LAUNCH: Bridging Character and Medical Education at the Beginning of the Year

At the beginning of their first year, all incoming MD students at the Winston-Salem campus take a course called LAUNCH which acts as an orientation to all of the resources the students will need for their personal and professional development. LAUNCH blends practicality, community, and mother nature to create a solid foundation for the students to stand firm on as they enter a new and uncertain world. The latest edition to the week-long curriculum is the Inner Zoo Safari. This event provides games, food, lip sync karaoke, and focuses on character by allowing students to pick totems of animals that represent specific character traits they align with. Those students will then keep the totems as a reminder of what kind of physicians they are working towards becoming. 

“One of the things that I hope students take away from LAUNCH is an understanding that it is all of life that prepares you to be a good doctor.” This is the central theme of LAUNCH, which was initially created and is led by Dr. Marcia Wofford, Associate Dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine/Winston-Salem. “LAUNCH is built on stories and the big picture,” says Dr. Wofford. That’s evident in a session called Voices from the Field, in which physicians come in to tell new students what it’s really like to be a doctor. “Students can pick out things from those stories that point to the character development that was necessary for that physician to be successful.”

LAUNCH stands for Learning How We Learn, Acclimating to the Profession, Understanding One’s Self and Others, New Words and Ideas, Career Exploration, and Healthy Living. These six aspects of LAUNCH are woven together by peer projects/conversations, professor testimonials, and several resources. “I really appreciate all of the doctors and professors that have been able to come in and talk to us and share their stories. I really appreciated getting to know them as full people outside of their profession as well,” says Sydney Aikens (MD ‘29), “and being able to feel comfortable with all of the people around—the professors, staff, my fellow students—is going to make it really easy once we dive into material,” says Steven Cayea (MD ‘ 29).

Through this curriculum, students begin their medical journeys from a point of flourishing and community. The orientation has been part of Wake Forest’s medical school for a long time, but after participating in a Leadership and Character workshop, Dr. Wofford decided to focus on exploring virtues and incorporating the Program’s Seven Strategies for Developing Character. 

Watch the mini-documentary on LAUNCH to learn more about the impact this course has had on the Class of 2029.