Yale system remains a strong draw

Response to patients matters most, neurosurgeon tells Physician Associate grads

Forrester Lee helped Kofi-Buaku Atsina don his white coat at the annual ceremony in Harkness Auditorium.

Among the top reasons for choosing Yale, a survey of the 100 incoming students found, were the Yale system, the school’s reputation and the quality of faculty and students.

After the ceremony students posed for a group photograph outside the Sterling Hall of Medicine.

Yale system remains a strong draw

Incoming students cited the quality of faculty, research opportunities and the thesis requirement.

Kwame and Kofi Atsina went to different colleges and have different interests, but when it came time to apply to medical schools, both put Yale on their lists. In September the brothers from Ghana were among the 100 first-year students in the Class of 2011 at the White Coat Ceremony, the annual even that welcomes students to the field of medicine.

“I never knew that we’d end up at the same school,” said Kwame, who attended Lehigh University. “I never guessed we could be so fortunate.”

“I’ll want to know where he is and what he’s doing, but I have to give him space. He’s an adult now,” said his big brother Kofi, who is 15 months older and graduated from Yale College.

Director of Admissions Richard Silverman said the Atsinas aren’t the first sibling pair to be admitted to the medical school in the same class, but he agrees the odds are long—especially this year. Silverman said the school received 4,056 applications for 100 slots, the highest number in the school’s history and a 9.7 percent jump over last year.

As always, the Yale system remains a big attraction for incoming students. According to a survey Silverman conducted, students said it was their main reason for choosing Yale. They also cited the school’s reputation, research opportunities, the quality of faculty and students and the requirement to write a research thesis.

“High school was very competitive,” said George Hauser. “I wanted to learn for the sake of learning.”

“I fell in love with the vibe,” said Melanie Johncilla. “The lack of competition. The spirit of teamwork.”

In his opening remarks at the ceremony, Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine, said that the Yale system didn’t dispense with grades and rankings to make it easier for students. “We expect greater things from you than grades,” he said. “We expect you to become leaders in the medical world.”

—Jennifer Kaylin

Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa told the physician associate graduates of his rise from undocumented farmworker in California to neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University.

Jesse Harkness and Deborah Cole before the ceremony in Woolsey Hall.

Timothy Graves and Adam West before the ceremony in Woolsey Hall.

Clockwise from top left, Christopher Maio, Jacob Hauptman, Jesse Harkness, Maria Clough and Marlene Brodka joined their classmates for a group photo before Commencement.

Response to patients matters most, neurosurgeon tells Physician Associate grads

Twenty years ago Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, M.D., was a 19-year-old illegal immigrant who spoke no English and picked tomatoes in California’s San Joaquin Valley. On October 16 he gave the Commencement address to the 33 members of the Physician Associate Class of 2007, speaking as a renowned neurosurgeon and faculty member at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

His path into medicine started with an industrial accident—he fell into a tank car that was used to carry liquefied petroleum gas. When he regained consciousness in the hospital and saw the man in the white coat, he said, “I felt a sense of security that a doctor was taking care of me.” His future, he decided, lay in health care. After attending San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton, Calif., and the University of California at Berkeley, he eventually graduated from Harvard Medical School. Quiñones-Hinojosa now directs the Brain Tumor Surgery Program at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus.

In his address, Quiñones-Hinojosa wove together the story of his own transformation from immigrant to surgeon with the awe he still feels at the power of his relationships with his patients. Referring to one patient, he said, “Imagine the trust he was putting in me at that moment.” In a talk that referred to Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi and Cesar Chavez, among others, he said, “It is not intellect that makes a great scientist, but character; and more than knowledge, it is the response to patients that matters most. … Remember, graduates—this is a very important lesson; there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.”

Dean Robert J. Alpern, M.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine, told the new physician associates, “It is clear that the need for health care is so huge that you will become an increasingly important part of it.” He urged them to help their patients attain and maintain their health; to remain committed to lifelong learning and compassion; and to strive to become leaders in their field.

Student awards went to Deborah B. Cole, PA ’07, who received the Academic Achievement Award; Elisabeth M. Samels, PA ’07, who received the Clinical Excellence Award; and Matthew S. Cook, PA ’07, who received the Dean’s Humanitarian Award.

The Didactic Instruction Award for dedication and excellence went to Jeffrey E. Topal, M.D., clinical instructor in medicine and infectious diseases, known to students as the “antibiotic guru” of the pharmacology and microbiology courses. The Clinical Site Award, for a clinical rotation site that provides exemplary clinical teaching, was given to the Bridgeport Hospital Department of Emergency Services. The Jack W. Cole Society Award, for significant contributors who support the physician associate profession, was given to William L. Cushing, PA ’02, clinical instructor in medicine.

—Jill Max