OU Alumnus becomes National President of the Student National Medical Association

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is proud to announce that Oakwood Alumnus Michael G. Knight was installed as National President during the 2011 Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Knight will serve as the lead programmatic coordinator and official spokesperson of the SNMA, overseeing 14 national committees with projects and initiatives to be implemented by more than 250 medical school and undergraduate chapters across the United States and the Caribbean.

"I am honored to serve the SNMA as the 2011-12 National President," says Knight. "During the year, our leadership team will continue to propel the SNMA to unprecedented heights. We aim to envision our organizational future, engage our membership and empower our communities like never before."

Knight, originally from New York City, attended Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama), where he graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences. In July 2007, he matriculated at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio), where he is currently a fourth-year medical student.

"Throughout Michael's career at the Lerner College of Medicine, he has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in academic endeavors and in leadership. I am confident that his experience leading the SNMA will prepare him to serve as a physician leader and to help promote a pipeline of physician leaders for the future," says James A. Young, MD, Executive Dean of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

Knight has been instrumental in addressing the needs of Cleveland's underserved populations, through the organization of various programs, including the "Journey to the Medical Profession" and "Passport to Manhood" youth mentoring initiatives. Knight also leads national SNMA efforts focused on increasing the pipeline of underrepresented minority physicians, increasing cultural competency in medical education, and increasing HIV/AIDS awareness in minority communities with the "Greater Than AIDS" initiative. As an aspiring academician and future clinician, Knight hopes to encourage data-driven results, not only to treat chronic diseases, but also to advance community-based participatory research and eliminate racial and ethnic healthcare disparities.

About SNMA: Founded in 1964 by medical students from Howard University School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College, the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the nation's oldest and largest, independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color. Organized with chapters across the nation, the SNMA membership includes over 6,000 medical students, pre-medical students and physicians. The SNMA is dedicated to increasing the number of African-American, Latino, and other students of color entering and completing medical school, and to assist in the eradication of racial and ethnic health disparities. SNMA community service and mentoring programs provide science appreciation, healthcare education, mentoring, and academic enrichment to elementary, junior high school, high school and college students interested in pursuing health careers.