Jaclyn Morrison-Cole, MD ’11

As an undergraduate I was taught by the some of the same faculty who teach medical students, and I was extremely pleased with that experience. The school seemed like the right fit because of its half-day lecture style, system-based curriculum and all of the opportunities for clinical contact with patients.

I did not want my education complicated by the competitive obstacles and pitfalls that occur at many U.S. medical schools. UB has a reputation not only for the diversity of its student body—in their backgrounds and interests­—but for the camaraderie and enriching lifestyle created by students and faculty.

Choosing UB comes with the understanding that this university is extremely involved in the community. From the beginning of the first year, every student spends time at medical sites learning from physicians and patients of different cultural, social and economic backgrounds. I used my training to go back to an internal medicine practice I had worked at as an undergraduate—one that serves a predominately elderly, underserved population.

I served on planning committees for the medical school’s Second Look’s Day and first-year Orientation and was a member of the school’s Admissions Committee and Academic Affairs & Policies Committee. I also helped first-year students who were struggling with their course load and transition at UB.

My strengths were best suited for involvement in hands-on activities within the medical school. Many of my classmates have used their talents to run student clinics or interest clubs on campus, or to participate in research that will one day change the face of medicine. In our own ways, we're all trying to work toward the benefit of others while striving to find our place in the medical community.