Meet AU's Medical Occupations Community

AU’s Medical Occupations Community was formed earlier this year and provides healthcare students with the opportunity to make new connections. (photo courtesy of Vikash Ayyappan)

By Rakiyah Lenon | Editor in chief

The Medical Occupations Community is a new student organization at Augusta University aiming to create a space for all students who are interested in the medical field.  

Founded earlier this year with nearly 150 members, the organization is led by students who want to help other undergraduates with their academic journey in healthcare and consists of several majors and backgrounds. It is free to all who would like to join. 

On Thursday, March 16, MOC will hold its second meeting in EC 1210 on the Health Science Campus at 6.pm. Members will be able to meet with graduate students and ask them questions about AU’s healthcare fields and what learning is like at the grad level. 

(flyer courtesy of AU Medical Occupations Community Instagram)

Vikash Ayyappan, a sophomore pre-med student and president of MOC, said that the goal of the group is to allow students to connect with resources and opportunities that will benefit them. 

“We’re just trying to help our students, make it a little bit easier for them, through their course here as an undergrad,” he said. “We just wanted to do something that’s broad and open to all the students.”

Saad Tanzeem, a sophomore pre-med student and co-president of MOC, said the idea for the club formed when he and Ayyappan discussed ways they could help the community.  

“We can make some meaningful work,” he said. 

Tanzeem said that in the future, they would like to host events like blood drives to help with this goal. 

In addition to meetings, members of MOC are also encouraged to participate in volunteer efforts around the CSRA including at AU Health, Piedmont and the Red Cross. The group has also partnered with Jaguar Miracle, a dance marathon for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia this Saturday, March 18. Points are accumulated through these community service events and members are entered into a drawing with the opportunity to win a prize at the end of the semester. 

Richa Shah, a sophomore business major with a concentration in healthcare management, is the secretary of MOC. She said that though there are several clubs geared toward specific majors, this organization includes students from a variety of disciplines.  

“This is like a combination of all the other clubs,” she said.  

Shah said that by inviting students from many majors, it’s a small networking opportunity for students to engage with each other.

MOC is also hoping to partner with other student organizations to increase interest among students. Because the group is brand new, they are looking to increase participation and gather funding in order to keep the membership free for those who would like to join. 

“We’re trying to do as much as we can,” Ayyappan said. “It’s been really fun to help the students out.” 

MOC is also planning to host a charity run for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia in April. More details are expected to be made available later.  

Those interested in learning more about the Medical Occupations Community can visit the following link: https://linktr.ee/au_moc . 

Last month, the Medical Occupations Community organized an event to help donate proceeds to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia at Pita Mediterranean Street Food. (photo courtesy of Vikash Ayyappan)

Contact Rakiyah Lenon at rlenon@augusta.edu.