Amy Liebeskind, M.D. ’98, was honored with an AYA Leadership Award for Volunteer Innovation and Service Award at the Association of Yale Alumni’s annual Assembly in November. Liebeskind first joined the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine (AYAM) in 2014, when AYAM created working committees to better support student and alumni programming, and was elected to the executive committee in 2015. That year, in consultation with the Office for Women in Medicine, she developed the idea for the Yale School of Medicine Women's Alumnae-Student Mentorship Program, an opportunity for alumnae of the school to share their knowledge and experience with current female students, both in person and on-line.
Two rounds of invitations later, Liebeskind has brought together 109 mentors and 92 mentees, personally matching the respondents and taking into account their geographic location, medical specialties, healthcare setting, and interest in research. This fall she timed the invitations to go out just as the entering class of students arrived on campus, in order to provide them with an alumna match from the earliest possible moment. As the driving force behind this program, she has collaborated with departments all across the medical campus. Her leadership has been recognized by her peers at AYAM, where she now co-chairs the Student Engagement Committee.
Alumnae interested in participating as a mentor in the next round of matches may email Liebeskind at ysmwomensmentorshipprogram@gmail.com