Wesleyan College in Buckhannon , WV , and a participant in the Go D . O . Early Scholars Program , which allows Wesleyan students to be accepted to medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine ( WVSOM ) before they begin undergraduate studies .
It was during a summer reading assignment for an advanced placement biology course that Patterson — who originally thought she might have a future as a teacher — realized she wanted to become a physician .
Abigail Patterson is a participant in the Go D . O . Early Scholars Program .
“ We read a book called ‘ The Emperor of All Maladies ’ by Siddhartha Mukherjee . It ’ s about the history of cancer treatments and it was fascinating to see how we ’ ve evolved our thinking about treatments ,” Patterson says . “ For example ,
I learned that not all cancer treatments have an end goal of removing cancer ; sometimes the goal is to stop the spread and allow people to live while still having tumors in their body . The idea that you can help people and constantly be thinking and learning was exciting .”
Students who plan to attend Wesleyan as a biology or biochemistry major in hopes of later entering medical school at WVSOM can apply to the Go D . O . program during their senior year of high school . Participants who go on to successfully complete program requirements during their time at Wesleyan don ’ t have to take the MCAT exam that is typically mandatory for acceptance to medical school .
After learning of the Go D . O . program and researching WVSOM , Patterson decided that osteopathic medicine was a good fit for her medical interests .
“ I knew I wanted to be a doctor , and having guaranteed acceptance seemed like an ideal opportunity . When I looked into WVSOM and learned what a D . O . is , I found I liked the school ’ s approach and the principles of osteopathic medicine ,” she says . “ I like that it focuses on whole-person health and that one part of the body can influence the health of another part . It ’ s an exciting way to think about medicine .”
As a private-public education partnership , the Go D . O . program , which launched in 2021 , was one of the first of its kind in West Virginia . WVSOM and West Virginia Wesleyan share a dedication to science , service and holistic education , says Ronnie Collins , WVSOM ’ s director of admissions .
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