It is that unique, exciting time of year when we prepare for the incoming class of medical students as well as launch the graduating class into the world of medicine. The pride and optimism I share with all of them is tempered, however, by the reality that many of these earnest, eager students and graduates are taking on a burden of debt so great it could take some of them decades to free themselves and their families.

Such debt can drive new M.D.s from the path they feel called to follow, into higher-paying specialties. Low-choice specialties suffer, as do all of us who need the care they provide. Indeed, the daunting prospect of debt causes some promising students to never seriously consider careers in medicine at all.

The talent we lose has profound implications for society on a global level. Without the brightest minds in medicine, what kind of care will future generations receive? Without the brightest and most motivated, how can we improve care in regions with limited or no resources? Without the most inquisitive minds at the bench, where will tomorrow’s biomedical research breakthroughs come from?

We remain committed to building scholarship resources to the point of affordability for all students who feel called to the field of medicine. It is our goal to remove the impediment of student debt at Michigan in order to recruit great minds to medicine and ensure the best possible care to society — in Michigan, in America, and around the globe.

Sincerely,

James O. Woolliscroft, M.D. (Residency 1980)
Dean, U-M Medical School