Stethoscope gift creates special memory between medical student and sister

Donna Chong will never forget her first day of orientation at the Medical College of Georgia. It was the day she and her classmates each received a special gift.

“Leading up to orientation, my life was a whirlwind. Then we sat in the room together, and we opened these boxes together. It was so heartwarming,” Chong said, describing the experience.

Inside each package was a shiny new MCG-branded stethoscope. They are given to first-year medical students and funded primarily through the support of Medical College of Georgia alumni.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Alumni donated these?!’ It really put it in perspective that generations of doctors have come out of this school, and I’m going to be one of them,” said Chong.

Then she saw the notecard that accompanied her gift.

“I immediately recognized the handwriting as my sister’s, and I started to cry. It was one of the most memorable days of my life,” recalled Chong.

“My sister is 20 years older than me, so she was like a mom to me growing up. She is the one who influenced me to become a physician,” Chong said of Anna Jung, MD, a 2008 graduate of MCG.

Jung, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, is a wife, mother of three children and a full-time pediatrician.

“I want to follow in her footsteps. She is the one who made sacrifices; she showed me what an impact one individual can have on others. She is an amazing doctor.”

Chong said her sister is also a good letter writer.

“Even if she was a stranger, her words would have had impact,” Chong said. “I would still have been touched.”

For those who might be the first doctor in their family, Chong said the stethoscope and notecard is the first face that introduces students to the world of medicine.

“It’s a warm welcome to a new life, and the fact that it is a stethoscope is a good reminder – every time I see it or use it, it reminds me of my first day, my first memory here at MCG.”

While MCG was her top choice for medical school, Chong admits being anxious. She shared how the stethoscope also has become an instrument of comfort and affirmation to students.

“We are here, and we are supposed to be here,” said Chong. “Medical school is hard, but it is a good reminder that everything will be OK. It’s like passing the torch on to the next MCG students, and maybe one day, I’ll be doing the same thing.”

Chong, who will graduate in 2027, plans to pursue child psychiatry.

“I want to help children fortify themselves to lead a better life,” said Chong. “When you target the younger generation, it can create change in the whole community. Everyone finds a different purpose in life, and I want to look back when I am older and know that I helped improve the quality of life for others.”

The MCG Stethoscope Program was started in 2019 by the Medical College of Georgia Alumni Association. In 2024, Melvin Haysman (MD ’71) and his wife made a generous gift to name and endow the fund to ensure it will provide stethoscopes for medical students in perpetuity. Gifts can be made to the Melvin L. Haysman, M.D. and Mrs. Roberta Kamine-Haysman Stethoscope Fund for anyone who wants to be a part of the program.

First-year students at the MCG Savannah Campus received their stethoscopes July 23, and medical students in Augusta will receive their stethoscopes Aug. 6.