JESSICA WILLIAMS ,
ALUMNA AND PHYSICIAN
PREPARED TO TACKLE A FUTURE IN MEDICINE
The Society of Women in Sciences and Mathematics has provided more than $ 10,000 in scholarships and awards to female students and faculty . Your generous support benefits students like Jessica Williams , biomedical sciences ’ 10 , who received a SWSM scholarship in 2009 . For information on how you can support the Society of Women in Sciences and Mathematics , contact the COSAM Office of Development : cosam . development @ auburn . edu or 334.844.2931 .
2006 : Started her undergraduate career at Auburn University as a COSAM student majoring in biomedical sciences . As an undergraduate at Auburn , Williams conducted undergraduate research in the College of Sciences and Mathematics and the College of Veterinary Medicine . She also gained clinical medicine experience by volunteering at Mercy Medical Clinic in Auburn .
Spring 2010 : Graduated from Auburn University with a 4.0 GPA in biomedical sciences
Fall 2010 : Started Emory University School of Medicine where she was active with the Student National Medical Association and the Emory University School of Medicine Admissions Committee
Spring 2014 : Voted Most Outstanding Female Student by her medical school peers ; elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Summer 2014 : Completed an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control ; conducted research at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory
Spring 2015 : Graduated from the Emory University School of Medicine at the top of her class with a 3.976 GPA with a medical degree and a master of public health degree .
1
What made you choose a career in the medical field ?
“ My parents are both physicians , so they definitely influenced my decision to go to medical school . Growing up , I could see how passionate they were about their work , and I became interested in medicine because of them . Then , while I was a student in the College of Sciences and Mathematics , I was exposed to clinical medicine while volunteering at Mercy Medical Clinic in Auburn . I felt it was a good fit for me , because medicine is intellectually stimulating and allows one to make a positive impact on people ’ s lives .
2
How did your time at Auburn prepare you for medical school ?
“ My time at Auburn helped me tremendously . I had a really strong foundation in the sciences , so I was able to hit the ground running . In medical school , they start off by teaching all the basic science classes , but I was already familiar with those concepts and in some cases , found we went into more depth at Auburn than we did in medical school . I even heard students say they wish they had gone to Auburn because I was so well prepared .”
3
You just received your doctor of medicine degree along with a master of public health degree from Emory University School of Medicine . What are your plans for the future ?
“ I ’ m interested in preventing chronic diseases and working as an academic physician . I ’ ve learned how to design studies , how to analyze clinical research data , and how to be an advocate for the prevention of chronic diseases . Eventually , I hope to specialize in hematology and oncology .”
Summer 2015 : Williams began an internal medicine residency at Harvard University ’ s Brigham and Women ’ s Hospital .
28 Journey / Spring 2016