The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) has honored the Georgia Tech chapter with its Paul R. Wright Award for chapter excellence. The Tech chapter won out over five other finalists, and is the first pre-medical chapter to ever receive the honor. Students Robin Jacob, co-president, and Chun Yong, vice president, will receive the award in person at the AMSA Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., March 11-13.

“Georgia Tech has done a lot to receive this award,” said Yong, who helped plan the organization’s pre-health conference in February. “We have had many meetings, volunteer events, banquets, global health education weeks and our annual pre-health conference.”

Yong said the primary criteria for the award were recruitment and activities, both heavily emphasized by Tech’s chapter, which boasts more than 350 members and is the largest in the state. This year, the chapter created a mentorship program for freshman and organized a medical mission trip to Peru during spring break. Its pre-health conference included a career fair open to all Tech students, giving the chapter an opportunity to serve all of campus, not just its own members.

The recognition is accompanied by a monetary award for the chapter’s continued programming, some of which will fund a Tech AMSA Scholarship, enabling the chapter to give back to its own members for their dedication.

Mirjana Brockett in the School of Biology serves as faculty advisor for the group, with advisement also provided by Jennifer Kimble, director of pre-health advising. “They are a wonderful group of students,” Brockett said. “One of the best student organizations.”

GT AMSA was also one of several schools to receive a Chapter of the Quarter Award from AMSA. The chapter will celebrate its honors and announce its first AMSA Scholarship recipient at a year-end banquet in April.