Incoming Vanderbilt University School of Medicine students model T-shirts from their advisory college, the Chapman College, during last week’s orientation activities. (photo by Anne Rayner)
School of Medicine opens doors to largest class ever
The incoming class of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine boasts the largest number of students in the school's history.
The 111 students were welcomed by school administrators July 30 with a presentation by Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of VUSM.
Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., addresses incoming School of Medicine students during last week’s orientation activities. (photo by Anne Rayner)
“This is not about how smart you are, or how many activities you can add to your list. It is about passion and how hard you are willing to work toward what interests you in medicine,” Balser told the students. He emphasized collegiality and mentorship as forming a base for instruction at the school.
“At Vanderbilt, it is not about competition; it is about you, and showing what you can do. The faculty and staff are here to nourish that and we will show you that this is how we feel too.”
While last year's class was the most diverse on record, this year's class comes close. There are 55 women and 56 men. Students hail from 32 states as well as Canada, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Taiwan and the Ukraine. Four class members already have master's degrees and students received undergraduate degrees in 49 different majors. There are 15 students underrepresented in medicine in the class.
Incoming student, Michael Poku, said Vanderbilt's diversity appealed to him.
Michael Kwame Poku gets to know his classmates during orientation. (photo by Anne Rayner)
“I looked at a number of top schools, but I just never found one that matched Vanderbilt's sense of community, fellowship and growth. By growth, I mean Vanderbilt doesn't focus strictly on textbooks and acquisition of knowledge, but also on wellness, well-being and development of every individual. The faculty, staff and students are dedicated to you as an individual. They do not put you under a label,” said Poku.
George Hill, Ph.D., the Levi Watkins, Jr. Professor and associate dean for Diversity in Medical Education, said this kind of broad diversity creates a rich and balanced environment for students.
“We say that by having a class with people from many different backgrounds, when you bring them together it creates an orchestra. In an orchestra each of the musicians plays a different instrument, but it's together that they can make beautiful sounds. And it works. Students seek out Vanderbilt because of its richly diverse student body,” Hill said.
Francys Verdial is from Honduras, where her family has been enduring the stress of a recent governmental coup. She was there when the coup was under way a month ago, and for a while was concerned she might not be able to get to Nashville.
“I wasn't sure I'd be able to get my visa to come here, but I managed to get through protests and roadblocks on one of just four days the U.S. embassy was open. My family came this week to help me move in and were so glad that they were leaving me in such a welcoming place. After one day, people already knew my name,” Verdial said.
While Verdial's concerns back home may be extreme, at a get-to-know-you breakfast during orientation, students learned their reasons for coming to Vanderbilt were often very similar.
“I know Vanderbilt is one of the best schools, but the atmosphere is the best part,” said Natalia Plotnikova. “I also like how the school transforms into a city-like feel. I come from a small town in Southern Ukraine, so it is nice to have friendly people, but still have the feel of a city.”
Many students said they were grateful for efforts of school administrators to assist them with financial concerns.
New School of Medicine students make a splash at the annual Dean’s picnic. (photo by Anne Rayner)
This class is the first to benefit from a $2,000 scholarship per student that reduces the cost of tuition for all medical students. A reduction in tuition was particularly difficult to accomplish while increasing class size by 10 percent.
“The school is trying to play a small part in increasing the number of physicians in training because of the expected shortage.” said John Zic, M.D., associate dean for Medical School Admissions. “We worked with the faculty to make sure that we have the right supplies and facilities for all. It took a great deal of discussion and planning.”
A message that was repeated throughout orientation was that Vanderbilt doesn't just embrace change, it helps create it.
With the U.S. on the cusp of wholesale change in the delivery of health care, the 111 young people who just arrived were told they were carefully selected because they show promise as leaders.