Since taking the helm as the founding dean of WMed almost seven years ago, Dr. Hal B. Jenson has witnessed each and every milestone as the medical school transformed from a concept – a vision – into an established institution that has grown exponentially since its inception in 2012.
Now, in March he will watch as members of the medical school’s inaugural class – the Class of 2018 – gather for Match Day, a time-honored event that will represent a culmination for the MD students as they learn where they will spend the next three or more years in residency training.
“The Match is a life-changing event,” Dr. Jenson said. “Our students will be moving all around the country to further their medical training and continue the journey of becoming compassionate and competent physicians.”
“It’s exciting to get to this point -- it is a milestone that prompts me to think about all of the individuals that have contributed at so many levels,” Dr. Jenson added. “It’s really incredible to think about how much work has gone into creating the medical school. Our many accomplishments have only come through the hard work of a lot of people.”
Match Day for the Class of 2018 will be held on Friday, March 16, 2018, at the Bernhard Center at Western Michigan University. On Sunday, May 13, 2018, the students will graduate from WMed during a ceremony at Miller Auditorium that will be open to the public.
After Match Day and graduation, beginning on July 1, 2018, WMed students will begin practicing medicine in the specialty of their choice as residents in a clinical setting under the supervision of fully licensed physicians.
The Main Residency Match is an annual process that begins in the fall for applicants, usually in the final year of medical school, when they apply to residency programs at which they would like to train. Program directors review applications and conduct candidate interviews in the fall and early winter. From mid-January to late February, applicants submit to the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) their rank order lists of preferred programs, and program directors rank applicants in order of preference for training. The NRMP uses a computerized mathematical algorithm to match applicants with programs using the preferences expressed on their ranked lists.
The Match is a process that Dr. Jenson knows well. He served on the Board of Directors for the NRMP for 10 years, including a stint as chair of the Board from 2013 to 2015 when he led the implementation of what is known as the “all-in rule.” He guided the workgroup that brought about eliminating the Scramble in 2012 and transformed it into the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).
Dr. Jenson said Match Day and graduation will be a time of celebration for students and their families, as well as faculty and staff at the medical school. He said the lead-up to Match Day and graduation has prompted him to reflect on his time as the leader of WMed and all that has been accomplished since the inaugural MD class arrived at the medical school in 2014.
“As the inaugural class, they knew there would be unforeseen challenges and that they would be breaking new ground,” Dr. Jenson said. “Our students have contributed directly to many of the successes at WMed. I hope that part of the culture of the medical school and part of the legacy that all of our students carry with them is that pioneering spirit and a spirit of discovery, and a willingness to try new things with a positive attitude.”
Dr. Jenson arrived at WMed on March 22, 2011, the same day of the announcement of a $100 million cash gift to WMU that served as the foundation funding for the medical school. Then, in December 2011, he was there when the 330,000 square-foot building that became the medical school’s W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus in downtown Kalamazoo was donated by MPI Research.
Since then, he has guided the institution as its faculty and staff ranks have grown. There are now four classes of MD students at the medical school and, in graduate medical education, the medical school has added a new Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program as well as a new Simulation Fellowship Program. A site visit was recently held for a new Family Medicine Residency Program that is planned to be based at Bronson Battle Creek and Grace Health.
“Part of the reward of being a founding dean is setting in motion a number of initiatives that have turned out to be very successful,” he said. “The other part of what has made it fun is that we have incredible people here, including the leadership teams that I work with.”
As Match Day and graduation get closer, Dr. Jenson said he is hopeful for a 100 percent match rate for the Class of 2018. He also is looking forward to welcoming the new residents from WMed and across the country who will match with the medical school’s nine residency programs and begin their residency training in Kalamazoo in July.
“All of this is a celebration for our students because Match Day and graduation are unique milestones that only happen to you once,” Dr. Jenson said. “It’s a celebration of the hard work and success of our students and also the hard work and success of our faculty.”
“In the end, how I measure my success at WMed is, in part, by our students’ success,” he added. “They carry with them the spirit of WMed and they will be our representatives and our ambassadors wherever they go. We want them to be outstanding citizens and physicians throughout their lives because they are always a part of the WMed family even if they’re not in Kalamazoo.”