Title:Students Meet With White House Medical Team

On a wintry day in January, the White House medical unit opened its doors to 25 Georgetown medical students and faculty. Despite a historic blizzard in D.C., and the complex logistics involved in any visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, members of the Military Medicine Interest Group (MMIG) made the trip. The group includes students participating in the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), veterans, and others interested in military medicine. 

Jett McCann, senior associate dean for knowledge management and director of Dahlgren Memorial Library at GUMC, described organizing the tour as a near miracle. “Over the past years, several HPSP students have tried to set this up and couldn’t pull it off,” said McCann, a retired Navy Captain and HPSP/MMIG adviser.

Ensign Margaret McCarthy (USNR, M’18), MMIG vice president, and 2nd Lt. Rita Snyder (USAR, M’18), MMIG president, arranged the event. “The team at the White House medical unit was very enthusiastic about our visit and was incredibly generous with their time and in shar-ing their experiences and passion for their work,” McCarthy said. 

The students received a tour and met the director and deputy director of the medical unit, as well as the current and former physicians to the president—an experience that Snyder described as “an unexpected and unbelievable privilege.”

“Their words of encouragement, genuine love for medicine, and service to our country were truly inspiring,” Snyder said. “The visit was an invaluable experience for all of us as we continue our education at Georgetown, preparing for similarly challenging and rewarding careers serving those who serve our nation.”