"Doctor" is the new title of 199 OSU College of Medicine graduates
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)-- "This is all I've ever wanted," These were the words of Corey Thompson, shortly before he became a doctor by graduating from The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
"I'm having trouble putting it into words, not only for myself, but for my family, my parents, and truthfully, to be able to celebrate this with all of my classmates who have become more like brothers and sisters over these four years,” Thompson said. “It’s amazing.”
According to the College of Medicine, Thompson was one of the 199 students to graduate from the school on Thursday.
Their graduation ceremony was one of the first held in-person at Ohio State since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Carol Bradford, dean of the College of Medicine, said students were briefly pulled from hospitals and clinics early in the pandemic and they continued to help care for patients in June.
Thompson hopes to continue helping patients through the pandemic, as he begins his residency.
“We’ve trained for this,” he said. “I want to be a doctor so that I have the opportunity to care for patients in these troubling times.”
Thursday’s ceremony comes weeks after U.S. News & World Report ranked Ohio State’s College of Medicine as the seventh most diverse medical school, in the country.
University officials say this spring’s graduating class is one of the most diverse to graduate from college. A spokesperson shared the following statistics about the class’s demographics:
- American Indian or Alaskan Native: 2
- Asian: 32
- Black or African American: 35
- Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin: 12
- White: 105
- Other: 13
The university also said the class contained 104 females and 95 males.
“I actually think we can lead the way in addressing health equity by training diverse learners to go out and be the future leaders of healthcare,” said Bradford.
Thompson said his message to potential future medical students is that they can do it.
“It’s hard,” he said. “It is time-consuming, and it is possible. All that matters is that you have the want and the creative sort of intuition to make this field your own. You do not have to fit into a box. That box will fit around you. Just do your job. Keep your head down and I will see you on the other side."