Women in Medicine Month, observed throughout September, serves as a timely reminder of the invaluable contributions that women physicians, biomedical scientists, educators, and health care professionals have made to the field of medicine.

Heersink faculty and staff gathered in different spots around Birmingham to welcome the incoming class of medical students with celebrations.

Many of you may be considering how to best spend your time this summer. To provide some insight, our student co-contributors asked some of their fellow classmates how they spent, or how they wish they had spent, their summer before medical school.

As their first year of medical school comes to an end, our student co-contributors reached out to a few of their fellow MS1s to chat about what this year has meant to them, what they’ve enjoyed the most, and how it has lived up to, or differed from, their expectations.

Deciding where to live is an important factor to consider before beginning your journey as a medical student–but it doesn’t have to be challenging!