January Student of the Month: Justin Brown-Gnarra, OMS II

ACOI recognizes osteopathic medical students who are outstanding members of their medical schools and communities with the Student of the Month Recognition Program.

Please join us in congratulating the January winner: Justin Brown-Gnarra, OMS II, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine - Bradenton Campus.

Student Doctor Brown-Gnarra was nominated for his standout leadership skills in multiple capacities. Ranked 7th in his class, his commitment to academic excellence is evident. His long-term goal of practicing Medical Oncology in an academic setting reflects his dedication to advancing both clinical practice and medical education.

Justin's peers consistently look up to him not only for his academic achievements but also for his ability to inspire and lead. As President of the Internal Medicine Club, Treasurer of the Cardiology Club, and President of the Student Research Association at LECOM Bradenton, Justin has demonstrated exceptional leadership and organizational skills. In just a short amount of time under his presidency, the Internal Medicine Club has launched several successful events that have increased student engagement and awareness of Internal Medicine. Additionally, as President of the Student Research Association, Justin has been instrumental in facilitating research collaborations and presentations.

Meet Justin Brown-Gnarra

What is your hometown?
Pittsburgh, PA

What is your education?
A bit complicated. I originally studied music and did premedical coursework at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. I got a BMusic in flute performance and then a MMusic in flute performance at DePaul University. Towards the end of my master’s degree I gradually started developing weakness and pain in my hands and shoulders from practicing so much, so as that started getting worse I transitioned back to biomedical studies since it wasn’t realistic to be playing flute for 5+ hours a day. I went to LECOM-Bradenton for the Master’s of Medical Sciences program and from there I was accepted into the DO program.

What are your hobbies?
Music, crosswords, cooking and baking.

What are three things people may not know about you?
My music degrees are in flute performance but a huge part of my studies was also music theory and art philosophy – I was very much into the academic side of everything so I will talk your ear off about all sorts of music, not just classical. In my (limited) free time I’m a huge crossword nerd; I’ve been doing the daily New York Times puzzle for about 8 years now. Also this is incredibly dorky, but my parents both have PhDs in immunology and worked as cancer researchers, so one of our family activities is to read papers together in the living room in the evening and discuss them together.

How has ACOI helped you in your education so far?
The ACOI has been fantastic in helping deepen my interest in internal medicine and in providing resources to help me navigate the medical school to internal medicine pathway. Internal medicine is such a varied field and the ACOI articles and guest speakers have really helped to clarify the field in general. The virtual lecture series oriented for students is also fantastic – even if I’m not able to attend because of my school schedule just seeing the topics always gives me something to think about and discuss more casually with friends. All of this helps to expand my thoughts beyond just the day-to-day medical school curriculum and helps put everything into perspective.

Do you have an idea of what specialty you would like to go into?
Medical oncology has been my goal pretty much from day one.