July 12, 2022 | Glendale, AZ

Halley McDonald graduated in June 2022 from the Midwestern University Bridges Program and will begin studies at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in the fall.

Graduates from Midwestern University’s Bridges Program will be matriculating to the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM) Class of 2026 starting in the fall.

Twenty-one students from the College of Graduate Studies’ Biomedical Sciences master’s degree programs who celebrated their commencement during the first week of June are now preparing for the rigors of medical school at the University’s Glendale Campus. Thanks to the Bridges Program, the students were already provisionally accepted to AZCOM upon embarking on their Biomedical Sciences degree tracks.

The Bridges Program is a diversity initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for aspiring medical students to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine that provides qualified students who are members of underrepresented minority and economically or environmentally disadvantaged populations with a clear path to achieving the goal of becoming an osteopathic physician.

Bridges Program participants can apply for admission for provisional early acceptance in the year preceding completion of their Biomedical Science Program. As part of the program, the students receive graduate faculty mentoring and counseling to help them stay on track for success.

“This program is geared toward increasing our class diversity by offering participating students more time and resources to spend on study skills and less worry and stress about retaking the MCAT,” says Lori Kemper, D.O., Dean of AZCOM. “It helps these students strengthen the skills that are required to be successful in medical school.”

“The Bridges program opened a door that was previously closed or otherwise seemingly unattainable,” Halley McDonald, one of the Bridges Program graduates, remarks. “This program provided me with the supportive environment, mentorship, and resources that were crucial to becoming a competitive applicant in applying and being accepted into medical school. Additionally, the Bridges program fostered an environment where diversity and inclusion are openly a part of the conversation to provide opportunities for underrepresented groups in medicine to have a seat at the table.”

For more information about the Midwestern University Bridges Program, contact the Midwestern University Office of Admissions.