The M.D. Tradition
This year, the Colleges celebrated the 150th anniversary of Elizabeth Blackwell's graduation from Hobart. This country's first female doctor, Blackwell also reminds us that HWS, though no longer housing a college of medicine, continues to prepare students to excel at some of the country's top medical schools.
The commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Elizabeth Blackwell's graduation, held this year in conjunction with Charter Day, seized the opportunity to continue to carry out the Colleges' model of excellence in the medical profession. Called "Celebrating the Legacy of Hobart Alumni in the Medical Profession," the anniversary celebration in April brought medical alums back to campus to take part in a panel discussion titled "The Ethics of Managed Health Care." The lively and timely panel debated the quality of health care vs. cost, resources, delays, corporate policy, and medical necessity.
The
debate served to illustrate the top standing the Colleges' alums hold
in the medical field as well as to recognize Blackwell, who went on
to bring honor and prestige to these Colleges by living a life of service.
Jim Ryan, professor of biology and pre-med adviser, says the Colleges continue to excel in preparing students for medical school. On average, HWS students score above the mean on the medical school entrance exams (MCAT). "We know our students do better than students from other colleges," Ryan says.
He says that even though the market has changed and gaining entrance into medical school after graduation can be a two- or three-year process, the HWS students who do apply do quite well in getting into the best medical schools in the country.
"If qualified students do the things they need do to be competitive, they have no problem getting in," says Ryan, who notes that HWS students have been accepted to all the top schools, such as Yale, Dartmouth, Duke, Pittsburgh, Jefferson, Mount Sinai, and New York Medical. "The education they get here prepares them well."
Then, of course, most go on to become great doctors (or otherwise engaged in the health professions). The alums who returned to participate in the panel discussion included
-
James Albright '66, president and chief executive officer of Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina;
-
Christy Bell '71, senior vice-president with Blue Cross/Blue Shield in
Newark, New Jersey; -
Dr. Laura Hamilton '78, a physician working with Oswego Hospital and Parish Family Health Center in Parish, New York;
-
Dr. Kenneth Spitzer '55, an ophthalmologist with Eye Consultants of Syracuse in Syracuse, New York;
-
Leslie J. Stark '59, senior vice-president with the advertising firm DMB&B in New York City; and
-
Dr. Richard Wasserman '70, a pediatric immunologist at Pediatric A/I Associates in Dallas, Texas.
A second way the Colleges perpetuate the legacy is by giving the Blackwell Award to promising pre-med students. Amy Schubmehl '99 was this year's recipient. She plans to begin applying to medical schools next year to study geriatrics, and says she followed the advise of faculty and staff and feels quite confident she'll be able to get into a top medical school. She's also grateful to Blackwell and other alumnae who have opened the door to medical school for women.
"For me it's not a concern being a woman who's trying to enter medical school. It's now all based on qualifications. I was very honored to receive the award; it's really prestigious. Elizabeth Blackwell was a model for women. I am honored to be recognized in her name," Schubmehl says.
But still the most meaningful legacy is the number of HWS-educated doctors in the field. To build on Blackwell's legacy, we have selected four with particularly strong credentials in the area of public service. And we've highlighted one field, anesthesiology, in which HWS representation seems extraordinarily strong.
M.L./D.C.
This article originally appeared in the Summer '99 issue of The Pulteney St. Survey.