The Pre-Professional Health Advisory Committee (PPHAC) is announced the installation of a new chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), the national health preprofessional honor society, at Monmouth University – New Jersey Delta Chapter on Friday, Oct. 3 in Magill Commons.
Dr. Dorothy Lobo, AED Advisor, and Dr. Bernadette Dunphy, Co-Directors of PPHAC, presented the 30 installed members with their certificates and congratulated them on their success. The ceremony was also attended by Dr. Frank Dyer, National Counselor, and Dr. Nuran Kumbaraci, AED Regional Director, as well as family members and distinguished guests from the University.
The guest speaker was University Alumnus, Dr. Sunaini Kaushal. Kaushal graduated in 2009 from Monmouth and attended Drexel University Medical College through the Monmouth Medical Center Scholars Program. She is currently at Drexel in Internal Medicine completing the second year of her residency. She spoke to the newly installed AED Members about the hard work ahead of them and to be truthful and passionate about their decision to pursue medicine.
AED is dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of excellence in preprofessional health scholarship. The society welcomes all students engaged in the pursuit of a professional development, provides a forum for students with common interests, and extends a program of service to benefit the college/university community. AED serves not only as an honor society but also as a service organization.
AED was founded in 1926 as an honorary fraternity for premedical students at the University of Alabama. AED became an associated society of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on October 28, 1936. AED was incorporated as a non-profit educational institution in 1962, in Washington, DC. As chapters grew and became more widely distributed, five regional groupings were designated in 1962.
With continuation of their growth, the society celebrated the addition of their 100th Chapter with the installation of South Carolina Gamma at Clemson University on February 20, 1971. AED initiated its’ 200,000 member in Spring, 2014. With the addition of Monmouth University, there are now 226 AED chapters with over 7,500 active members.
To apply for membership to AED, students must have three semesters completed with courses geared toward a pre-health career, a minimum of 12 credits in BY, CE, PH and MA and a minimum of 36 credits completed, maintain a GPA of 3.2 in both their overall grade and their math/science grade and are expected to attend 75% of all AED sponsored events.
MU’s New Jersey Delta Chapter has 32 members and 5 associate members at this time. As a group, they plan to hold several fundraisers throughout the year and volunteer their time and services to charitable organizations.
PHOTO COURTESY of Barbara Santos
