Jordan - Sanad AlghizzawiThe Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan located in the Middle East is full of amazing, spiritual and unique views and locati ons that anyone can enjoy! The Jordanian people are friendly and generous. Jordan is the third largest producer of phosphate and potassium and has one of the world’s wonders - the pink city of Petra - and of course the amazing “Dead Sea”.

America - Julia EllestadAmerican born and raised, this is my fi rst ti me living abroad. It takes ti me in a foreign country to bring to light what makes the United States special to me. Diversity is a key aspect that makes the United States an original enti ty. Specifi cally the landscape is what I miss the most living abroad. The diversity is undeniable. From east coast to west coast you can see an array of land-scapes each with its unique customs and adventures. Having access to such epic diversity is a small yet important factor that makes the United States so special, to me.

Canada - Alberti na Sebasti anKnown for its cold winter days, Canada is the home to approximately 35 millions people. It’s the birthplace of the infamous pouti ne, a traditi onal dish consisti ng of french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds and of course, maple syrup. The longest street in the world with a distance of 2000m, Yonge Street, can also be found in Toronto. Canada is home to one of the most established universiti es, McGill Uni-versity in Montreal -- defi nitely a school to look into for your medical rotati ons!

Cameroon - Adolphe MbahoCameroon is offi cially known as the Republic of Cameroon and is found in Central Africa with its capital being Yaounde. It occupies an area of 475,442kmsq with a populati on of approximately 22,534,532 inhabitants. It has two main offi cial languages, French and English. We use the Central African CFA franc as currency. Cameroon is disti ncti vely known for its diversity with about 250 tribes and cultures. Last but not the least Camer-oon is well known for being among the best African Soccer teams.

Diversity @ XUSOM

Diversity @ XUSOM 1Orientati on Program 2 Screening of The Doctor 2White Coat Ceremony 4 The Journey Begins 6Interviews 7Preventati ve Medicine 9Student Leadership Summit 10Taiwo’s Twitt erings 12Restaurant Reviews 13One Happy Island 14Gabriel’s Movie Corner 14

Accrediti tati on& Recogniti on

Vol 5 - I ssue No 4 - June 2015

Approved by the:Hashemite Kingdom of JordanMinistry of Higher Educationand Scienti� c Research

ACCMIreland

Accreditation Commissionon Colleges of Medicine

*CAAMP-HP accreditati on provisional unti l October 2015. ACCM accreditati on provisional unti l May 2018.

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From the editorsPleasant weather has come at last to many parts of North America but the strong sun is bringing warmer weather to the Caribbean. The cooling trade winds are still blowing keeping the heat at a tol-erable level. There have been changes to the Xavier Times team and Ms. Natasha Sebastian is the new student editor. Ms. Srishti Arya, a MD1 student who complet-ed her premedicals at Xavier writes about the Orientation Program. This semester we had used the game, ‘Glass cobra’ from the Theater of the Oppressed in the program which was enjoyed by the partic-ipants and the facilitators. Ms. Buonanno, MD2 student writes about the White coat ceremony and the Welcome dinner. Luis Rojas, our dapper MD1 student talks about beginning the long journey toward becoming a doctor. The sisters, Natasha and Albertina Sebastian interview the new faculty members while Asma Toor, MD5, describes her experiences at the leadership summit in Aruba. Dr Rose talks about the increasing role of preventative medicine and Dr Shankar shares one of his snaps of ‘One Happy Island’. We also share the screening of the movie ‘The Doctor’ and the associated activities. We have our regular features ‘Taiwo’s twitter-ings’, Gabe’s Movie Corner and restaurant reviews. Read on and enjoy!

Dr Ravi Shankar, Faculty Editor

Ms. Natasha Sebastian, Student Editor

Orientation program @ XUSOM

If just the thought of going to medical school is not scary enough, try having to actually go and attend the first day! So many emotions were occurring all at once – from nervousness and excitement, and back again. Alongside that mixture of emotions was curiosity to meet some new classmates, to get familiar with the professors, and to get a feel for what this new semester is going to look like.

After the welcomes and introductions from the Deans, registration for classes opened. But the majority of that time was spent interacting with faculty members and students to start build-ing bonds that will be present for the next few years.

Two full days were allotted to the Med 1 class solely for providing an over-view of what we should expect in the integrated curriculum; and what our assessors will be expecting of us. The video lectures we had with Dr. Little about what the future holds for International Medical Graduates (IMG), and Dr. Herz about the present US Healthcare System put things into perspec-tive. They effectively were able to communicate the bridges between basic sciences and clinical rotations, and the practicalities on the road to becoming a Medical Doctor. We have locked ourselves into a rapidly, and vastly devel-oping field of life-long learning.

It was then time to buckle down, and accelerate quickly forward. Dr. Neelam, Dr. Dubey, Dr. Nandy, Dr. Ravi, and Dr. Bala each gave the new MD1 class informative lectures on the way that we will be assessed; what Problem Based Learning (PBL), Self Directed Learning (SDL), and Early Clinical Exposure is; and even some tips on how to succeed. The importance of teamwork was discussed after an interesting interactive activity: The Glass Cobra. The brand new teamwork-testing, comfort zone-invading and in-stinct-dependant game proved to be a great hit! When introduced to this Brazilian theatre exercise, established by the legend Augusto Boal, we were skeptical about it. Everyone was to form a circle and link to

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each other by placing one’s hands on the shoulders of the person in front. After being blindfolded, we were instructed to palpate our partners’ shoul-ders and head. Then after being disbanded, still blindfolded, we were all on the hunt to find our partners – each one of us represented a single glass bead, and we needed to reassemble into our Glass Cobra. During discus-sions, we had determined that each of us had an equal and important part in completing the larger task given to us. One could not do the work of the other, so we all had to do our individual piece of work in order to be suc-cessful as a whole group. And that was an excellent way to introduce what our group projects would look like.

The last activity that was conducted was Small Group Discussions. Split in groups of three or four, we were required to read, and then summarize a New York Times Journal article to the rest of the group. The piece of writing stated factual and statistical information regarding the current US Health-care System. All of the groups did an excellent job at presenting the article, and then going into what the healthcare systems are like in our home coun-tries or adding some other general informational facts. Just as the rest of us students were ready to applaud loudly, we realized, that the professors were not through with us yet. That is when the grilling of the questions started – now this is what we have signed up for in Medical School. Unless you really knew the topic, and demonstrated that you understood the discussion, you would be drowning in your own sweat and tears. The thought provoking follow-ups each group was to answer was regarding Medical Doctors’ roles, moral ethics, and healthcare system improvements. Every group managed to satisfy the professors and get out of the main spotlight. But this activity also proved to be an important lesson. It was a glimpse of what we should be expecting when we are actually going to be evaluated on our countless group presentations. We will be in groups, and we need to “embrace and nurture our group”, in the wise words of Dr. Nandy.

The Orientation Program was a great way to be introduced into the MD1 integrated curriculum. Not only to the courses, but also to be introduced to our fellow classmates – with whom we will be spending much of our waking time with from now on. After be-coming ‘orientated’, we are now

ready to commence our journey, and continue up to the next level at Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba.

Srishti Arya MD1 student

Screening of the movie The DoctorMy students are fond of using the online encyclopedia ‘Wikipedia’ as an information source when I give them the task of researching a topic. The quality of information pro-vided by Wikipedia is improving rapidly and though initially a ‘wiki’-skeptic I am now among the converts and increasingly use Wikipedia as an information source. The online encyclopedia in its description of the movie ‘The Doctor’ (1991) mentions Dr Jack McKee (played by William Hurt) is a successful surgeon at a leading hospital. The film is based on the book ‘A Taste of My Own Medicine’ by the author Edward Rosenbaum. The main character under-goes a transformation in his views about life, illness and human relationships fol-lowing a diagnosis of laryngeal cancer. As Jack experiences life as a patient, there comes a clearer understanding of the void in emotions hospitals and some doctors, including his own colleagues, can display.

On the afternoon of May 27th the movie was screened in the Xavier school audito-rium. MD1 to 5 students and many faculty members attended the screening. The screening was followed by group activities where students in small groups critically examined different issues depicted in the movie. Each group had a student facili-tator and every two groups had a faculty facilitator. Dr Rose, Dr Nandy, Dr Bala, Dr Friedman and I were the faculty facilita-tors. The different groups shared their interpretations about the movie. Dr Fried-man shared his experiences with sickness and how doctors can provide vital support and hope to their patients. The activity was well received by the students and faculty members who attended. Dr Dubey, Dr Segie, Dr Perikala, Dr Holtzman and Mr. Hickey were among the faculty who attended. Mr. Barry and Mr. Hairo made the logistic arrangements.

Dr Ravi Shankar Faculty Editor

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The White Coat Ceremony

On Friday, May 22nd a White Coat Ceremony and Welcome Dinner was held for the XUSOM students. Last semester was my very first ceremony at XUS-OM, as I was one of the new MD1 students receiving their white coat. Sitting in those chairs at the very front of the room with a feeling of excitement going through you as you wait for your name to be called to get up there and receive your very own white coat was exhilarating.

All of those emotions from the white coat recipients needed to be contained as there was more to the event. As per usual, some very inspiring words were spoken by the Deans, who give their advice to the new and returning students. They reminded us that medical school requires dedication and sacrifices, and that we are all one big family getting through it together.

XUSOM was lucky enough to have Mr. Frank Croes, from the board of trustees during the lovely cere-mony this semester.

This semester’s ceremony was also very special as two very important students were passing down their presidency from the Student Government As-

sociation (SGA) and Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) group to two new members, along with new teams. We were glad to hear some lovely words of advice from both ladies, Ms. Manpreet Kaur (former president of SGA) and Ms. Asma Toor (former presi-dent of FMIG), for the new presidents, Ms. Natasha Sebastian (SGA president) and Ms. Albertina Sebas-tian (FMIG president).

Of course, the Welcome Dinner is also used to rec-ognize the students who have not only excelled in class but who have also taken on extra responsibili-ties on top of their very busy schedules. It is always very exciting to see everyone standing proudly as they hold their certificates!

After having awarded all MD1 students with their white coats, which they wore proudly throughout the night, everyone was very happy to see the can-teen staff serving a variety of salads, fish and meats. You could not resist filling your plates, as everything looked so delicious!

This semester, I was lucky enough to help set up the event along with former and new SGA and FMIG members. The time and effort put in from all is incredible. However, nothing beats the feeling of walking up to receive your White Coat, and we wanted all new students to feel proud on becoming part of the XUSOM family.

Congratulations and a great semester to all!

Franca Buonanno MD2 Student

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The Journey Begins Starting Medical School in the CaribbeanThis article narrates the first weeks of medical school at Xavier University School of Medicine

A wise man once said that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step”- Lao Tzu. For 20 young people this summer, that single step began with Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM). My first arrival at Aruba was just as I imagined, being the highly tourist focused destina-tion that it is, I was greeted with a warm welcome, however the best welcome came from XUSOM. Upon arrival XUS-OM had sent one of its vehicles for the transportation of my wife and me. Our immediate impression was that the school cares about students and likes to help in anything they can, and now after 3 weeks of school, I can still say the same.

Beginning medical school sometimes can be a daunting task, especially in the beginning. I wondered how the curriculum would be, as well as the overall integration with my class. However, after the orientation I felt more at ease, I learned that XUSOM has an integrated curriculum and that the classes would be smaller than the lecture hall I was used to. After 3 weeks and my first integrated quiz I am glad to say that I am pleased with the curriculum and class size. In addition during orientation the class got the opportunity to get to know each other. We had various exercises which focused on both getting to know each other and working as a team.

After the first 2 weeks of class, we had our first big import-ant assignment, the integrated quiz. This quiz was to test all the different topics we had seen till then. Being the first big assignment and wanting to do well, I remember the feeling of uncertainty, worry, and stress of preparedness. However,

after studying each topic and going in to the quiz with a pre-pared and positive attitude, the quiz turned out great. Over-all, the quiz was difficult but very fair, this quiz was our first form of assessment in letting us know how much hard work and sacrifice is needed to be successful in medical school.

The third week was the most exciting and perhaps the most memorable week to date. This was the week of the White Coat Ceremony. According to Georgetown University Professor R M Veatch, the White Coat Ceremony symbol-izes the conversion of a lay person into a member of the healthcare profession, similar to that of a priest’s ordination to the priesthood. This moment was a very special moment for me since I saw this as the beginning of not only learn-ing about medicine but having the responsibility to begin patient interaction. After receiving our white coats, we then proceeded with the Hippocratic Oath. This was another pin-nacle moment, since here I truly felt the responsibility and duty that was entrusted to me. Overall, the ceremony was beautiful, the decorations made by the Student Govern-ment Association and the Family Medicine Interest Group, were true to the importance of the ceremony. The faculty and other students from other graduating classes made me feel very welcomed and proud to be part of this great community, which I am proud to now call home.

Luis Carlos Rojas MD 1 student

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InterviewsDr. Usha Rusia Originally from New Del-hi, India, Dr. Usha Rusia is Xavier University’s new pa-thology professor. Dr. Ru-sia is a married mother of two. Her children are also physicians practicing in the United States. She taught pathology for 32 years and has been a professor for the past 20 years. She was Head of the Department of Pathology at the New Delhi University and was also Dean of Faculty of medical sciences for seven years. Hematopathology is her area of research, and she has also expertise in leukemia, lymphoma, nutritional and hemolytic anemia. Dr. Rusia decid-ed to leave the polluted and busy life of New Delhi, India and close friends and family members recommended she come to Aruba. Having so much experience in her profession, she fig-ured that she would share her knowledge with aspiring physi-cians. I had the chance to chat Dr. Rusia about her career and what advice she has for XUSOM’s future physicians.

When did you know you wanted to be a physician? In India, you must decide by 14 years old what subjects you want to learn, and I chose sciences.

Why did you choose pathology? As a pathologist, you need sharpness and to be able to cor-relate a lot of things — aptitude for an inquiring mind. It gives you a lot of clinical touch and you are able to have a fixed schedule, there are no “on calls”, that’s the best part!

Was pathology your first choice? In India, it is a pre requisite to do two rotational subjects before specializing. I have done rotations in internal medicine and OBGYN, and then I chose to specialize in pathology since I was married by then.

What do you suggest is the best way to study pa-thology? Pathology is the most fundamental basis of disease, it’s very important. If you know your pathology, you can correlate science and symptoms, you can know what drugs best suit the patients’ needs and how they influence them. By understand-ing the pathogenesis of a disease and the changes occurring in the body, you can learn to be a better physician and under-stand your patient much better.

Dr. Rusia mentions that she was very fond of reading as a child, and Final Diagnosis (by A.J. Cronin) was and still is one of her favorite books.

If you could choose any course that you’ve always wanted to teach, besides pathology, what would it be and why? Hematology alone — as a clinician.

If you can give any piece of advice to XUSOM’s future physicians, what would it be? Work hard, that’s the best advice I can give you. Professors will take all the time to teach you and give you the necessary in-formation and motivate you, but ultimately it’s your own work that’ll get you through — you cannot bypass hard work! Also, be regular. Do not leave things for the last minute. Pathology is a subject for understanding; you cannot learn it by heart. Go through it with understanding then things will fit together. If you study by heart for the sake of examination, you will forget it. Learn your stuff on a daily basis!

Albertina Sebastian MD3 student

Dr. David Holtzman, PhDWe would all like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Holtz-man, the new histology and neuroscience professor. He was gracious enough to allow me a few minutes of his time to find out more about him.

Where are you from? I was raised in New York City, but I come from Rochester, NY.

You’re a neuroscience professor, right? How did you decide on neuroscience? Yes. When I was in my undergraduate at Cornell University, I took a comparative neuroscience course during my senior year. I fell in love with it and decided I would go to graduate school in neuroscience at Suny Downstate Medical Center for my PhD.

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What was your undergraduate degree? In biology with concentration in anatomy and physiology.

How did you hear about Xavier University? I first heard about XUSOM about 5-6 years ago, when they were looking for people, but I was unavailable at the time. So I applied for the job last year.

Is this your first time in Aruba? How do you like it so far? It is my first time. I like it very much.

How do you like being at Xavier University? I am very pleased.The students are very energetic. My first few lectures were very fun. The students were very interac-tive. Its quite an enjoyable experience.

Tell us something about yourself that we don’t already know. Most people here probably don’t know that I used to study learning and brain development in snakes.

Why snakes? Because their brains never stop growing.

Do you have any advice for the students here at XUSOM? As future physicians, it is important to always remember to be kind.

Thank you very much for your time, Dr. Holtzman and welcome to Xavier University!

Dr. Alberto Friedmann, PhDXUSOM would like to welcome Dr. Alberto Friedmann to the faculty. I had the luxury of siting down with Dr. Fried-mann to inquire a little about himself.

You are from Rhode Island, right? Yes, I grew up in Rhode Island, but I’m from Boston. I moved here from St-Louis, where I’ve been for about 15 years.

Cool. Where did you do your undergraduate and graduate degrees? My bachelor’s degree is ac-tually in writing and literature. I was a journalist for about 10 years. Then I went back to school and got my master in

exercise physiology with a focus in neuro. I then got my doc-torate in neurophysiology, but really focusing on the human body as a whole and rehabilitative therapy.

What brought you to study physiology? Chinese medicine. As I was studying Chinese medicine, a friend of mine said: “There’s some western science you would be interested in.” It was very cool and that was it!

How did you hear about XUSOM? Just online. I was going through job openings on a site for doctors and PhDs and saw Xavier and thought “Oh, let’s check it out.” and here I am.

Awesome. How do you like it here so far? It’s very cool. I like the philosophies here and the way they’re thinking.

Have you ever visited Aruba before? Do you like it? No, I haven’t. I like it. It takes some getting used to and I’m learning my way around. The culture is very… very Aruban!

Very relaxed! Yes. I’m learning to deal with that. I never thought I would long for the DMV.

Is there anything about you that we don’t already know? Well most of the students already know about my sport and marshal art background. I’m an Olympic bronze medalist at the Maccabiah games which are an Olympic event in Karaté. What students probably don’t know is that I spent a significant amount of time training military and police for counter-terrorism. I used to work as a counter-terrorism task force member for the department of homeland secu-rity. I am a published author and again, I was a journalist for 10 years.

Well, you have a very impressive résumé! Thank you.

Do you have any words of advice for the XUSOM students? Work hard. Being a doctor, whether its MD or PhD, if it were easy, everybody would do it. So be ready for the difficul-ties of it. And understand that the end goal is still helping people and making people better.

Awesome. Thank you very much and welcome to the XUSOM family !

Natasha Sebastian Student Editor

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Hans Selye, the famous endocrinologist at McGill Universi-ty, introduced the concept of G.A.S. (generalized adaption syndrome) or better known as stress, which he further divided into Eustress and Distress.

Stress can be a motivator and provide incentive to get the job done. This “good stress” is what eustress can be iden-tified as and some people enjoy it. Everyone needs a little bit of stress in their life in order to be happy, motivated, challenged and productive. It is when this stress is no lon-ger tolerable and/or manageable that it becomes distress.

Distress is bad stress, which is when the good stress becomes too much to bear or cope with. Tension builds, there is no longer any fun in the challenge, there seems to be no relief and no end in sight.

This is the kind of stress most of us are familiar with and this is the kind of stress that leads to poor decision mak-ing.

Physiological symptoms of distress include an increase in blood pressure, rapid breathing and generalized tension. Behavioral symptoms include overeating, loss of appetite, drinking, smoking and negative coping mechanisms.

Today’s medical approach tends to be from a Distress perspective, that is to say reactionary. People tend to cir-cumvent responsibility for their personal well being; they adopt the “ostrich with its head buried in the sand” men-tality and shirk any personal onus for their own health.

Whereas, the future role of preventative medicine will need to adopt a Eustress perspective that advocates apply-ing knowledge before a crisis arises, and encouraging peo-ple to take on a more responsible and collaborative role in their personal health.

Medicine is now undergoing a major revolution that will transform the nature of healthcare from reactive to pre-ventive and from disease to wellness. The changes will be catalyzed by a new systems approach to disease that will trigger the emergence of personalized medicine — a med-icine that focuses on the integrated diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease in individual patients.

In the past few years there has been considerable debate about whether prevention is worthwhile, and during this time we have ignored powerful, simple measures, leaving significant potential to avoid disease unrealized.

Is, in fact, an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure, or not?

Primordial prevention, which does not allow risk values to appear in a population, affords more complete protection than subsequent partial reversal of elevated risk factors or biomarkers.

Current evidence supports recent calls for massive educa-tional programs supporting primordial prevention, individ-ual responsibility and pride in achieving population-wide ideal health through lifestyle modification.

What this translates into is that environmental and social changes will be necessary. In addition there needs to be major supportive adjustments in the food industry and assistance from the media.

Cooperation will be critical to the success of such an initia-tive.

What this approach entails is a fundamental paradigm shift.

A new paradigm that embraces detection of disease at earlier stages stratifies patients into groups to enable op-timum therapy and in general shifts the focus in medicine from reaction to prevention.

This type of comprehensive prevention strategy is not only proven to be effective, it is the only sustainable solution to relieve the economic and social burden of chronic illnesses at the heart of the health care crisis.

The current reactive, illness-oriented sick care system is nei-ther cost-effective nor efficient. To realistically provide an inclusive program a new approach must be adopted toward a more proactive, wellness-oriented health care system.

Dr C Rose Assoc Prof. of Behavioral Science

The Role of Preventative Medicine in the Future Is the “glass half empty or half full?”

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The 2015 Student Leadership Summit in Aruba, which was the 4th annual, such event, was an amazing three-day ex-perience that fit well with its theme of “hero in the mirror, servant in the heart.” From my personal experience, this leadership conference equipped many students with the confidence, independence, skills, and teamwork required for the next generation of future leaders.

On the first day – “meet and greet,” participants had the chance to not only interact with one another, but also received the opportunity to meet the various organizers from Circle K International of the University of Aruba, and the program developers Ms. Mary Elizabeth Woolery and Mr. Scott Heydt. The venue was at Kiwanis Palm Beach Club House in Nepthalie Park, where there was sand and a beautiful view of a sunset with boats passing through the sea. The leadership conference organizers had set up a stage open to anyone who would like to mingle and dance. Participants also had the surprising opportunity to play var-ious games based on building confidence and strengthening teamwork. My favorite part of the experience was when we played the traditional tag game with a twist – everyone was split from their schools and was assigned a partner from a different school, and then the partners had to hold their arms in between and try to tag the opponent team. It was an interesting experience where simple lessons were learned – teamwork, trust, respect, and “to come out of one’s shell.”

On the second day or the official – “Day 1 of the summit,” participants met at the University of Aruba and were intro-duced to the cycle of a hero. Through the YouTube video demonstration titled, “What Makes a Hero? – Matthew Winkler,” the cycle of a hero is considered in the following steps: 1. Drafted, 2. Boot Camp, 3. War Zone, 4. Foxhole, 5. The Rescue, 6. Zen with You, and 7. Welcome Home. After the hero goes through all these steps, the cycle starts over again with a new goal or mission at heart. With this concept in mind, participants had the chance to explore each one of these steps in detail. That evening, there were various activities ranging from playing games to group thinking discussions. We had the chance to play “Crossing the River” once again, and succeeded with flying colors. We also played other games involving an emotional theme that was represented through molding a clay-doh image that we hold dear to our hearts, another was through challenging the mind by solving a logic puzzle that was unscrambled and

had to be build back together again, and lastly, a physical challenge in which a team had to work with one-another to get everyone safely out of a tight tent situation. My favorite part of that day was when we participated in the different games, as well as, when we took some moments to reflect into our lives and have a chance to write in our leadership workbooks about how we were drafted into our journey, thinking of our mentors, finding a higher purpose, and as well as, to acknowledge and be prepared to face our battles like passing our exams with flying colors including the USM-LE-Step 1.

On the third and final day or the official – “Day 2 of the summit,” participants met at the same venue at the Univer-sity of Aruba, where the cycle of the hero was completed. The day started with describing the foxhole in the hero’s life, where a hero hides in the middle of a fight and feels quite empty. We learned to acknowledge some of our moments in the foxhole by reflecting on the moments that keep us in

2015 Student Leadership Summit in Aruba

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there to hide away from our battles, fears, and the world. We also went through the rescue phase of the hero’s cycle, where we learned that as heroes, we should step aside our ego and serve others. The importance of the hero being equivalent to a servant is reflected in the truth that a hero gives more than receiving. Participants also played more games including wiffle-ball, building Lego-structures, play-ing knives/forks/spoons, and sharing our emotional me-mentos that represented unconditional love. Later on, guys/girls activities were coordinated, as well as on how to lead by example of service and commitment. My favorite part of the experience was playing the various games – they were all quite fun and cleverly interesting in their own way. My favorite part of the experience was playing the wiffle-ball game that consisted of having a strong team. We were explained the rules in the beginning and were expected to abide by them. One had to be cautious to pick up the right bat color, put the bat back after batting, and also, the team had to be in a designated batting-cage mat area and be careful as to not step off the mat or else, that is considered an official “out.” With this activity, one learned confidence by accepting the challenge to go out and bat because team members cheered on the member that was about to bat to encourage him/her, the batter also had to pick up the right bat color & put it respectfully back into its container after finishing, which showed respect for rules, discipline, and setting up a clean slate for the next member in the line, and in addition, this game taught us to consider safety for others and how to create a positive atmosphere of respect, confidence, and encouragement.

Overall, this leadership summit was indeed a success. It inspired participants to expand their horizons and explore the future on a whole new level as they work among peers, interact with other leaders, and gain various perspectives – with the ultimate goal of being a hero and leading by example to the community by working together as a team. Many participants came out of their “shy shells,” and were more confident in expressing themselves and their ideas. As well as, through the various activities and challenges, one learned to acknowledge fear and through mentorship and finding a higher purpose, surpass the war zone and eventu-ally, find a belonging with others and empty the self of just thinking of the “self.” This leads one to lead by example of service and commitment, and fulfillment through giving. One balances one’s own needs with the responsibility to serve others. Thus, the self is filled with the desire to “make life a better place for all who walk this path.” A team cannot be without a competent and compassionate leader, and a leader cannot be without a strong and united team.

I would like to give a big thank you to Xavier University School of Medicine for giving me the opportunity to attend this amazing student leadership conference.

Asma Toor MD5 student Past FMIG president

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Fairy Tale Told Yesterday Still holding onto the remains, the promise of love unforgotten,

as they unfurl untold in her heart,

within her soul,

she holds it tightly

as if sewn between her longing cusps,

the slowly un-aging embers of yester-years,

the pains left her forlorn, forgone

she cherishes him, misses him, her prince, who chose his demise

she wilts, sheds her solitude, bleeds and unites them with the tears of the rain,

she reminisces while seeking for nature’s embrace,

she searches and wonders whether her story will ever be saved

or forever lost

and

heard just like any other fairy tale told yesterday.

Amy’s goodbye – Part IAs the sound of the ebbing wind came by to deliver its final message of good-bye to her ears

she knew it was time to embrace her destiny and get rid of all her fears

she wept silently as she said goodbye to all her peers

all of a sudden the world behind her seemed to be crumbling in tears

she gazed at her surrounding-environ-ment,

from her home,

to her family,

to the neighbors

and her favorite teddy bears

she stared at the face of her parents as she packed

& wanted to tell them “Don’t worry I’ll be fine & I know you care”

as soon as it was time to go, she couldn’t stop saying to herself

“I can’t believe I’m doing this, Oh dear”

before she turned around vanishing into thin air.

A Message Of Hope For Us All He looked up at the skies as if he saw the heavens open as his heart bled seeing the clouds engulf the face of the earth reluctantly, he was glad he was living

a lifeless soul, but still breathing the mysterious misery of his daily life left him stranded and soaked in his worldly desires drenched in the tears of his abominable fears he lived outside in the cold, the last place he preferred he lost his job, couldn’t pay his rent he went around begging, humiliated this thought continually recurred in his head “How do I start all over again” He lay outside in the cold for over two years shivering in tears,

gnashing for hope feeling abandoned to him all hope was lost Good news! a letter of appointment had arrived at his former residence the present occupant read the name on it to his amazement,

it was addressed to his current resi-dence and had the name of the former occupant,

the man in the news who had just taken his life Please don’t give up your time will come here is a message of hope for us all.

Taiwo’s Twitterings Mr. Taiwo Odumosu, MD3 student

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If you are a big fan of seafood then look no further, the best place to get fresh English style beer batt ered fi sh and chips would be the Daily Fish restaurant. Whether you are looking to get something to eat right away, or if you are looking to get some fresh seafood to prepare at home, this is the place to check out. They have freshly caught fi sh, lobsters red and reef, crab, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, etc. The prices are compati ble with student budgets, which is simply a bonus.

Price: $Address: Bubali 141-A, Noord, ArubaPhone: +297 587 2224

Taiwo’s Personal Quotes“Miscommunication often always leads to misunderstanding”

“Not all efforts in life count but all efforts matter”

“Love is the source of pure rhythms and sounds where pleasant melodies and memories abound”

“Fantasy seems like thinking in a vac-uum --- devoid of any external interfer-ence”

“Realization that one is a part of a whole, brings dependence into the equation as a necessity”

“Just an iota of love in the domain of ha-tred can make unimaginable signifi cant difference, like a molecule of oxygen binding to haemoglobin or like a drop of water sending ripples of waves along the waters”

“The human nature is defi ned but understanding or experience can alter (change) it”

“We are most likely bound to fail (crash) when we jump ahead of our understand-ing and dive into unfounded assump-tions (conclusions)”

“A man’s intentions are not (necessari-ly) inscribed nor escribed onto his face, they are equations that are gradually evolving, forever revolving in his mind”

“Great teachers and brilliant authors make it easier for creative people”

Mr. Taiwo Odumosu, MD3 student

Restaurant Reviews

So it’s aft er 10 pm and you are feeling hungry, as you well know, only places to get food are food trucks, but which one to pick is the questi on. If you are craving Mexican food, then the best food truck to check out would be the El Mexicano food truck. Their special frieze is to die for, especially with their special sauce to go on top. Their tacos are very small so I would suggest you order two but their burritos are big enough to fi ll you up. This food truck is a litt le bit pricier than the other food trucks; but believes me; the extra few dollars are totally worth the food experience.

Price: $Address: Palm Beach 41Phone: +297-7322560

Pouria MohammadiMD1 student

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The Babadook (2014)

Director Jennifer Kent’s first feature film is psychological horror that is in a class of its own. The story revolves around widowed mother Amelia (played wonderfully by Essie Davis), who struggles to cope with raising her six year old son, mostly because she blames him for the death of her husband. Her son, Samuel, is terrified of imaginary monsters, a fear his mother gradually comes to share. The movie effectively takes a very real and traumatic event that is easy to relate to and ramps it up to the point of insanity, thus establishing characters that the audience is interested in. From the very outset of the film, The Babadook is designed to be a delicate character story, where the challenges of adulthood play just as import-ant a role in the horror as the films monster (maybe even more important than the monster). The film is very well crafted, insightful and thought provoking (in a twisted kind of way). The best part is that it doesn’t rely on cheap jump tactics for scares, but rather imparts a lingering sense of dread by taking a passionate and uncompromising look at mental illness in the face of unexplainable forces. The Australian film uses an expressionist style to bring to life a monster that is all too real in our world, grief. Let’s face it, most horror movies these days sound all too similar plot wise, and disappoint just as equally. This isn’t the case in regards to The Babadook, a film which deceptively presents itself as a simple story of psychological delusion. By the end of the movie, audiences will be sur-prised by the brilliantly designed and unsettling story, strong character acting, and disturbing finish. What more could you ask for in a horror movie?

Score: 9/10

Gabriel’s Movie CornerOne Happy IslandI was on the deck of a United States Coastguard patrol ship looking towards Aruba’s shoreline. The blue green waters surrounding ‘One Happy Island’ have al-ways fascinated me since my first glimpse in January 2013. The waters turned to a dark blue as we slowly receded from the shoreline and downtown looked different from the water. The wind was picking up speed. The crowd of onlookers was milling around on board the ship. Downtown was pretty in the evening sunshine. I found it hard to imagine that nearly all of it had been built on reclaimed land. The Dutch have always been good at land reclama-tion. In the good old days the waters of the Caribbean Sea used to lap around the fortifications of Fort Zoutman. Built in 1798 by the Dutch Army the fort is the oldest structure in Aruba and was named after Rear Admiral Johan Arnold Zoutman who had never set foot on Aruba. Sail Aruba held from May 1st to 3rd in Oranjestad Harbor is billed as the greatest nautical event in the Caribbean. The famous sailing ship ‘Picton castle’ was in attendance but to my disappointment visitors were not being allowed on board. I enjoyed my walk in the harbor and the chance to be a part of nautical history.

Dr. Ravi Shankar Faculty Editor

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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road is a return to the Australian post-apocalyptic world created by genius director George Miller 30 years ago. The film is directed, produced, and co-written by Miller, and is the fourth film in the Mad Max franchise. Mad Max is set in a dystopian future desert wasteland where gasoline and water have become invaluable commodities. The plot revolves around a drifter with a tragic past who must help several women escape from what basically amounts to slavery. This is really a story of redemption, and it is so incredibly done that you’ll swear it’s not a sequel or a reboot, but a standalone revisit to one of the most unforgettable narratives ever told. Mad Max: Fury Road basically redefines the modern western and action movie. The film is more than solidly acted, relying more on expression

than on script, on action rather than words. Tom Hardy does an incredible job replacing Mel Gibson as the titular character of Max (best Max iteration yet), but is surprisingly outshined by Charlize Theron who plays badass hero Imperator Furiosa so well that audience members may forget they are watching a character in a movie. Every part of the film is riddled with history and character, and every scene is beautifully shot, but audiences will have a hard time taking this all in, as the film makes sure your adrenaline never stops pumping. In fact, there is not a single wasted scene or word in the movie, and best of all there is no exposition detailing what has happened and bogging down the narrative. This is a master class in action filmmaking and there is no room for superfluity and softness.

Score 10/10

Amilcar G Toro MD 2 student

Xavier Times team

Faculty editor:

Dr. P Ravi Shankar

Student editor:

Natasha Sebastian

Faculty advisors:

Dr. A Nandy Dr. R Balasubramanium

Mr. J Hickey Dr. Christopher Rose

Student members: Albertina Sebastian MD 3

Luqman Goraya MD 3 Taiwo Odumosu MD 3

Amilcar Gabriel Toro MD 2 Franca Buonanno MD 2 Manuel Paez Premed 3

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North American Admissions Offi ce1000 Woodbury RoadWoodbury, New York 11797 USATEL: 516-333-2224FAX: 516-921-1070info@xusom.com | www.xusom.com

Aruba CampusSanta Helenastraat #23 Oranjestad, ArubaDutch CaribbeanTEL: 297-588-7766Fax: 297-588-6222

“Cultivating Great Minds for Primary Care Medicine”