Brick Student Rubs Elbows With Doctors At Conference

(PHOTOS: Tiana Ring, center, with students from Stafford, Va., and San Diego, whom she roomed with at the congress. She met Sir Richard Roberts, Ph.D., winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Third one is with the congress banner in the background. Courtesy Richard Ring)

Tiana Ring, a junior at Brick Township High School, traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to participate in the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, a two-day event for students who aspire to be doctors.

The event, sponsored by the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, exposes students from around the country to physicians and medical scientists to encourage students to pursue a career in medicine. More than 4,000 students participated.

“The National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists was founded on the belief that we must identify prospective medical talent at the earliest possible age and help these students acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of this vital career,” according to its website.

The Congress is just one of its programs to connect students with extensive information and guidance on how to become a doctor or medical scientist, according to the website.

“I’ve always had an interest in medicine and knew I wanted to become a doctor since elementary school,” Ring said. “ As I grew up, I realized I had a love for kids, so I figured why not combine them both and become a pediatrician. Ever since then, I’ve had my mind set on doing what it takes to reach that goal.”

The medical congress gave her an opportunity to make new connections and learn more about medicine, she said. Speakers included Dr. Rick Sacra, an Ebola survivor; Carmen Blandin Tarleton, recipient of the first full face transplant; Dr. Connie Mariano, who served as Navy physician to the White House under President George H.W. Bush and then as White House Physician under President Bill Clinton; and many others.

“Jake Andraka stood out the most,” Ring said. “He is my inspiration because at 15, he created a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer that is 28 times faster, 26,000 times cheaper and more than 100 times more efficient. It also works on ovarian and lung cancer. He is a role model to me and he has taught me that there are no limits to achieving greatness.”

Students are nominated to participate in the congress by their teachers, counselors and principals based on their dedication to entering the medical field as physicians or scientists (biomedical, technological, engineering and mathematics), leadership potential and academic excellence. A minimum of a 3.5 GPA is required, according to the organization’s website.