides a unique opportunity to hear from the experts and join the conversation on issues of unprecedented importance.
During the Summit, there are opportunities to network with government officials, patient organizations, pharmaceutical companies, medical diagnostic companies, etc. This includes a special event for students held on the night before the Summit.
Again, thank you everyone for your support and I look forward to continue working with you all!
Kind Regards,
Harjot Randhawa
