Family Day

Join us for a Family Day Panel

Family Day is a time for new medical students and their families explore their new home at the Medical School. Typically, this includes activities such as exploring campus, attending informative panels and participating in social events. In light of COVID-19 and in consideration of recommended safety guidelines, we will be hosting a virtual Family Day Panel in 2021. This is a great opportunity to ask a panel of UMN Medical School students and their family members any and all questions about first year expectations, mental health, time management, financial considerations and much more!

The Family Day Panel will be held on Tuesday, August 17 at 5:30 PM and is open to all MS1 students and their loved ones. The online panel will be held on Zoom and registration is required to receive login information.

Registration deadline is August 13, 2021.

Meet Our Panelists

The 2021 Family Day panel consists of current Medical Students and several family members. The student panelists range from MS2 to MS4 year from both the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses and have a diverse background of experiences in and out of the Medical School. They represent various groups and affiliations across the Medical School such as Student Council, parents of young children, National Guard and military members, clinic volunteers, research year participants and more. Joining the panel to provide the family perspective will be one student's wife.

Cassidy Berg

My name is Cassidy Berg and I am a 2nd year student at the Twin Cities campus. Prior to medical school, I attended SDSU in Brookings, SD for my undergraduate degree in dietetics and then came to the UMN for my masters in Nutrition. I became credentialed as a Registered Dietitian the summer before starting med school, and I am excited to incorporate nutrition into my future practice. Right now, I have my sights set on family medicine with a focus on women’s health/fertility + OB training. My husband & I welcomed our first baby, June Cecilia, one week after finishing the spring semester of MS1 and she is the total joy of our lives! I also love spending time with family, cooking/planning meals, reading, and being active (biking, walking, swimming, strength training, etc).

John & Aliecia Cahir

Hi, I am John, this is my wife Aliecia and our two children Audrey (2.5) and John (1). I am a 4th year medical student who spent eight years in the Army prior to medical school. I did my undergrad at the University of Arizona and graduated way back in 2009. After graduation I was on Active Duty in the Army, which is where I met Aliecia who was also an Army Officer. She is a local Minnesotan, and I have learned that if you marry a Minnesotan you will eventually move back to Minnesota. In addition to being a mom to two kiddos under the age of three, she works full time for Optum. We had Audrey on the first day of second semester MS1 year and John arrived the week before I was scheduled to take Step 1 last summer. I am currently still serving in the Minnesota National Guard and we hope to stay here in the Twin Cities for Residency. Most of our free time is spent doing laundry, dishes, and picking up toys; but we also enjoy walking with the kids in the many green spaces in the Cities.

Michael LaRoque

Hello! My name is Michael LaRoque and I’m currently completing an orthopedic research fellowship between my third and fourth years of medical school. I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and studied mechanical engineering at The University of Minnesota as an undergraduate student. My hobbies include (but are far from limited to) woodworking, playing and writing music, hockey, and golf. During my second year of medical school, I married my high school sweetheart, Felicia, and I enjoy spending all my free time with her! I’ve also joined several clubs, volunteered, and worked on numerous research projects. I’ll be applying for Orthopedic Surgery residencies next year and hope to complete my training as a Gopher! You are all very lucky to be studying medicine at the University of Minnesota!

Christopher Seaver

Hi there! My name is Christopher Seaver, and I’m a third year student up at the Duluth Campus. I was born and raised in Rugby, North Dakota, and attended the University of North Dakota for my undergraduate studies. I served in the North Dakota Army National Guard for six years during my time at UND, and took two years off of school between undergrad and medical school. For hobbies, living in Duluth over the past two years has been a dream. My wife, Brittany, and I love spending time exploring all of the trails and state parks within the area. So far during my medical school experience, I’ve been our class's president, volunteered with the HOPE clinic, and joined various clubs. I look forward to meeting all of you very soon. Welcome to the University of Minnesota Medical School!

Ruth Solom

Ruth's daughter, Abby, graduated from the Medical School this past spring. Her mom, Ruth, is the "world's best mom and that's an evidence-based conclusion after a rigorous randomized control trial." (Solom, A. et al, 2020). Ruth holds a Masters in Social Work, and is the Director of Business Operations at a small non-profit in the Twin Cities. Ruth and Warren (Abby's dad) live in a suburb of Minneapolis (just close enough to bring Abby dinner while she was in school!). Ruth enjoys volunteering for the local school district and can be seen walking in the neighborhood every evening - but good luck keeping up.

Questions?

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding Family Day:
Lyndsay Stevens
Office of Alumni Relations & Public Affairs
lstevens@umn.edu