More than 25 Asbury Graduates Receive Admission to Medical and Ph.D. Programs

May 2, 2024

More than 25 of this year’s graduating students — a record number — from Asbury University’s Shaw School of Sciences received admission into medical school, graduate school, nursing programs, and physical therapy programs.

“We are very pleased to see a record number of students from our Shaw School of Sciences attending medical school or Ph.D. graduate programs,” said Asbury University President Dr. Kevin Brown. “This is a direct function of world class faculty who teach from a world class facility.”

More than a dozen students received admission into M.D. and D.O. programs. Five students received admission into Ph.D. programs in chemistry, biology, and mathematics, and two students received admission into Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs.

“These remarkable students began their time at Asbury in 2020, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they experienced all kinds of different delivery systems in classes and labs,” said Shaw School of Sciences Dean Dr. Vins Sutlive. “Individually, and as a class, they have excelled in the classroom, labs, internships and research opportunities. We are very proud of them.”

These students will head to a variety of schools, including Purdue University, University of Georgia, University of Dayton, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lincoln Memorial University, and University of Arizona.

“I plan to become a pediatrician,” said Victoria Brown ’24, who begins her D.O. program at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine this fall. “Dr. Bruce Branan helped me plan out my course schedule so I could be successful in taking my next steps into medical school.”

“Dr. Will Shafer is my research advisor who helped me get internships and taught me all about research and how to work on the scientific instruments,” said Rebekah Bogle ’24, who plans to begin her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at Purdue University this fall. “Dr. Laura Walther is my ‘science mom,’ and I have loved getting to chat with her in her office.”

“Dr. Elise Kearns assisted me with applying for graduate school and helped me to understand the requirements, offering support along the way,” said Margaret Blanton ’24, who plans to begin her DPT program at the University of Dayton this fall. “She has been an amazing professor. Dr. Vins Sutlive also helped me in making my course schedule each semester to prepare me for this next step in my journey.”

And, during their time at Asbury, Shaw students completed internships with the Argonne National Laboratory in Ill., the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, Shepherd Chemicals (Cincinnati), the Kentucky government, and more.

The Shaw School of Sciences offers 14 majors and six minors, including biology, chemistry, and physics. The Walt and Rowena Shaw Collaborative Learning Center (Shaw CLC) offers 11 laboratories, with spaces dedicated to eDNA research, cell and molecular biochemistry, ecology and environmental science, physics, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, instrumentation, biology preparation, chemistry preparation, and collaborative innovation.