WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – One hundred and twenty new students, the class of 2013, arrived Thursday at Wake Forest University School of Medicine for orientation before beginning courses on August 3.
In response to state and national initiatives to meet the need for physicians, the class numbers 120 for the third year, up from 108 five years ago. The new students were chosen from a pool of 7,102 applicants. Half of the students are male, and half are female. Students who are under-represented in medicine (African Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Mexican Chicanos and mainland Puerto Ricans) constitute 16 percent of the class.
The students come from 28 states and two foreign countries. Forty-six of the students are from North Carolina.
“This class will not only have to learn an astounding amount of information, but they will also learn to work within a continuously changing system of health care delivery that will be equally new to their professors,” said K. Patrick Ober, M.D., associate dean for education at the medical school and professor of internal medicine, endocrinology and metabolism.
“Members of the class of 2013 will find that their communication abilities, humanistic values and professionalism will be as important as their medical knowledge in making them superb doctors.”
The class of 2013 is the last one selected under the direction of Lewis H. Nelson III, who retired as associate dean for medical school admissions on June 30. Gretchen L. Wells, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of internal medicine, cardiology, assumed the position on July 1.
Mark P. Knudson, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, was appointed associate dean for student services on June 1.
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Editor’s Note: Photo caption: Members of the Class of 2013 (From left to right: Shaundreal Jamison, Whitney Feltus, Michelle Long, Nicole Sussman, William Vincent, Candice Roberts, Shasta Henderson).
Media Relations Contacts: Robin Brantley, rbrantle@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-7334, or Mark Wright, mwright@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-3382.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc.edu) is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The system comprises 1,056 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by America’s Top Doctors for the number of its doctors considered best by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of Health and fourth in the Southeast in revenues from its licensed intellectual property.