Nearly 80% From Underserved Areas: UAMS Class of 2030 Reflects a Commitment to Rural Care

On the morning of Aug. 3, 172 first-year medical students filed into the UAMS library carrying a mix of nerves and excitement.

They came from rural Arkansas towns and cities across the country, straight from college and others after careers in education, engineering, and other fields. All have spent years working toward the moment.

Together, they make up the UAMS College of Medicine Class of 2030 — the 148th class to begin medical school at UAMS.

For five students — Ruth Walters, Rachael Wehrle, Jenny Zhang, Ella Roper and Kyle Lee — arriving at UAMS was a homecoming in the most literal sense: They were born at the hospital where they are now training to become physicians.

Becky Latch, M.D., Associate Dean for Student Affairs, said she was struck by the energy and range of experiences represented in the class.

“They came ready to get started,” Latch said. “There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm from the very beginning. I was impressed by the different experiences and perspectives they bring with them.”

Of 3,337 applicants, the Class of 2030 includes 143 Arkansas residents. Nearly one-third come from rural areas, and nearly 80% come from medically underserved areas. They enter medical school with an average GPA of 3.86 and an average MCAT score of 510.

Beyond the numbers is a class shaped by a remarkable range of experiences. Before medical school, students turned wrenches as mechanics and automotive engineers, built virtual worlds as Roblox game developers, sold real estate, drove for Uber, taught dance, and worked as EMTs, medical scribes, and nurse’s aides.

They volunteered in homeless shelters, hospice centers, wound care clinics, and food pantries; worked with the Salvation Army, Girl Scouts, and animal rescues; and participated in medical mission trips.

*M1 Sallie Hendrix once led hundreds of musicians on the SEC sidelines as drum major for the Arkansas Razorbacks Marching Band (Go, Hogs!)*

Many members of the class are also accomplished athletes, bringing years of competition, coaching, and teamwork with them to medical school. They have captained an NCAA golf team, played women’s rugby, competed in soccer, swimming and diving, taught PGA golf, coached Little League softball and volleyball, and umpired baseball.

Different Paths, Same Room

For Chancellor’s Scholar Lance Viscioni-Wilson, starting medical school was also a homecoming. He was just a year old when his father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The family relocated from Chicago to Little Rock so his father could receive specialized care at the UAMS Myeloma Center.

For the next six years, UAMS became a familiar part of his childhood as his father underwent treatment.

(left) M1 Lance Viscioni-Wilson celebrated his seventh birthday at UAMS, where his father was undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. It was in rooms like this one, watching his father’s care team, that Lance’s own path toward medicine began to take shape. *(right) Years later, he returned to UAMS as a medical student, alongside his wife, Gabriella.*

After returning to UAMS as a medical student and receiving his white coat, he reflected on what the moment meant.

“My father’s physicians and their teams provided the precious extra years I had with him, and I owe my memories of my dad to the intentional, patient- and family-centered care they delivered,” he wrote in a social media post. “Fifteen years later, I have now been given the opportunity to give back to the same institution that gave so much to my family through the symbol of this white coat.”

For Sara Fritz, a 33-year-old former high school chemistry teacher, the road to medical school took 10 years.

Fritz earned a bachelor’s degree in movement science and a master’s degree in education before teaching science in Chicago Public Schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. She loved working with students but eventually found herself drawn back to science and medicine.

“I came back to how much I love science, the body, and its ability to heal itself,” she said. “I want to use science and my teaching background to explain health issues to patients and help them understand how their bodies work.”

For fellow Chancellor’s Scholar Kate Stidman, the journey began in Flippin, Arkansas, a medically underserved community of about 1,280.

“I started thinking about being a doctor at a very young age,” Stidman said. “I remember in seventh grade I told my English teacher that I wanted to be an OB/GYN.”

*Chancellor’s Scholar Kate Stidman celebrates on the Northwest Arkansas Campus after the White Coat Ceremony. She will be the first physician in her family.*

Stidman will be the first physician in her family, although her mother is an advanced practice registered nurse. She is considering primary care or internal medicine.

Her first day at UAMS was the realization of a longtime goal.

“It was truly a day where I realized so many of my dreams had come to fruition,” she said.

The Journey Begins

During Welcome Week, UAMS leaders reminded students that reaching medical school was both an accomplishment and the beginning of a demanding new chapter.

“In four years, you’ll be a doctor,” said UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. “Expectations are different when you have an M.D. after your name. People will expect more of you. And because you represent UAMS, you must hold yourself to high standards.”

Ron Robertson, M.D., Dean of the UAMS College of Medicine and Executive Vice Chancellor, spoke to the weight and reward of the path ahead.

“As physicians, we have both the extraordinary privilege and the great responsibility of caring for patients and their families,” he said. “Healthcare has changed a lot over the years, but it’s still the best profession there is. The rewards are profound.”

Latch offered students another piece of advice: Give themselves permission not to know everything yet.

“Stay curious and keep a growth mindset,” she said. “If you can’t do something, remember that you can’t do it yet. You may struggle to learn some things, but you will get there.”

It’s advice informed by her own first days at UAMS.

“I remember being nervous and wondering if I was really ready for medical school,” Latch said.

At the time, medical school culture often made students reluctant to admit when they were struggling or unsure of themselves. That has changed for the better.

“Now we acknowledge that many students have those feelings,” she said. “Helping them recognize and address those feelings of imposter syndrome allows them to get down to learning what they need to learn.”

That support will be important as the Class of 2030 prepares for a profession that continues to evolve. Latch said she is particularly encouraged by the number of students coming from rural communities and hopes medical education remains accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds.

“Arkansas is a rural state, and training doctors from rural areas means they understand where their patients are coming from,” she said. “That’s something we want to continue.”

*Spencer Frederickson will be a 4th generation physician in his family. He received his white coat from his grandfather, a family physician.*

Welcome Week culminated Aug. 7 with the White Coat Ceremony, when students recited a professional oath marking their public entry into medicine.

For Robin Eluvathingal, one of three M.D./Ph.D. students in the class, the ceremony marked the first step on an eight-year path that will combine patient care with scientific research. Eluvathingal, Brahmi Prayaga, and Sadie Farmer are the first students in the new NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program at UAMS.

“I know it’s just the beginning,” Eluvathingal said. “But it’s the first time this whole thing has felt real instead of just a plan.”

Five days after arriving at UAMS as newly minted medical students, the Class of 2030 left Welcome Week wearing white coats.

They join a tradition that began in 1880, when the first UAMS medical school class had just 22 students. Nearly a century and a half later, that journey has officially begun for the UAMS Class of 2030. Good luck!