Wright State medical student Elisabeth Adkins appointed to Student National Medical Association board

Elisabeth Adkins is a dual M.D./MBA student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Elisabeth Adkins, a fourth-year medical and MBA student at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, was appointed to the board of directors of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA).

Adkins will serve as the national community service committee co-chairperson of SNMA, the nation’s oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of students of color.

“Since beginning medical school, I have always had one desire — to create sustainable change within our local communities that outlives our time as medical students, impacting generations to come,” Adkins said.

Adkins is pursuing an M.D./MBA dual degree through the Physician Leadership Development Program. She will graduate from the Boonshoft School of Medicine in 2023 with plans to match into obstetrics and gynecology.

She serves on the Boonshoft School of Medicine’s Admissions Committee, Medical Curriculum Steering Committee, and the OB/GYN Steering Committee. She is also treasurer of the OB/GYN Interest Group, co-president of the Dancing Doc’s FitFam Club and is a peer tutor for medical foundation courses.

Adkins has held other positions with SNMA, including as Black History Month co-chair and community service liaison on the Wright State chapter, the Region V community service liaison and co-chair of the social media and communications subcommittee.

“We have been able to organize community health fairs, establish and sustain community partnerships and complete regionwide community service events,” she said

For instance, Adkins worked with the Trotwood-Madison School District to offer tutoring services for students, collected over 1,400 books through a regional book drive and raised $1,600 to buy Christmas gifts for students and their families.

Before attending the Boonshoft School of Medicine, she served as a Pre-K Autism teacher and lead childcare teacher. She is president of Douglas-Braxton Inc., which provides educational services and community resources to underserved families and young students.

Adkins earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and cell science from the University of Florida.

SNMA is dedicated to increasing the number of African American, Latino and other students of color entering and completing medical school and to assisting in the eradication of racial and ethnic health disparities. With more than 150 chapters across the country, the SNMA membership includes over 7,000 medical students, pre-medical students, and physicians.

Wright State’s student chapter initiates and participates in several community activities including the Gem City Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Society; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Program; the Senior Recognition Banquet; and various local health fairs.

Adkins said as national community service co-chairperson, she will work to ensure that SNMA continues to be an “integral stakeholder in protecting and ensuring the optimal health of Black Americans.”

“We must provide valuable, vetted, unbiased education for our marginalized communities as we are an organization that embodies the essence of trust, safety and integrity,” she said.

A cooperative program between the Boonshoft School of Medicine and the Raj Soin College of Business, Wright State’s M.D./MBA Dual Degree Program teaches students the science of medicine and the business of health care. The MBA is granted by the Raj Soin College of Business.