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Melody Y. Hou, MD, MPH - At-Large Board Member

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Institution: University of California, Davis

Statement of Qualifications and Biosketch

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What was your first experience with APGO?
My first experience with APGO was when Boston University’s clerkship director, Jodi Abbott, MD, MSc, MHCM, handed me the APGO UMEC Clerkship Director’s Handbook on CD-ROM in 2012. I was moving from Boston to UC Davis to be clerkship director and really wanted to do a good job but had no idea where to start. Doctor Abbott handed me the disc and said I needed to go to the Clerkship Directors’ School that was happening in Maui – and that was the start of my APGO journey!

Why did you want to join the APGO Board of Directors?
APGO has always been a fantastic source of community for the medical educators in our field, and it feels even more urgent now that the Board supports our members as we navigate a climate that does not embrace the work we do. Being on the Board at this critical juncture to strategize about the mission and goals of APGO feels like the best way I can contribute to this organization that has given me so much.

What has APGO meant to you during your career?
My medical education career really launched with that CD-ROM, and I am beyond grateful for the resources and programming APGO has provided to prepare me for leadership opportunities within my institution and nationally, such as the Clerkship Directors’ School, the Academic Scholars and Leaders program, and membership on the Testing and Self-Assessment Committee. I have been extremely fortunate and thankful to have had the privilege of serving medical students in multiple capacities and leadership roles, which I could only have done successfully with APGO.

What is one personal contribution you hope to make during your term on the APGO Board of Directors?
APGO can only be as strong as its members, so continuing to augment the APGO outreach to new and current members with more opportunities for leadership, committee work, and initiatives would be my priority.