Medals4Mettle chapter formed at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine

Contact:

Steven F. Isenberg M.D. sisenberg@medals4mettle.org (317) 3551010

Pradip Patel MD pradip.patel@louisville.edu

PRESS RELEASE

Medals4Mettle chapter formed at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine
Scientific verification of Medals4Mettle mission is published in prestigious medical journal.

Indianapolis, IN August 20, 2019: Steven F. Isenberg, MD, Founder and Director of Medals4Mettle, announced today that a Medals4Mettle (M4M) chapter has officially been formed at the Louisiana State School of Medicine (LSU). This is the ninth Medals4Mettle (www.medals4mettle.org) chapter founded by a medical student or resident in the United States. Rachel L. Evans, MD, LSU Child Neurology PGY-3 Resident stated: “I was very shocked to get such a large response for the first year bringing M4M to LSU. I am not really sure how I got such a great response. I spoke about the program in person to the pediatrics residency. I have a few residents running, but the bulk of our runners are first year medical students. I sent messages out to the Pediatrics Interest Group President who then sent the messages out to her fellow classmates. I also contacted the SMILE student officers for them to spread the word. I have recruited 38 runners to participate in the Jazz Half Marathon in New Orleans this October.” Dr. Evans is coordinating with the pediatric hematology-oncology department to “buddy” runners with children struggling with serious illnesses. The runners will then award their Jazz Half Marathon finishers’ medals to their buddies who are fighting for their lives. This experience benefits the children, their families and the young doctors who personally experience the mettle (resilience) of these courageous kids and their families.

M4M chapters at the University of Louisville School Of Medicine and the Indiana University School of Medicine recently published evidence confirming the value of the M4M mission in helping teach medical students humanistic behavior in Pharos, the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honorary publication.https://www.alphaomegaalpha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2018-3-Isenberg.pdf. “Medical school chapters continue to grow around the country,“ stated Dr Pradip Patel. “It is a win-win for the children, their families and the students who also benefit from the exercise they get to help the stress of associated with medical school and residency.” For specific information about Medical M4M, choose the “medical” tab at https://medals4mettle.org.

“Medals4Mettle applied the rigors of scientific proof to our mission,” said Dr. Isenberg. The M4M mission is to celebrate and reward the individual and collective courage of all human beings by facilitating the personal and anonymous gifting of marathon, and other endurance event finishers’ medals, to those who have demonstrated similar “mettle” or courage. Recipients of medals can be any age, but medals are typically awarded to in-patient and out-patient children who, as Isenberg says, “are running a much more difficult race than those who donate their medals.” Isenberg added, “The publication of this research in this respected peer-reviewed, scientific journal verifies the value of our mission that has been supported by countless compassionate donors and volunteers for over thirteen years. We encourage other medical student, physicians, medical school faculty and community leaders to read our publication and contact us about starting a chapter in their community or medical school. The active connection between the heart and the brain is what makes humanism work in both education and practice.”

Medals4Mettle is supported by a worldwide volunteer staff and 70 community coordinators in cities around the world. M4M volunteers make “mettle rounds” where they have presented over 60,000 medals in a “pay it forward” concept at eighty hospitals and clinics around the world. M4M has been featured as the Grand Prize winner in the inaugural “Human Race” section of Runner’s World magazine and in many local and national publications. Medals4Mettle is the initial recipient of “The Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine” Award, the National Jefferson Award and many local and national community service awards. Medals4Mettle is a 501c3 public charity with Gold status on GuideStar, a non-profit rating website. (https://www.guidestar.org/profile/35-2260007)

For more information about Medals4Mettle (a 501c3 public charity) in your community or medical/dental/graduate school, please visit https://medals4mettle.org, email pradip.patel@louisville.edu or sisenberg@medals4mettle.org, or mail Medals4Mettle 1400 North Ritter Ave, Suite 221, Indianapolis, IN 46219. Steven F. Isenberg MD is Volunteer Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Faculty Advisor of the Medals4Mettle program at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Pradip Patel MD is Professor of Pediatrics at the University Of Louisville School Of Medicine.