MSU presence in medical schools continues to grow

Mary Celeste Reese, director of the Dr. A. Randle and Marilyn W. White Pre-Med Advisory Office, advises graduating senior Graham Garvey, a biochemistry major from Madison that will enroll in dental school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center this fall. (Photo by Megan Bean)

Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—This week, thousands of Mississippi State University students will walk across the stage at Humphrey Coliseum and receive a diploma after hearing a commencement speech from MSU alumna and University of Mississippi Medical Center Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and School of Medicine Dean Dr. LouAnn Woodward.

For more than 45 MSU graduates, the next stop in their educational journey will be medical school in Mississippi, helping fill current and future healthcare needs in the Magnolia State.

In recent years, the number of MSU graduates entering medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has continued to grow as the university has emphasized advising and resources for pre-medical students. Since 2015, the number of MSU students accepted into medical school at UMMC has increased approximately 25 percent. Over that same period of time, MSU graduates have made up approximately 24 percent of the entering medical school classes. That increase in successful applications comes as MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences recently opened the Dr. A. Randle and Marilyn W. White Pre-Med Advisory Office, which helps guide students in any academic major through the medical school application process.

“The number of successful applicants is a testament to the investment that Dr. Randy and Ms. Marilyn White made in the Pre-Med Advisory Office,” College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Travis said. “The guidance offered by this office is instrumental in preparing these students for success. The MSU students joining the UMMC fall cohort represent a wide range of academic disciplines, but one thing that unites them is the rigorous intellectual preparation they received while at MSU.”

Among MSU’s successful applicants in 2017 is Rodney Kipchumba, a graduating senior in biological engineering from Ridgeland. Kipchumba, a member of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, received a full scholarship to UMMC via the Don Mitchell, M.D., School of Medicine Scholarship. Kipchumba said his experiences outside of the classroom helped prepare him for medical school as much as his intensive coursework in biological engineering.

“In my honors classes, I got to have a lot of one-on-one interactions with professors, which helped me grow,” Kipchumba said. “I was always around other students doing interesting things beyond the curriculum. Those friends always challenged me to excel.”

In addition to medical school, MSU graduates are also preparing for dental school at UMMC. Graham Garvey, a graduating senior in biochemistry from Madison, has received a $100,000 “Best and Brightest” scholarship to UMMC and has committed to practicing dentistry in Mississippi following his completion of dental school. Garvey said the Pre-Med Advisory Office helped him stay on track for completing all the requirements for dental school and MSU’s Pre-Dental Society allowed him to hear what dental schools were looking for in applicants from several dental school admissions leaders.

“MSU was a tremendous help to me getting to this point,” Garvey said. “State always has several students get accepted to dental school each year, and these peers were always there to answer any questions I had about getting into dental school and provide me with advice. With these successful students paving the way before me, it made my path to dental school much easier.”

The Pre-Med Advisory Office is led by Director Mary Celeste Reese, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Assistant Director Deb Mlsna, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry. Reese and Mlsna work to ensure students have the necessary knowledge and resources to gain entrance into medical, dental and other professional health programs. In addition to providing one-on-one advice for pre-medical students, the advising center has organized mock medical school interviews, mock MCAT exams, visits from leaders in healthcare education and worked with MSU’s Career Center to review personal statements.

“MSU is committed to providing quality medical school students,” Reese said. “Medical schools aren’t just looking at your GPA and your MCAT score. They’re moving to a more holistic approach. They want to know that you’re well-rounded. Medical schools will tell students that you don’t have to major in one of the hard sciences to get into medical school. Choose a subject that you love. In some cases, it really makes you stand out.”

MSU partners with OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville to provide a student shadowing program. Additionally, OCH provides scholarships to 10 students every year to cover costs associated with applying for medical school.

According to Reese, MSU’s resources for pre-med students, combined with the university’s strong academic curriculum, have helped students not only get into medical school, but thrive once they get there.

“At the white coat ceremony at UMMC, they acknowledge the top 10 percent of the class,” Reese said. “I’ve had former students tell me that there’s usually a strong showing of Mississippi State alumni standing on that stage in the top 10 percent. That makes me proud. I know we’re producing really good students.”

For more on MSU’s Dr. A. Randle and Marilyn W. White Pre-Med Advisory Office, visit www.premed.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017 - 2:44 pm