MD Class of 2025 begins studies at UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences

GRAND FORKS, N.D.—Seventy-three first-year medical students, members of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Class of 2025, began their journey recently to become physicians at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (UND SMHS).

The medical students’ first week was dedicated to orientation, including an introduction to UND’s nationally recognized, four-year, patient-centered learning curriculum where biomedical and clinical sciences are taught in the context of an interdisciplinary educational setting. Special emphasis is placed on students’ new roles and expectations of them as health professionals.

Although orientation traditionally concludes with a White Coat Ceremony, wherein students recite the Oath of Hippocrates and receive their first white coats that have been donated by the North Dakota Medical Association, the pandemic has forced the School to reschedule its annual ceremony to later in the academic year.

This year’s medical student class is notable for the fact that 45 of its 73 new students (nearly 62%) are female. This is the highest percentage of female first-year students the class has ever seen.

The students, ranging in age from 20 to 35 years and the majority of whom are from North Dakota, come to medical school with experience in an array of fields, including: athletic training, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, electrical engineering, forensic science, genetics, Italian, kinesiology, medical laboratory science, microbiology, music, nursing, psychology, and social work.

Many of these first-year students already hold advanced degrees, including master’s degrees in public health and medical laboratory science.

“As more than 18 months of pandemic has shown us, the need for exceptional health care providers has never been greater,” added Joshua Wynne, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., vice president for Health Affairs at UND and dean of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences. “I’m excited as always as a new medical student class at UND takes that first step in helping our state meet its health care workforce needs. And I am especially pleased at the evolving gender balance in medicine. When I entered an internal medicine residency years ago, there were 12 fellow interns who were men – and only one woman. What a change we’re seeing from then to now.”

New MD students with hometowns:

Emily Anderson, Bismarck, N.D.
Thomas Baker, St. Augusta, Minn.
Hollie Ann Bearce, Maltby, Wash.
Johnathan Beaudrie, Cody, Wyo.
Tatiana Roberts, Deland, Fla.
Trysten Beyer, Minot, N.D.
Katrina Blommel, Freeport, Minn.
Trenton Bohan, Bismarck, N.D.
Mika Bordak, Buffalo, Minn.
Alexa Braaten, Oxbow, N.D.
Regan Bradley, Bismarck, N.D.
Andrew Braun, North Oaks, Minn.
Lauren Hollingsworth, Bismarck, N.D.
Seth Buryska, Rochester, Minn.
Whitney Carriveau, Mankato, Minn.
Matthew Cohoe, Williston, N.D.
Sarah Didonna, Bismarck, N.D.
Jack Dirnberger, Waconia, Minn.
Anyamaria Edwards, Grand Forks, N.D.
William Fleck, Mandan, N.D.
Lauren Fleming, Bismarck, N.D.
Miriah Forness, West Fargo, N.D.
April Hagemeister, Fessenden, N.D.
Rebecca Solloway, Glenburn, N.D.
Amanda Hansmann, Farmington, Minn.
Brenna Hanson, Bismarck, N.D.
Courtney Hanson, Bismarck, N.D.
Joshua Haus, Fargo, N.D.
Parker Heger, Underwood, N.D.
Edjay Ralph Hernandez, Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines
Austin Hill, Bismarck, N.D.
Elizabeth Holzwarth, New Rockford, N.D.
Chloe Kaelberer, Plymouth, Minn.
Joshua Kaelberer, Bismarck, N.D.
Emma Kangas, Dayton, Minn.
Shahmeer Kanwar, Watford City, N.D.
Megan Kelly, Moorhead, Minn.
Sean Keup, Plymouth, Minn.
Bo Lauckner, Leeds, N.D.
Brianna Lupo, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Lindsey Martens, Sartell, Minn.
Amanda Mathies, Lino Lakes, Minn.
Kennedy Mueller, Bismarck, N.D.
Liberty Nguyen, Eyota, Minn.
Danielle O’Hare, Mounds View, Minn.
Jordan Oliphant, Spring Creek, Nevada
Morgan Pierce, Mandan, N.D.
Abigail Pleiss, Mankato, Minn.
Annika Price, Bismarck, N.D.
Mark Raymond, Bozeman, Mont.
Grace Rerick, Grand Forks, N.D.
Sarah Rhodes, Duluth, Minn.
Cole Rokke, Fargo, N.D.
Tessa Rose, Fargo, N.D.
Mikaylah Ross, Valley City, N.D.
Regina Schlichting, Bloomington, Minn.
Connor Sheridan, Gilbert, Ariz.
Nicole Sinclair, Fargo, N.D.
Mikayla Soelter, Fairmont, Minn.
Allie Stover, Fargo, N.D.
Sarah Streed, Eagan, Minn.
Steffan Stroh, Underwood, Minn.
Adam Swanson, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Marie Tate, Crookston, Minn.
Maria Tibesar, St. Paul, Minn.
Chase Urie, Proctor, Minn.
Ethlyn, Voorhies, Grand Forks, N.D.
Brailyn Weber, Fargo, N.D.
Kyle Wegner, Dickinson, N.D.
Benjiman, Wilebski, Greenbush, Minn.
Jackson Wilson, Rochester, Minn.
Dylan Wrede, Edina, Minn.
Joel Zimmerman, Elk River, Minn.

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Brian James Schill
Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.2733 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | www.und.edu