Dose of Reality
Unique Passions, Boundless Opportunities

Read stories written by our own students as they pursue their dreams through Medical School.

 A group of medical students at the White Coat Ceremony
Sahil Tolia holding a large sugar pine cone
Dose of Reality
Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Rediscovering Forestry in Medical School
University of Michigan medical student Sahil Tolia shares his love of forestry, a pastime he was able to pursue as a first-year medical student thanks to the flexible schedule of preclinical year.
 Two medical students stand at the central line and ultrasound guided IV placement station.
Dose of Reality
Cultivating a Passion for Ultrasound: How it Began with Diagnostics and Therapeutics
After completing the Diagnostics and Therapeutics (D&T) Branch during Branch Launch, third-year medical student Melis Ozkan discovered a career interest in ultrasound.
 Malak Elshafei facilitates a workshop with a small group
Dose of Reality
Bridging the Gap: Integrating Electronic Health Record (EHR) Training into Medical Education
University of Michigan medical student Malak Elshafei wants to prepare future medical students for clinical practice by introducing electronic health record training into the M1 year.
 Medical students Siddhi Deshpande and Hanin Elhagehassan with the vision center team in India
Dose of Reality
Through the Looking Glass: Gaining Perspectives in Global Health
University of Michigan medical students Siddhi Deshpande and Hanin Elhagehassan share their global health experience studying neuro-ophthalmological conditions in India.
 A group of students from the Black Medical Association at the SOS Food Pantry, where they volunteered
Dose of Reality
Cultivating Connections: Visualizing Our Community's Food Resources in Washtenaw and Wayne Counties
University of Michigan Medical School student Leta Ashebo explores how long-term lifestyle factors, particularly nutritional habits, influence the management and well-being of vulnerable populations with chronic conditions.
 3d model
Dose of Reality
Revolutionizing Surgical Training
University of Michigan medical student Kyle Peres worked with a team to develop a 3D surgical training tool that simulates suturing a damaged blood vessel with liquid.
 Three people standing outside the west gate of Peking Union Medical College
Dose of Reality
Crouching Wolverine, Hidden Dragon: A Summer of Clinical and Research Opportunities in China
University of Michigan Medical School student Claire shares her experience as on a global health rotation in China.
 Three female medical students smiling and holding signs near Pickleball courts
Dose of Reality
Medicine in Motion: Reducing Burnout Through Fitness
University of Michigan Medical School student shares information about a student organization she's involved in called Medicine in Motion.
 Group of people standing outside a building and underneath a sign that reads TechnoCore
Dose of Reality
Gaining a Global Perspective: Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Michigan Medicine and Beyond
Seven thousand miles away, I arrived in Samoa, a Pacific Islander Nation with some of the highest rates of chronic disease on our planet. Nearly half of the population in Samoa has diabetes, placing t...
 A group of people smiling for the camera
Dose of Reality
In with the Old, In with the New: Building Community and Continuity in Medical School
A couple of weeks before the start of my M1 year at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS), I remember feeling a huge range of emotions. Of course, I was ecstatic to be coming to such an ama...
 Three people standing at a UM podium in front of a projector screen
Dose of Reality
Compassionate Connections: Medical Spanish at the University of Michigan Medical School
LMSA Midwest Conference
 Woman standing on the White House lawn with chairs set up
Dose of Reality
Rediscovering My Home in DC at the Academic Surgical Congress
It took me two hours to find my DC Metro card. I had gone out of my way to get a special edition cherry blossom one during my gap years there, and I definitely still had money on it. I was excited to ...
 Aerial view of University of Michigan Health hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Dose of Reality
Ethics in Action: Insights from a High School Ethics Bowl & Our Path of Excellence
The Michigan High School Ethics Bowl is an annually judged tournament that challenges high school students to think and discuss ethical cases. The Bowl, held at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, is an o...
 A group of people in hiking gear standing on a walkway in the woods
Dose of Reality
Starting Medical School in the Woods: How Creating Adventurous and Mindful Physicians (CAMP) Fosters Student Community at Michigan
Having always dreamt of going to medical school, I long imagined what my first days would look like: meeting my classmates in lecture, exploring the anatomy lab, and receiving my white coat. I never e...
 A group of medical students pose at White Coat ceremony
Dose of Reality
Growing as a LEADer: From Non-Profit Management to Medical School
Before coming to the University of Michigan Medical School, I spent three years building the nonprofit organization, Lunar Doula Collective (LDC). After noting the lack of reproductive grief care at m...
 Woman with a pink arm cast sitting at the water's edge
Dose of Reality
Exploring My Interests in Medical School: From Transplant Surgery Research to Ceramics Classes
Our first week of medical school at the University of Michigan this past summer, I sat in South Lecture Hall with 163 of my new classmates listening to incredible physicians share their philosophies o...
 A group of people in a board room watching someone giving a presentation
Dose of Reality
Improving Diversity and Representation in Our Medical School Curriculum
Coming into medical school, we knew we wanted to make an impact in the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) community by following our passion for improving equity, representation and inclusio...
 Woman checking the blood pressure of a child in a green shirt
Dose of Reality
The Bus Will Take You Far: Getting Involved with Community Health Efforts in Washtenaw County
After attending Second Look at Michigan (SL@M), it was clear that the University of Michigan Medical School was the place for me to pursue my medical education. However, the beginning of my medical sc...
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