July 7, 2023

School of Medicine’s 306 new Warrior M.D. medical students arrive on campus

The 306 new physicians-in-training making up the Class of 2027 pose for their first class photo.

Kalyyanee Nanaaware may be a Katy, Texas, native, but Detroit and Wayne State University have been her home for four years. On July 5, she doubled down on the Motor City, beginning the first day of the next four years of her life, this time as a medical student at the WSU School of Medicine.

“Everyone here is super collegiate, friendly and supportive,” Nanaaware said.

New classmates, from left, Kalyyanee Nanaaware, Jenna Brokaw and Nicholas Daher wait for photos together for in the Office of Medical Communications on the second-day of school.

She graduated from Wayne State only months ago with a bachelor of science degree in Neuroscience and a bachelor of arts degree in Anthropology, but found out last December she had been accepted to the #WarriorMD Class of 2027.

Nanaaware is one of 306 new medical students who took the first step in the journey to becoming doctors during the WSU School of Medicine’s Orientation for the Class of 2027, held July 5-7 in Scott Hall and the Mazurek Medical Education Commons.

The week kicked off with a welcome breakfast hosted in the Scott Hall Cafeteria. Later, campus tours were led by the medical school’s Warrior M.D. Ambassadors.

Of the class, 63% hail from Michigan, with 37% coming from California, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, Georgia, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Canada.

They’ve reported more than 225,000 hours in research, 116,000 hours in volunteer medical experiences and more than 100,000 hours in non-medical volunteering.

At left, WSU Department of Emergency Medicine Chair Brian O'Neil, M.D., teaches Basic Life Support techniques to two students on the second day of orientation.

The new students received their short white coats that they will wear for the next four years as medical students, participated in four sessions of hands-on Basic Life Support training taught by local physicians and nurses; extensive first-aid training taught by the First Aid First Student Organization; participated in House meet-and-greet activities; learned the history of Detroit; and more.

It is that history, and especially the School of Medicine’s place in the Detroit community, that inspired Claire Keum to apply to the School of Medicine. She was born in Ohio, raised in Kentucky, and spent her undergraduate years at the University of Cincinnati, where she found a passion for advocating for diversity, caring for the underserved and promoting student wellness. She also really loves the Midwest, she shared, and her family now lives in Saginaw, Mich.

“I chose Wayne State because it is in the heart of Detroit. There are so many opportunities to be a part of the community,” Keum said. “I also loved how many free clinics are in the area.”

Keum and her classmates spent the rest of the week meeting with their color-coded houses (previously known as learning communities) and small-group Gross Anatomy teams, attending lectures and meetings about physical and mental wellness, urban medicine, professionalism and more. The traditional Warrior Olympics, a team-based, field day-style competition held at WSU’s Fieldhouse, capped the week.

Nicholas Daher, who grew up in Shelby Township, Mich., was ready for Warrior Olympic victory for his house when asked about it earlier in the week.

“We’re going to win. I’ll make sure of it,” he said with a smile.

Daher is a third-generation physician, but the first who will train in the United States. His grandfather is a surgeon in Syria, and his father trained in that country as well, before coming to the U.S. to practice Internal Medicine.

Becoming a doctor has “forever been on my radar,” he said.