It's a brand new year! We have welcomed the future of medicine — 260 members of the Class of 2022 — and the future of biomedical science — 380 new graduate students.

As far as I'm concerned, we have the cream of the crop — not only are they bright, high-achieving and engaged individuals, they come from myriad experiences and backgrounds that will enrich our culture. Almost 10 percent of the new matriculants in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies are international students, and a good number of the first-year medical students have immigrant parents. I was thrilled to hear that the first-years have 22 different languages among them. I'm looking forward to Spanish-speaking lunches!

The new medical students rose to the top of a pool of 13,528 applicants; about one in every four U.S. medical school applicants applied to Drexel. Students who self-identify as under-represented minorities constitute 13 percent of the class; more than a quarter of the class are from groups underrepresented in medicine (minorities, rural and disadvantaged). Another statistic I find meaningful is that 15 percent of our new medical students were the first generation in their families to go to college.

All of these facts and figures overlook the stunning wealth of talents our students bring with them: the footballers, the Eagle Scouts, the principal cello in a city orchestra, the quintet of alto saxophones, the national amateur pool player, the farmers, the dancers — from hip hop to classical Indian to Bollywood — not to mention the visual artists! We look forward to discovering what makes each student unique.

What's next?

In anticipation of the 2021 accreditation visit by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and preceding the customary self-study, the College will write its next strategic plan. Under the stewardship of Dr. Valerie Weber, who will lead the process, the planning will address the five major areas — undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies, the clinical enterprise, and research — and include faculty throughout the medical school.

We are excited to now be actively engaged with Reading Hospital and Tower Health in planning the College of Medicine's branch campus. Each visit shows us how spectacular the hospital truly is, and increases our appreciation of the teaching facilities it offers our students. Our meetings confirm that this collaboration presents a wonderful opportunity, and we look forward to its development and future success.

Daniel V. Schidlow, MD
Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean
Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs