Medical Student Survivors Sessions
The Discovery to Cure Survivors Sessions
The Discovery to Cure Survivor Sessions brings together women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and third-year medical students from the Yale School of Medicine during the students' Ob/Gyn rotation. In this program, which was begun in 2005, and has been widely praised by both students attendees and Yale Medical School faculty, women of all ages, diagnosed at different stages of disease, share their stories with Yale medical students in an effort to raise awareness and put a human face to the disease.
Each hour-long session is comprised of three women presenters and a facilitator, all survivors. Each presenter tells her personal story of diagnosis in her own words. There is no "script". Following the presentations there is an informal dialogue between students and presenters. Students are then asked to fill out a brief questionnaire and return it to the facilitator. Among the comments received over the years:
"Powerful session and (I) learned a lot. I appreciate the time and effort that these women made to teach us."
"Absolutely amazing presentation. Thank you so much for including this in our curriculum." "This was an emotional and powerful session (and) it's important that we never forget that real people are effected by these diseases."
"This has made me remember why I decided to become a doctor."
The Discovery to Cure Survivor Sessions are recognized and acknowledged by the Department of Medical Education as an invaluable tool in providing medical students with a memorable and experiential adjunct to their medical training.
Women interested in learning more about the program should contact us by contacting Ruth Ann Ornstein.