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From Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine:

KPSOM Welcomes Third Class of Students

Festivities kick off with a welcome event and two-week early immersive experience course

July 29, 2022

Students from the incoming class take part in the KPSOM Welcome Event

As July winds to a close, the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) academic year is just ramping up with a third class of students who just began their respective medical educational journeys. The school rolled out the red carpet for the newest incoming class of students who hail from all across the country. On July 21- 22, 2022, students and their families flocked to KPSOM to take part in guided tours of the Pasadena medical education building and students attended the Welcome Event on July 24, 2022. The Welcome Event kicked off with a warm greeting from Laura Hamilton, KPSOM Director of Student Affairs, and was the ideal setting for students to meet one another, build relationships with classmates, and celebrate the start of medical school. The special event provided new students time to meet and enjoy lunch with members of the KPSOM Leadership team, hear welcome remarks from KPSOM Founding Dean and CEO Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, participate in Learning Communities activities and gear up for the White Coat Ceremony on September 9, 2022.

“This is always an exciting time of the year. I am thrilled to welcome our third class of students to the school,” said Dean Schuster. “They are another talented, committed, and diverse class, and I can’t wait to see them start on this phase of their journey to becoming a physician.”

Members of the Class of 2026 engage in Welcome Event games and activities

With the official launch of the school year on July 25, 2022, incoming students have quickly embarked on KPSOM’s Early Immersive Experience (EIE) course, a two-week orientation that introduces new students to the school’s key curricular insights such as the INSPIRE curriculum, Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships, and Service-Learning components; support services; the REACH (Reflection, Education, Assessment, Coaching, and Health and well-being) program that aids students in developing resiliency and problem-solving skills; and more. EIE also helps immerse students in the local Pasadena, California community, allowing each to become more familiar with important city destinations and learn more about key school resources like the Simulation Center and Anatomy Resource Center. During EIE, students have the opportunity to break bread with classmates, faculty, and staff in more informal settings, receive their assigned community clinic preceptors and REACH coaches, bond with classmates during a collaborative on-campus escape room activity, take part in sessions on professionalism and career development, and more.

“The EIE course is an introduction to all things KPSOM,” said Anne Eacker, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs. “The Early Immersion Course is directed by Matt Silver, MD, [KPSOM Associate Professor of Clinical Science], with input from across the school, particularly the Office of Medical Education under the direction of Abbas Hyderi, MD, MPH [KPSOM Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education]. From sharing the school’s history, mission, vision, and values to providing students an overview of the INSPIRE curriculum, their upcoming courses and clinical experiences, and the resources available to them, we cover key fundamentals with our incoming class. We help students explore how to make the most of their time in medical school, from participating in student organizations and leadership opportunities to learning efficient study strategies. We know our students want to change the future of healthcare, and they will need to do that as part of a team, so we want to help them build an inclusive community here at the school to start their journey. We must provide social and informal events to ensure students feel welcomed and included while gathering a greater sense of what is to come in their medical education journey.”

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