Having lived her entire life in Los Angeles, Jennifer Chao admits that moving to Kalamazoo in 2014 to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor at WMed was a big change 'ì a leap 'ì for her.
Now, four short years later, Chao says her decision to take that jump was life-changing.
"This is a very unique, friendly, familial atmosphere,'ù Chao said of the medical school. "You really get to build relationships, not only with your peers, but the faculty and staff and it's a really wonderful community to be in.
"I really felt like I grew and flourished as a person here.'ù
Chao's reflections come as she and her 47 classmates in WMed's inaugural Class of 2018 prepare for graduation from WMed on Sunday, May 13, 2018, and begin to make the transition into residency training this summer.
Chao, an alumna of UCLA, will move back home after graduation to complete her residency training in Internal Medicine and pursue a master's degree in Public Health at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. The residency was her top choice in the Match, she said.
As members of WMed's inaugural MD class, Chao and her classmates got the chance to forge a path for the classes of students that have come after them, to grow with faculty and staff, and play a central role in shaping the institution.
But even more important to her, Chao said, are the relationships she was able to easily build during her time at WMed, the way faculty were so quick to support and lend a helping hand to students. Those close bonds were tangible to her many times as a student, Chao said, whether it was the time Dr. Joyce deJong, chair of WMed's Department of Pathology, invited Chao and other students who were far from home for the holidays to deJong's home for Thanksgiving.
Or, she said, there was Dr. Mark Loehrke, chair of the medical school's Department of Medicine, who was quick to help Chao's mother who fell ill with abdominal pain prior to the start of medical school during an open house event at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus in 2014.
"I lived in L.A. my whole life so coming here was a big change,'ù Chao said. "But I felt like everyone at WMed was so nice and caring, and genuine.'ù
As he looks back on his time in Kalamazoo, Lance von Bracht said he was drawn to WMed after he got a chance to meet Dr. Hal B. Jenson, the medical school's founding dean, in 2013 after Dr. Jenson paid a visit to Brigham Young University where he spoke to pre-med students. Von Bracht said Dr. Jenson's message resonated with him and he spoke of a new medical school that would be built with students with high integrity in an environment that was non-competitive and collaborative.
"They were doing new things and it was clear students would have the flexibility to try new things,'ù said von Bracht, a native of Troy, Montana, who is headed to the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School for a residency in Pediatrics. "The difference between WMed and other places, I think, is that here they don't just prep you to take a test. We are prepared to do more, to be involved in lots of different aspects of what it is to be a physician.
"That's the thing I appreciate about being here.'ù
Von Bracht said he appreciated being a "pioneer'ù as part of the medical school's inaugural class and being a part of laying the groundwork for the future MD classes that followed and will continue to follow.
"I had continual affirmation throughout my entire experience here that this is where I was supposed to be,'ù von Bracht said. "It all came down to the people. The more we knew of the people at the school, our church and our family here, it was clear.'ù
Like Chao, John Livingstone got his top choice 'ì Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Hawaii 'ì on Match Day in March. Livingstone, a native of San Jose and a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley, said he sought out training in Hawaii because of the positive experience he had working with residents and attendings during an away rotation there.
That experience in Honolulu, Livingstone said, mirrored his time at WMed and the work he got to do alongside faculty, residents and attendings in Kalamazoo.
"We get good, positive reinforcement and good feedback,'ù Livingstone said. "It motivates you to want to excel.'ù
Even today, Livingstone said his interview day at WMed sticks out to him because it sold him that the medical school was a place where he wanted to begin his journey to become a physician.
"It just seemed like they were really interested in getting to know us, everyone was really excited to meet us,'ù Livingstone said. "There was an interest and an investment. Just right off the bat, I felt like I was part of the team and that WMed really valued me.'ù
During her time at WMed, Diana Fidrocki said she has been buoyed by the relationships she built with faculty and residents, and the excitement both groups had about teaching her and her classmates.
"I've absolutely loved my time here,'ù Fidrocki said. "WMed has been like a family. I don't know if there's anywhere else where the faculty and residents are so excited about teaching '¶ It's really always been the people. My classmates and I are very close; the residents are very supportive.
"I just really like how everyone has cared about one another and about one another's wellness.'ù
Fidrocki, who is headed to SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn after medical school for a residency in Anesthesiology, said she also appreciated how open WMed leadership was to feedback from the new students to help shape and improve things like the curriculum over time.
"It's about making sure you get the most out of your time here,'ù Fidrocki said. "There's so much hands-on training for students. We get a lot more experience in simulation than other students I've talked to and we get a chance to try more procedures.'ù
Diti Ronvelia said she was drawn to WMed because of the medical school's "unique curriculum'ù and the chance to do 'ì and learn 'ì things differently than at other medical schools.
"The early clinical experience and working with standardized patients so early on gave us the initiative of knowing what it's like to talk to a patient and be comfortable in that situation,'ù Ronvelia said. "I think that's really important to have those skills early on and then build on that.
"That's one of our biggest strengths.'ù
After graduation, Ronvelia is heading to the University of Kansas Medical Center for a residency in Emergency Medicine. The California native said she will miss Kalamazoo, its sense of community and small-town feel. She said she will also miss the "family'ù atmosphere that exists at WMed between her and her classmates, as well as the faculty.
"I feel like in four years I've made this place a home and thinking about leaving makes me sad,'ù Ronvelia said. "It's totally become my home but I'm excited for the future just as I was excited to come to Kalamazoo when I left California.'ù