Voices of U of U Health
Rising Together: Student Leadership Development
By Palepoi Gilmore, Elise-Marie Vandamme, and Saydra Galloway
Empowering. Vulnerable. Connective.
Those words capture our experience at the 2025 RISE leadership conference hosted by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). This three-day workshop gathers medical students from nearly half of the nation’s LCME-accredited medical schools. Each student is selected by school administrators as an emerging leader.
These are the students who will become future hospital executives, health reformers, and innovators. RISE—short for Relationships, Influence, Self-Awareness, and Effectiveness—helps prepare us for those roles.
Rooted in RealMD
Our journey to RISE felt different from that of many of our peers. We had already been introduced to professional identity formation through the RealMD program at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. The RealMD curriculum— developed by Tom Hurtado, EdD, director of student affairs, and Tony Tsai, MBA, director of career and leadership development—helped us explore our values, reflect on our stories, and define the kind of physician we want to become.
RealMD prepared us to make the most of our experience at RISE. We were ready to share our stories, connect with other students, and built on work we had already done.
In partnership with Tracy Pickard, MS Ed, and the AAMC, RealMD has now scaled nationally. What began in Utah is now shaping professional identity formation for medical students across the country.
Reframing Strengths
At the beginning of the RISE conference, we participated in an activity that organized us into “color teams” that represented personality types and strengths. At first, it felt like a simple icebreaker. Then the deeper lesson emerged: effective teams require differences.
Instead of being frustrated by our differences, we could see how every person contributed unique strengths. Diverse perspectives can strengthen rather than divide us—in our peer-to-peer and student-mentor relationships.
Another perspective-shifting moment came when we were asked to write with our non-dominant hand. The lesson was simple but powerful: we can’t be good at everything. Our task is to pursue what we love, where our talents and passions intersect. Otherwise, and especially in medical school, purpose falters and feelings of inadequacy grow.
The Power of Story
We spent much of our weekend at RISE practicing storytelling. Whether describing why we chose medicine or sharing details of an ordinary day, we learned how story builds connection.
We learned storytelling is about living with intention. Sharing stories lets others see who you truly are, and it gives you space to reflect on who you’re becoming.
The power of storytelling goes beyond applications or interviews. It’s also a way to build trust with patients, peers, residency program directors, and—perhaps most importantly—build trust in yourself.
What surprised us most was how quickly connections formed. More than 100 students from across the country—strangers at the start—spoke to each other with candor and ease. RISE gave us the skills to connect quickly and let others see who we are.
Embracing Vulnerability
At RISE, vulnerability wasn’t optional. It was expected. Students shared hard truths: fears of not matching into residency, stories of sleeping in cars, missing the first week of school due to a family loss, or doubting they belonged in medicine at all.
Hearing others admit their fears, creates a space for talking about your own. We realized we weren’t alone in our fears and we were stronger together.
In another exercise, one student admitted when she first received the invitation to attend RISE, she assumed it was a mistake. She couldn’t believe anyone would see her as a leader, especially in health care.
These kind of brave, open-hearted conversations peeled back the myth that medical students must have it all figured out. In truth, we each struggle and succeed in our own ways.
RISE created a space where honesty wasn’t risky. It was the standard.
A Letter to Ourselves
One of the most moving experiences was when we were asked to write a message of encouragement to a young girl who doubted her intelligence. At the end, we learned the letter was meant for us.
Reading your own words of encouragement sparked a mix of feelings and emotions. For some it was liberating. For others it brought comfort and reassurance.
It was an important reminder to treat yourself with the same compassion you give to others.
Carrying It Forward
RISE was empowering. We learned leadership begins with clarity of values, recognition of our strengths, and a willingness to be vulnerable. In the process, we built lasting connections.
For us, and for the next wave of physicians, these lessons will shape how we practice medicine, the relationships we build, and the people we become.
Since 2019, the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine has partnered with AAMC to build and grow the RISE leadership conference. In 2026, we have the honor of hosting medical students from across the nation on our campus. Fourth-year students from March 27-29, and second-year students from June 26-28.
It’s exciting to know our experience is part of something bigger. RealMD was born at the U, but now its lessons belong to many others.
