2 minute read
A Revamped Resource for Pre-Health Students
Walla Walla University has long been preparing students for acceptance into and excellence in a wide variety of post-graduate health programs—medical, dental, physical therapy, and more. For decades these so-called “pre-professional programs” had been grouped under the same umbrella as other areas of academic focus, such as pre-law. In fall of 2023, to better serve students planning to enter the health professions, WWU established the Center for Health Professions.
Directed by Jeremy Wiggins, D.D.S., associate professor of biology, the Center for Health Professions provides pre-health students with a dedicated advisor to ensure they’re enrolling in the necessary courses and making the proper preparations for an eventual application to medical school no matter their major.
I don’t think there are probably two other people in the entire denomination at the collegiate level who know more about all the ins and outs of getting into medical school than myself and chair of biology David Lindsey,
Wiggins says. A graduate of Loma Linda University dental school, Wiggins practiced dentistry for 20 years, and is committed to helping WWU students meet their goals.
Through the Center for Health Professions, students can seamlessly shift their pre-professional focus, should they so choose, with assistance from the advisors they’ve already come to know and respect.
“If a student decides they’d rather be a physician’s assistant than go to medical school, they’re still in my office or they’re still in David Lindsey’s office,” Wiggins says.
The next step for the Center for Health Professions is a dedicated space within Rigby Hall so that students know where to go for advice on pre-health programs, as well as have a spot to meet with representatives from medical schools like Loma Linda University and University of Washington.
“We’re just getting started,” Wiggins says. “There’s more exciting stuff to come.”
