Welcoming our new graduate students
VCU School of Medicine’s latest cohort of aspiring scientists has arrived to begin their certificate, master’s, Ph.D. and postdoctoral programs.
New graduate students gathered in the Bruce Oliver Tucker Auditorium in the McGlothlin Medical Education Center for their advanced degree orientation on Thursday, Aug. 14. (Photo by Arda Athman)
On Thursday, Aug. 14, new students filled the Bruce Oliver Tucker Auditorium feeling excited, nervous and determined. These students have arrived from across the U.S. and beyond to begin studying and conducting research across the full spectrum of biomedical sciences at VCU School of Medicine
Some of these new students plan to become physicians, while others look forward to careers in academic, government or private sector research.
The School of Medicine offers more than 20 graduate-level programs, making each of these paths available and accessible to students. The Premedical Graduate Health Sciences Certificate (CERT) helps students enhance their qualifications for medical or dental school, and post-baccalaureate study areas include addiction studies, clinical genetics and medical physics. M.S. and Ph.D. programs, meanwhile, cover the full spectrum of biomedical sciences, including biochemistry, human genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, medical physics, pharmacology and physiology.
Before arriving on the MCV Campus, our new students...
- Earned degrees in biology, physics, biochemistry, public health and neuroscience.
- Worked as teachers, psychiatric techs, fine dining servers, cake decorators, swim coaches, research specialists, advanced emergency medicine technicians and apple orchard cashiers.
- Rescued more than 50 people as ocean lifeguards and helped a college tennis team win its first NCAA tournament in school history.
- Went bungee jumping in Zimbabwe, lived in Australia and grew up in Panama, Colombia and Mexico.
- Received awards for their research posters, presented at a conference in Hawaii and became registered dieticians.
Outside of school, they...
- Love to bake, cook, draw, read, crochet, embroider and attend Renaissance fairs.
- Stay active by hiking, swimming, surfing, snowboarding, running, playing soccer, weightlifting and riding horses.
- Learned to sing the alphabet backwards, have a passion for making espresso drinks and maintain a folder full of stats on all sorts of topics, like video games and TV shows.
- Are proud parents and pet parents.
As they begin graduate school, they are...
- Eager to befriend the city’s street cats.
- Proud of getting into advanced degree programs while also facing mental health challenges, moving across the country and parenting young children.
- Looking forward to meeting new people, exploring local trails, trying different restaurants and making Richmond their new home.
