Student resources

The Armenian American Medical Society student resources site was developed to help both associate members and non-member members, of Armenian and non-Armenian descent utilize the various resources we have developed through the society. Our pre-health students take priority in our society, and we are here to help promote their future success in healthcare. In conjunction with several dedicated mentees, we have developed this site that continues to evolve and grow to help the next generation of Armenian healthcare professionals. Much of this work would not be possible without the work of some of our dedicated interns, with special consideration given to Sofia Yeremian, Aren Dermarderosian, and Christian Dergazarian.

AAMS Pre-health mentorship program

Our mission extends beyond providing healthcare practitioners with opportunities for professional development. Through our wide range of programs and services, we strive to empower our members, support the next generation of healthcare professionals, and enhance the well-being of our community

Armenian Healthcare Provider Directory

Armenian American Medical Society has helped developed the first and only Armenian healthcare provider database. We are proud to announce that our 2024 intern, Sofia Yeremian in conjunction with Dr. Sarmen Sarkissian developed this guide. The directory is a listing of Armenian healthcare professionals across various specialties, not only in medicine and dentistry but also in pharmacy, podiatry, acupuncture as well as various other healthcare specialties. If you would like a listing of Armenian healthcare providers in a certain sub-specialty, and in a certain geographic region, please contact us and we can provide you with a listing.

Physician Shadowing Network

The Armenian American Medical Society is dedicated to enhancing shadowing opportunities to our burgeoning pre-health students. In conjunction with many of our members and nonmembers, we have developed a shadowing network. This network of physicians offers pre-health students, whether they are pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, or any other pre-health student, an opportunity to experience shadowing in a variety of clinical settings. We hope that students can rotate through all of our listed clinics. For further questions, please contact us so we can connect you with the team of physicians. Current shadowing rotations run in the following specialties:

• Family Medicine

• Oncology & Hematology

• Allergy & Immunology

• Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

• Cardiology

• General & Bariatric Surgery

• Urology

• Vascular Surgery

• Orthopedic Surgery

• Neurosurgery

• Cardiothoracic Surgery

Research Abstracts / Publications

The Armenian American Medical Society is dedicated to the advancement of not only healthcare, but also healthcare education. Collaborating with various pre-health students, many of our students were able to perform original research, through the Armenian American medical Society, and present them at various national conferences. Below is a sampling of some of the original research that was conducted by our student mentees, and the local symposia where they were presented.

Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research 2024 – San Bernardino, CA – November 23, 2024

1) Title: Concurrent Rectal, Prostate Cancer and GIST – A Case of Synchronous Triple Primary. Authors: Aren Dermarderosian; Christian Dergazarian; Steve Lau, MD, PhD.; Karim Jreije, DO; Jeremy Schweitzer, M.D.; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

2) Title: Public Awareness of Non-smoker Lung Cancer – A Pilot Study. Authors: Aren Dermardeosian; Mary Keushkerian*; Rita Keushkerian*; Christian Dergazarian; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

3) Title: Family Medicine Shadowing Preceptorships for Pre-Medical Students – Challenges and Success Rates. Authors: Christian Dergazarian; Angela Hakobyan; Aren Dermarderosian; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

4) Title: Cancer Incidence, Prevalence and Mortality versus PubMed Publications – A Loose Correlation- A Pilot Study of the US’s Top 15 Cancers. Authors: Angela Hakobyan; Christian Dergazarian; Aren Dermarderosian; Marietta Kaloyan; Sofiya Ghazaryan; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

5) Title: Public Perception of Blood Based Cancer Surveillance – A Pilot Study. Authors: Rita Keushkerian*; Mary Keushkerian*; Aren Dermarderosian; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

6) Title: Exploring the Effects of Financial Factors on Sufficient MCAT Preparation. Authors: Hasmik Adetyan; Aren Dermarderosian; Mary Keushkerian*; Rita Keushkerian*; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

7) Title: How Community College Shapes Pre-Health Students’ Academic and Professional Pathways. Authors: Lori Avakian; Christian Dergazarian; Aren Dermarderosian; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

Ventura County Oncology Symposium – Ventura, CA – August 27, 2024

1) Title: Concurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma – Safety Combination Use of R-mini-CHOP and Cemiplimab – A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Authors: Rita Keushkerian, Mary Keushkerian, Aren Dermarderosian, Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

2) Title: Concurrent Prostate Cancer and Renal Cell Carcinoma – A Case of Double Synchronous Genitourinary Malignancies. Authors: Aren Dermarderosian; Christian Dergazarian; Ryan Bowman, MD; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

Loma Linda Oncology Symposium – Loma Linda, CA – September 18, 2024

1) Title: Safe Concurrent Use of Pembrolizumab and Bosutnib in a Patient With Renal Cell Carcinoma & Chronic Myeloid Leukemia – A Case of report and Literature Review. Authors: Aren Dermarderosian; Iren Gharibyan, Shawnt Issakhanian; Christian Dergazarian; Sarmen Sarkissian, MD

YouTube Mentorship Interview Series

The Armenian American Medical Society is proud to bring you our pre-health mentorship series. Collaborating with various undergraduate students, professional students, and those in fellowship and residency, we have organized a 12-part video series, in which students across different pre-health professions at various stages in their career, bring forth their current wisdom and experiences to share with the entire pre-health community.

Hospital Volunteering Website

In collaboration with two of our mentees, Aren Dermarderosian and Christian Dergazarian, we have develop the Hospital Volunteering Resource Guide. We provide a thorough in-depth analysis and guide to students across Southern California, who are interested in obtaining volunteering experiences at various hospitals. While many students tend to aggregate toward hospitals affiliated with academic centers, not all pre-health students are at university hospital-affiliated undergraduate campuses. Also, many students are not aware of the various smaller community hospital scattered around Southern California. All hospitals offer unique volunteering experiences, and many offer more hands-on experiences than others do. We hope students can use this guide, to not only explore the various options out there, but help build a network of students who want to grow and develop this site.

MCAT/DAT Resources Summary review Guide

The Armenian American Medical Society pre-health MCAT resource guide, was developed in conjunction with one of our mentees, Aren Dermarderosian. After completing his undergraduate education, and scoring above the 90th percentile on his MCAT, Aren decided to collaborate with Dr. Sarmen Sarkissian to bring forth his first-hand experience in researching the various study guides available online. This is a unique and original guide and none like this are available online. Aren decided to start this joint venture with us, developing a resource guide for all pre-health students. We hope all pre-health students across the country will see the value in this resource. After several dozen hours of work and organization, we are proud to offer the following database. We hope this can be utilized for all pre-health students on their journey to Their healthcare profession.