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 people smiling at the white coat ceremong
3d model
Dose of Reality
Revolutionizing Surgical Training
A University of Michigan medical student explore a surgery-related team project that 3D printing.
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
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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...
Group of people in white coats standing for a photo
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...
Group of people on a picnic blanket showing their artwork
Dose of Reality
Empowering Medical Students Through Process Art
MedART is a longitudinal art therapy class for medical students at the University of Michigan that creates a space for discussion and creative expression. The program was founded in March 2022 by a gr...
A group of people in hard hats carrying a stretcher out of a cave
Dose of Reality
Into the Wild: The Wilderness Medicine Elective
Wilderness Medicine is easily the most unique rotation I've done in medical school. Run by the Department of Emergency Medicine, Wilderness Medicine teaches students how to provide quality medical car...
Group of people seated around a table facing the camera for a photo
Dose of Reality
Bridging Languages and Lives: Transforming Healthcare Through Medical Arabic
"I will erase my knees, I will eat it [my knees]...so that I will not kneel to an aggression, an army, or an era" - Muhammad Al-Maghout                          ...
A photo backdrop of the hashtag #AAFPNC
Dose of Reality
Empowering Health Equity: My Summer as an Underrepresented in Medicine Health Equity Intern
Following my first year at the University of Michigan Medical School, I had the absolute privilege of being one of the four Health Equity Interns in the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Un...
A group of people posing for a photo
Dose of Reality
New Advocacy Course: Learning to Drive Positive Change for Patients Beyond the Clinic
Throughout medical school, we have the privilege of meeting patients with so many different life experiences. The physiology and pharmacology of medical illness is complex, but oftentimes we see that ...
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