Sunny Kar, DO
Rowan-SOM
Regional VP New Jersey/D.C.

We work at a fairly large residency program consisting of several different specialties. These are spread across eight hospitals all over South Jersey. CIR serves as an important liaison between all of the residents and multiple hospital Administration and medical education departments. It’s the only true unifying voice for residents in our program. Most recently, CIT spearheaded a difficult contract negotiation which championed particular interests of the in-system residents which would otherwise been marginalized.

From being part of CIR I’ve learned about the importance of advocacy for the rights and needs of house staff and patients alike. CIR’s role at the policy level insures that individual residents and their interests do not get lost in the forever growing complexity of the modern medical education bureaucracy.

While CIR does represent a great number of current residents, there are many interns and residents across the country who not only or not involved, they have never heard of CIR. In an effort to really be the national voice, we must expand our presence and involvement on a national level. Increasing knowledge about who we are and getting involved in underrepresented areas is paramount.

I am very interested in helping CIR expand it’s reach to more hospitals; I think broadening awareness about us is the first and most important step in meeting our primary objectives.