Select a table, chat for 15 minutes, and switch. But this isn’t quite speed dating; it’s the third iteration of the Specialty Showcase, hosted at TexMed 2026 by the Texas Medical Association’s Medical Student Section (MSS).
Created in 2024 at MSS’ request, the Specialty Showcase provides medical students with the opportunity to network and engage with physicians at TexMed. Physician mentors represent multiple forms of practice, including employed and private practice.
In previous years, attendees met with current and past chairs of TMA’s boards, councils, and committees; recent TMA Leadership College graduates; TMA Lifelong Leadership Program participants; past association presidents; and more, all providing insight into the realities of their specialty and guidance about what opportunities could bolster residency applications and interviews.
The showcase will take place at TexMed 2026 at the Omni in Corpus Christi on Thursday, April 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Attendees will rotate between tables, one for each of the following specialty groupings:
- Pediatrics and family medicine;
- Obstetrics and gynecology;
- General surgery and orthopedics;
- Ophthalmology and dermatology; and
- Neurology and psychiatry.
There will be four, 15-minute rounds of conversation, with students selecting their table of choice for each round. During the final round, students may visit a new table or return to a previous table with follow-up questions.
Lubbock County Medical Society President-Elect Alyssa Tochterman, MD, who “loves medical education,” served as a physician mentor for last year’s Specialty Showcase to encourage medical students to pursue rural family medicine – and to continue her leadership career after graduating from the Leadership College in 2024.
The family physician said the showcase went so well that despite having other activities planned after the speed dating rounds, medical students chose to continue conversations with their mentors – simply because the networking opportunity was “too good” to pass up. Dr. Tochterman ended up speaking to several interested medical students during the event, some of whom have kept in contact for ongoing mentorship about rural medicine and residency.
“Some of the medical students had no idea the true breadth of rural family medicine and what all we can do,” she said. “You could see [excitement] in their eyes … And that was encouraging, because we need more primary care out in the rural areas.
“Medical students are our future,” Dr. Tochterman added. “They really [appreciate] any chance to speak to us physicians.”
TMA Sections look forward to seeing student participants Thursday, April 16, at 6:30 pm. Students may direct any questions about the showcase to TMA sections staff. RSVP for section business meetings online.
Alisa Pierce
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1469