Meet Britney Wilson: NJMS Third Year Born at University Hospital

This month, we are shining our student spotlight on Britney Wilson, an MS3 at NJMS with an especially inspiring, home-grown story to share.

Britney Wilson, a Newark native was born at University Hospital. In seventh grade, she was recommended for the New Jersey Scholars, Educators, Excellence, Dedication (NJ SEEDS) program because of her strong academic record. The NJ SEEDS program prepares motivated, high-achieving, low-income students for admission to private schools and colleges across the country.

Majoring in environmental science with a minor on Africana Studies, Britney graduated cum laude from Barnard College, Columbia University's sister school. In 2012, Britney was selected as a speaker during the Barnard College Commencement ceremony at Columbia University, where she shared the stage with former President Barack Obama and made the cover of The New York Times for giving him a bear hug on stage. 

Since matriculating at NJMS, Britney's goal has been to achieve academic excellence while giving back to the community. Through these endeavors, Britney has earned the prestigious Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Scholarship, the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Research Award and her induction into Junior AOA. She served as a CALM (Collaborative Approach to Learning Medicine) Leader, Student National Medical Association (SNMA) E-board member, Fairmont House and Apostle's House Clinic volunteer, and is also the Vice President of Alpha Omega Alpha. 

Outside of volunteering and academic pursuits, Britney is an avid researcher. She is completing a year-long research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with the Dermatology Service. She has a strong interest in the dermatologic adverse effects (dAE) that occur because of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She is especially interested in the manifestation of these dAE in historically underrepresented minority populations.

She was also selected to participate in the Genentech–National Medical Fellowships (NMF) Diversity Innovation Program, a research initiative that requires participants to identify a health issue associated with social determinants of health and to design an intervention to address this concern. As a part of the intervention she has developed, she is spearheading a study focused on combating stereotype threat and implicit bias in the dermatology clinic. 

Britney's greatest accomplishment at NJMS has come from understanding the crucial role of meaningful mentorships and the complexity of the minority student experience. She established the NJMS SNMA Minority Mentoring Program, which strives to pair incoming first year underrepresented minorities with upperclassmen who also identify as underrepresented minorities.

This initiative creates a safety network where students have a person with whom they identify to reach out to when facing challenges and difficulties in medical school. She believes this program will provide a lasting impact and create a pipeline for future leaders by enabling junior students with peer mentors, academic guidance, and a place to both share frustrations and celebrate successes. 

Britney's career aspirations include returning to NJMS as an academic dermatologist; serving as a Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and rebuilding the dermatology residency program.