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Courtney Sniffen, MD, an alum from the Class of 2017, traces her passion for medical education back to her undergraduate years as a peer tutor.
Set to graduate from her pediatric residency at the University of Chicago in June, Sniffen is already planning out how she can continue on that path – to one day become a hospitalist or lead admissions for a medical school – but for now, she’s been reflecting on all the steps she took that got her to this point.
Sniffen, who was a biology major on the pre-med track during her time at Emmanuel, was selected to be a Chief Resident for the upcoming year at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UChicago Medicine).
In the new role, she will take charge of the curriculum for her fellow residents, and act as the interface between the residents and leadership at the medical center.
“Being selected as Chief Resident is a strong signal of exceptional trust from both faculty leadership and peers – the selection means the candidate stands out not just clinically, but professionally,” said Dr. Pádraig Deighan, Dean of the School of Science & Health.
As an Emmanuel undergrad, she said she might not have pictured herself in such a prestigious leadership role. Back then, even the idea of tutoring a large group of her biology peers for the Academic Resource Center (ARC) was a big step outside of her comfort zone – but that experience was the start of Sniffen finding her way as a leader.
“I used to think to be a leader you had to be loud and command so much attention, but over time I realized you can find your own leadership style, and show that you can lead in your own way,” she said.
Throughout her residency, Sniffen has focused on Graduate Medical Education and participated on the intern selection committee at UChicago Medicine, but she aspires to return to the Undergraduate Medical Education space – where she gained experience in medical school at Stony Brook University on their admissions committee.
“Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Anupama SeshanI was so proud to hear about Courtney’s incredible accomplishment, but not at all surprised. She made significant contributions to two publications while working with me for two years, but she also made a lasting impact on students who joined my group afterwards.”
Returning the Favor to Emmanuel's Community
Given her experience in medical education, Sniffen reached out to reconnect with Emmanuel and offer her support and advice to its pre-med track students ahead of the next medical school application season in the fall.
“Knowing I have that valuable perspective to share, I just want to help provide that [for Saints] … I owe so much of my success to the people there [at Emmanuel],” Sniffen said.
Right from the beginning in the introductory biology course, she said that Associate Professor of Biology – Dr. Anupama Seshan – became a vital mentor, a trait that quickly rubbed off on Sniffen. "Courtney was a natural leader," Dr. Seshan said. "Her incredible intellect coupled with a quiet confidence made her a strong mentor for her peers - it brings me great joy to see that she is continuing her mentoring journey now as a physician educator.
Building strong connections happens naturally at Emmanuel, Sniffen said, with its small student-to-faculty ratio, and leads to great opportunities. In her case, Sniffen became a tutor for one of Dr. Seshan’s classes, and when she graduated in 2017, she got a research role at MIT with one of Dr. Seshan’s Ph.D. mentors.
“And that’s just one person,” Sniffen said, “but I felt that level of support from all the faculty.”
That included the support from the School of Science & Health’s Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC), a group of Science & Health faculty that helps guide Emmanuel’s aspiring health professionals through their applications to medical, dental and veterinary schools.
Sniffen said working with the HPAC at Emmanuel was a “monumental moment,” for her. With quite literally everything about a student going into their application, the HPAC provides key support for how students market themselves, portray their story and their strengths.
“It’s so stressful [for the student] but they give so much thought and care into it because they genuinely want you to succeed – they prepared me for the next step,” Sniffen said.
Approaching the summer, Sniffen has been applying to Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowships to continue developing her medical knowledge and expertise.
“I’ve always had a love for medical education – I can even trace it all the way back to when I was a tutor for the ARC,” she said. “There’s so much to take advantage of at Emmanuel – that community is everything!”