Emily Bogdanski, 2022 Ken and Joan Frankel Outstanding Premedical Student of the Year Award
Emily Bogdanski, 2022 Ken and Joan Frankel Outstanding Premedical Student of the Year Award
- Senior major in Biology, with a Premedical Studies co-major and Spanish Linguistics minor
- Undergraduate neuroscience researcher in the Department of Psychology
- Undergraduate Research Award (2020)
- Head supplemental instructor for Biology
- Mallory-Wilson Center Student Advisory Board
- Certified Nurse Assistant/Direct Support Person (Misericordia Heart of Mercy)
"As a first generation American and employee to people with disabilities, I have gotten the opportunity to experience and work with often forgotten and underserved populations. My goal as a physician is to bring relief and comfort to those that too often feel that they do not have a place in the world"
The 2021-22 recipient of the Ken and Joan Frankel Outstanding Premedical Student Award was Emily Bogdanski. Emily was a Biology major, with a co-major in Premedical Studies, and a minor in Spanish Linguistics. She has maintained an outstanding GPA and MCAT score, and as exceptional as her academic record was, her extracurricular involvement was equally so.
The Frankel Outstanding Premedical Student of the Year Award recognizes the top premedical student in each graduating class, and the awardee is selected by the Director and Assistant Director of the Mallory-Wilson Center for Healthcare Education.
Her activities show that she was actively engaged in the medical community as a volunteer at Highland Park and at McCullough-Hyde Hospital and as a frequent participant in medical shadowing. She also has long term involvement at Misericordia Heart of Mercy, working with children and adults with mild to profound developmental disabilities, many of whom are also physically challenged. For many years, she worked there as a volunteer, and more recently, she was employed as a Recreation and Leisure Aide, and then a Certified Nurse Assistant/Direct Support Person. In addition, Emily holds a peer buddy membership in Best Buddies, where she has a one-on-one relationship with an adult with Intellectual Developmental Disorder.
Emily became a Head Supplemental Instructor for Biology, in which she became level III CRLA certified so that she could provide the best instruction to her peers. She also got involved in behavioral neuroscience research in the Dr. Matthew McMurray lab, where she received an Undergraduate Research Award (unfortunately interrupted by COVID-19). Closer to home, Emily was a valuable member of the Mallory-Wilson Center Student Advisory Board, where she chaired the Center’s social media activities.
One unique contribution of Emily’s directly relates to the challenge that we all faced during our initial lockdown due to COVID-19. Using her background as a first-generation American of Polish immigrant parents, she became involved in the “Translate a Story” program, where she “translated 146 books from English to Polish on an online platform whose goal was to allow children to continue their education at home during the pandemic.”
Emily’s record both in and out of the classroom earned her multiple medical school acceptances, and we are excited to see her start medical school this fall. The Mallory-Wilson Center is proud to recognize Emily Bogdanski as not only a deserving recipient of this award, but also as an outstanding member of Miami’s pre-health community. Congratulations Emily!
[May 2022]
