Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) is a national Honor Medical Society. Its purpose is to recognize and perpetuate excellence in the medical profession. Its goals are to promote scholarship and research in medical school, to encourage high standards and conduct, and to recognize high attainment in medical science, practice, and related fields. Its motto is: "Worthy to serve the suffering."
The University of Washington has an AΩA Chapter which consists of faculty and student members. A faculty counselor is appointed to chair the AΩA meetings and provide leadership for the Chapter's activities, which typically include service projects both within the School of Medicine and in the community beyond.
Student members are elected during the last two years of medical school. By national guidelines, a student must be in the top twenty-five percent of the class to be eligible for election. This determination of eligibility involves an assessment of the percent of Honors achieved in the required curriculum. However, scholastic excellence is not the only criterion for election into AΩA. Evidence of personal and professional development as a physician-in-training, integrity, compassion, fairness in dealing with one's colleagues, and capacity for leadership are considered to be of equal significance. Students elected into AΩA are those who, in the judgment of the local chapter, have shown promise of becoming leaders in their profession. By national guidelines, the total number of students that can be elected from a class may not exceed sixteen percent (16%) of the number graduating.
UW Counselor: Douglas Paauw, MD
UW Coordinator: Trish Zander
UW AΩA Chapter Newsletter
Link to National AΩA: http://alphaomegaalpha.org