Boonshoft School of Medicine students win statewide Doctor’s Dilemma contest for second consecutive year

(L-R) Doug Laurain, Luke Andera and Robert Beaulieu won the Doctor’s Dilemma contest at the 2013 Ohio Chapter Scientific Meeting of the American College of Physicians on Oct. 10.

For the second consecutive year, three fourth-year medical students of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine won the statewide student Doctor’s Dilemma contest at the 2013 Ohio Chapter Scientific Meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP) on Oct. 10 in Columbus.

Luke Andera of Cresco, Iowa; Robert Beaulieu of Centerville, Ohio; and Doug Laurain of Dearborn Heights, Mich., competed against other medical student teams from Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Because the Boonshoft School of Medicine team won the student competition, it was allowed to compete in the first round of the resident competition, which it also won.

Doctor’s Dilemma is a medical jeopardy competition. Each year, internal medicine residency programs throughout the state form teams to compete at the Ohio ACP conference. This is only the second year the Ohio ACP has offered Doctor’s Dilemma to medical students, and Boonshoft School of Medicine teams won the competition both years. The 2012 WSU team included Tom Bacon, Kate Baker and Paul Blair.

“It was a great opportunity to showcase what Wright State students could do when put up against other top medical schools in the state of Ohio,” Laurain said. “The questions tested our knowledge on core subjects in internal medicine.”

Beaulieu explained that the questions addressed common and rare medical conditions, medical examination steps and diagnostic tests. “Doctor’s Dilemma^® was a lot of fun,” Beaulieu said. “It was something we definitely enjoyed.”

Karen Kirkham, M.D., associate professor and clerkship director in the Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, said the event showed the exceptional quality of Wright State medical students. “These guys are really competitive,” she said. “They strategized and practiced on their own.”