Students Win AZ Doctor’s Dilemma Competition

Medical students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix received first place at the American College of Physicians (ACP) – Arizona Doctor’s Dilemma Competition, beating other medical schools and residents. This is the first time that medical students have won this competition.

Fourth-year medical students Cris Molina, Tarek Eid and Victor Arce (pictured in order to the right) competed at the ACP – Arizona Chapter for the 2017 Fall Scientific Meeting, hosted by the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. The ACP is the national organization for internal medicine physicians.

“I never imagined winning this event. I am extremely grateful for all my teachers and mentors who have shaped me to the trainee I am today,” Arce said.

The ACP AZ Chapter’s Doctor’s Dilemma was a jeopardy-style medical knowledge trivia competition that included medical students and residents from various programs across the state. There were a total of 11 resident teams and five medical student teams representing the UA College of Medicine – Tucson, A.T. Still Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and Student Osteopathic Medical Association, the College of Medicine – Phoenix and Midwestern University.

The winner of the AZ Doctor’s Dilemma will represent the state of Arizona at the ACP National Internal Medicine Meeting, which takes place in April 2018 in New Orleans.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to represent the state of Arizona at the national competition,” Eid said.

This marked the first time Arce, Eid and Molina have entered this competition. They said that they had no expectations of winning because their primary goal was to have fun. The group also noted that they felt honored to just be standing next to their talented colleagues and senior residents.

Given their busy rotation schedules, the group had little time to prepare for the competition. They relied heavily on prior USMLE Step 1 and 2 knowledge. They also used knowledge that they learned from residents and attendings that they have interacted with this past year and a half. Arce, Eid and Molina added that they would also like to thank Dr. Younger who provided them guidance and resources and made herself available as they prepared for the competition.

“This competition was a fun experience, and I enjoyed being up there with my classmates competing against many smart people,” Molina said. “I hope that this encourages other medical students from the college to participate next year or to just get more involved in the local medical community. I am sure that the faculty and staff at our college will support and nourish other students’ desire to get involved as they have done with us.”

The College of Medicine – Phoenix would also like to recognize a few awards received by our residents. Internal medicine residents Madhav Chopra, MD, Mateja Lekic, MD, and Akshjot Puri, MD, won all three awards in the resident quality improvement poster category, and Salam Mohammed Arif, MBChB, received first place for an oral presentation.

Cheryl O’Malley, MD, interim vice dean of Academic Affairs and the college’s Internal Medicine Residency Program director, said, “It was a great weekend to witness the excellence of our UA College of Medicine – Phoenix residents and students. The poster presenters, oral vignette and doctor’s dilemma teams displayed the curiosity and commitment to excellence that best serves our patients. I’m so proud of all of them.”

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Teresa Joseph
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