On December 19th students, faculty, and the staff of the MD-PhD Program came together for the first ever Yale MD-PhD zoom telethon. Organized by students Drew Daniels (year 5) and Hannah Batchelor (year 3), they sought to create an event that would cap off the annual holiday fundraiser - and do so in style.
The lineup of presentations included everything from “art-art”, by Dr. Fred Gorelick, to the basics of astro-photography, by Dr. Sandy Chang, to a sourdough bread making workshop by Dr. Barbara Kazmierczak and her husband Michel. There was even a special “appearance” of the program’s very own Cheryl DeFilippo via a pre-made movie. The goal, of course was two-fold; to give students a chance to learn from (and about) their faculty in ways they otherwise wouldn’t, and to encourage them to donate to a local New Haven charity in exchange for doing so.
With much learning and many laughs (along with some rapid-fire raffles, including a beer brewing workshop with Dr. Keith Choate and mini bread baking workshops with Dr. Kazmierczak and Michel) the telethon managed to raise over $1600 for the Community Action Agency of New Haven! These funds were all used for the purchase of gift cards for local grocery stores to be distributed to those who are food insecure in New Haven.
While our community could not gather in person this year, the telethon and the funds raised by it, are a testament to just how special this community is.