Welcome from President March Seabrook, MD, FACG

Dear Alumni and Friends,

It is a privilege to be a physician.  We have the opportunity to positively affect people’s lives every day.  We are the experts that have the education, training and experience to make a difference in the health of our community.  We have committed our lives to our profession and being a physician defines who we are.  I am proud of that fact, and I hope you are too. 

You can also be proud of the USC School of Medicine.  The first students arrived at the downtown campus in 1977 and those same students recently celebrated their 30th reunion.  I graduated in the Class of 1986 and we spent our first year in the building on the corner of Sumter and Greene Street before moving to the current campus in fall of 1983.  Though the buildings and faces have changed, the school’s commitment to the community and the state has not.  The task of educating our future physicians is being accomplished by an innovative curriculum, taught by a top notch faculty and led by Dean Hoppmann and his outstanding staff.   They are all doing a great job.  The School of Medicine received a full eight-year accreditation from the LCME in 2009. Student applications continue to be at an all-time high and the quality of the students is terrific. 

Is everything perfect?  Not quite.  The challenges that the school faces are significant.  Most of this involves the financial cuts that are affecting higher education and all of medicine.  A concerning side effect is the mounting debt that accompanies the graduating medical student.  The average student graduates from our medical school with an average of $150,000 of debt.  Though the state subsidizes the school with some tax dollars, the financial burden on the student is ever increasing.  The uncertainty that exists after graduation and training presents its own set of issues.  The overwhelming regulations brought on by the Affordable Care Act coupled with the current economic conditions are creating an uneasy situation that is felt by the students and the alumni alike.  The solutions will not be easy but my hope is that we will continue to develop a workable program that incentivizes good health and patient responsibility.  These challenges bring opportunities for all of us to become more involved in the delivery of health care. 

I am honored to serve as the President of the Alumni Association, and as a graduate of this great institution, I hope you feel a sense of obligation and commitment to the school that has allowed you the privilege of being a physician.  I hope you have an opportunity to give back with your time and energy and resources to ensure the health of our Alma Mater, our community and our profession. 
  
March Seabrook, MD, FACG
Class of 1986
President, School of Medicine Alumni Association

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