Today we’d like to introduce you to Coleman Clougherty.
Hi Coleman, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The CMC Foundation was founded by Dr. Christina Pratt, Dr. Mark Razzante, and myself in 2018, but the story started long before that. The three of us actually met our first semester in college at John Carroll University, where our friendship carried us through not only college but also graduate school and medical school. After our residencies and a few years working in the field, we started a private practice in the Cleveland area which brought us back together again. The CMC Foundation was first introduced when we were all attending and speaking at a conference in England and started collaborating with the surgeons and trainees there, realizing that we could all learn from each other and collaborate. Our organization slowly grew as we continued provide lectures and education to medical students both in the United States and abroad, but when the 2020 Covid Pandemic forced students out of the classrooms and out of their surgical rotations, the CMC Foundation stepped up to the task of continuing their education and learning, providing both in-person and online lectures, doing live cadaver labs, review sessions and more.
Since that time, our former students, who are now residents and practitioners, have taken the foundation to a new level, providing even more events for medical students, including conferences, journal clubs, residency, and interview prep sessions, and even more on the horizon.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall, it has been a smooth road. The Covid Pandemic through a lot of challenges into our laps as how much that could be done in person was limited, but we took that struggle and turned it into an opportunity to rise above what others were not providing and create an outlet for students to thrive instead of struggle.
As you know, we’re big fans of Collaborative Medical Content (CMC) Foundation. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
The CMC Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 organization founded in 2018. The core mission of the CMC Foundation is to enhance the educational experience of medical students across the world. We do this by providing students with virtual lectures and training, career advice, and in-person experience, all thanks to our generous donors and sponsors.
Our name, Collaborative Medical Content, represents our belief that collaboration leads to enriched experiences. We believe that having students with diverse backgrounds only strengthens our collective knowledge.
What began with a focus in podiatry has expanded to include all orthopedic fields, and we believe in creating accessible and inclusive medical education. All are welcome to apply to S.T.E.P.S. so they may enhance their learning experience, and we are proud to offer these programs at no cost to the students. This is one of the most unique part of our foundation, as we provide all of these events for free.
S.T.E.P.S. (Student Transatlantic Education in Podiatric Surgery) includes education for podiatry students, including monthly virtual sessions, quarterly in-person sessions, and an Annual Conference for all orthopedic medical students.
We at the CMC Foundation also pride ourselves in serving communities, so we also provide monthly care to the Homeless at the local shelter in Cleveland. We organize and sponsor a Health Fair for the Homeless every year, which includes caregivers from many different professions. We also are very excited to be part of our first Medical Mission Trip in 2024 to Honduras.
How do you think about luck?
I think we have been very lucky to be blessed with fantastic students early in the CMC Foundations infancy who have been able to carry on and continue our mission alongside of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://supportcmc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steps_usa/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cmcfoundation3
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CMC_Foundation/
