To Be...A Spartan MD

The first few weeks of January have arrived and, of course, that naturally means it’s a new year! Along with a new cycle can come exciting, fresh resolutions for the months ahead. If planning to apply to medical school within the next year…or two…or three, setting goals for the year can help guide your preparation and keep your plan on the right path.  Preparing for medical school can be challenging enough. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly added an extra layer to the fold, complicating the process and limiting opportunities for potential applicants with components like, say, extracurricular experiences that are important. So, making special considerations and being thoughtful about the time ahead can not only alleviate some of those challenges, but produce bountiful results in bulking up that applicant profile.  Lining up what you need next on your journey naturally depends on your place on said journey. No matter you’re stage though, the pandemic has forced students and in...

Contributed by Christi Boze, MCE Student at the College of Human Medicine Like many families of all backgrounds, my own has Christmas traditions. These include our Christmas eve carpet picnic, unboxing a new board game, and watching Die Hard. However, this year was a little bit different.  For context, my grandpa has had an abdominal aortic aneurysm for the past several years now. After the aneurysm had reached a certain size and once it was safe again to be back in the hospital, the time arrived for grandpa’s surgery.  The surgery was supposed to last an hour and my grandpa was supposed to leave the next day. Unfortunately, this did not go as planned. Instead, the surgery lasted for more than three hours and he presented with post-surgical complications, landing him with a longer hospital stay.  This is where I come in!  I was sitting at home (the first Saturday of winter break, I might add) probably munching on Twizzlers and watching a movie when I received a phone...

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to learn about rich and diverse Indigenous cultures, traditions, and histories of the land we inhabit. The College of Human Medicine acknowledges the rich ancestry of Native Americans and the important contributions of this nation’s original people, including to processes of learning and healing.  By Amanda Ziminski, second-year College of Human Medicine student Aanii! Amanda indizhinikaaz, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians indoonjbaa. (Hello! My name is Amanda and I am from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians). I am from a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula called Manistique. I had what I consider to be a relatively normal upbringing being the third of four children in a lower-middle class family. My grandparents own a grocery store business and that’s pretty much what my family’s life revolved around. Working at the grocery store is a rite of passage in my family. We began working as soon as we hit...

Another incoming fall means the end of an admissions cycle and the welcoming of another great entering class. With White Coat Ceremonies taking place across the nation, medical schools are now joined by a fresh batch of driven students.  Here at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine , we welcomed first-year medical students at the White Coat and Matriculation Ceremony in August . More than 11,000 people applied to the medical school last year, a college-record and 48 percent increase since 2009. The college, in its first year hosting a virtual interview process , met with over 500 excellent applicants, ultimately admitting 190 new students.    Over 60 percent of the incoming class identified as coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, with nearly a quarter each identifying as underrepresented in medicine or from rural backgrounds, respectively. Those coming from low-income backgrounds and first-generation students often find strong resonance with the colle...

Henry Ford Health System and Michigan State University today unveiled the new unified brand of their partnership, Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences , celebrating eight months of rapid progress in advancing initiatives to improve health care in Michigan and beyond. Launched in January 2021 with the bold purpose of advancing a new standard of health care, HFH+MSU Health Sciences has already created critical infrastructure and new pathways for pioneering research, cancer care, education and equitable care delivery and outcomes. The new brand logo unveiled today seamlessly blends the iconic colors of the two institutions and leverages a “+” to reflect this shared commitment, and the power of two national leaders joining forces to achieve this goal. “Since coming together in January, we have mobilized a stellar team across our institutions that is already introducing changes to advance health care delivery and fight the health disparities that plague our most vul...

For Anthony Bonilla-Salmeron, it was when he nearly died from a ruptured appendix at the age of 12. For Aghdas Movassaghi it was her grandmother’s diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Those events sent each on a course that, despite many obstacles, brought them to an Aug. 22 ceremony in Grand Rapids, where they donned white coats, formally making them College of Human Medicine students. Both grew up in low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles and worked as medical scribes in doctors’ offices, exposing them to the social, financial and other hardships many patients face. Both are determined to become physicians caring for underserved patients and inspiring young people. “It feels like the beginning of the rest of my life,” Bonilla-Salmeron said. “It feels that way because I’ve been working toward this for most of my life. It also signifies to me to be a role model. I want to show that, no matter what your obstacles are, you can do this.” In some ways, Bonilla-Salmeron and Movassaghi are typical ...

Interview season is right around the corner! The College of Human Medicine (CHM) interviews candidates through a series of dates from September to February, with typically an additional scheduling specifically for Early Assurance candidates in late February or early March. Medical schools have all done their best to adapt to various guidelines at the federal, state, and even university level since the pandemic began. Continuing social distancing directives and various restrictions, which include travel, have been catalysts for admissions offices such as our own to convert important components of the process to online platforms. Last year, CHM decided to make an important adjustment in hosting virtual interviews. This year, we'll be doing the same. The previous cycle saw the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) come out with recommendations and resources on interviewing virtually, encouraging medical schools to conduct their applicant interviews either by phone or video...