The mission of the RUSM Alumni Association is to support Ross University School of Medicine in realizing its vision to be a premiere institution of academic health programs; provide advocacy and goodwill on behalf of the University within local, national and international medical communities and the public; and promote fellowship among the alumni, faculty, and students of the University.

Message FROM THE PRESIDENT

Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness

As I type my introduction letter to the alumni association members, there is another hurricane that has caused much damage to a Caribbean island.  As my thoughts and prayers go out to the good people of the Bahamas, I am reminded of similar events in recent history for our own Ross University School of Medicine (Ross) family.  Two terms: Courage and resilience come to mind immediately. Ross students, faculty, staff and administration have proven over the last 40 years that they are up to the task no matter what is being thrown at them.

The Ross family was able to withstand a category 5 hurricane approximately one year ago.  Throughout that difficult time students, staff and faculty and the administration demonstrated the courage and the resilience to push forward.  While the physical campus suffered irreparable damage, the true asset of Ross is its people.  They showed that the will to persevere under duress is stronger than any hurricane.

Fast forward to 1 year later and RUSM is back serving its mission, educating the next generation of physicians.  While the physical campus is different, the mission stays true to its roots.

We now have a group of 14,600+ graduates with a collective memory of one experience and a new generation of physicians who will be creating their new memories of a new island. I believe this is an exciting time for our institution not only for current students but for alumni as well.  Alumni are important in expressing and maintaining that collective memory and need to be able to share that with current students.

We all learned valuable lessons going to medical school in the Carib and some of those lessons were not about medicine at all. They were about ourselves and how we adapted to changes in our own environments as we navigated through the uncertainty. 

A solid foundation allows a safe and sturdy house to be built.  I hope that we can continue to be that foundation for the students and the University as a whole to allow them to feel that they can safely continue to build Ross 2.0.

Alumni can get involved now in many ways. From helping students with lodging on the interview trail, helping with interview skills to assisting Ross in information seminars and mentoring students who are interested in specific fields of practice.

I have enjoyed my time in the Ross family as a student, junior faculty, interim medical director on campus and with being on the Alumni Council now serving as the President of the Alumni Association.  I look forward to the next two years of service to the Alumni community and to participating in the many aspects that makes our family great.

Best Regards,

Panagiotis “Taki” Galanopoulos MD MSc FAAFP CCFP (RUSM Class of 2007)

RUSM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BENEFITS