Outlook Magazine - Fall 2019

Good Doctors Stout Of THE

Alumni succeeding in health care, including recent graduate accepted at Harvard Medical School

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nown for its strong programs in technology, art,

design, education, engineering and management, UW-Stout might not always be on the radar of students looking to enter the health care field. Yet, for the past 20 years UW-Stout has been turning out graduates who are succeeding across a broad spectrum of careers in health care. What’s the secret to attending UW- Stout and becoming a doctor, dentist or pharmacist, to name a few options? The applied science program, applied biochemistry and molecular biology program and other programs have core classes that prepare students to enter graduate school professional programs. A case in point is Trever Koester, a May 2018 applied science graduate who had his eye on medical school all along. He took the MCAT — medical college admission test — that summer, scored in the 99th percentile and began applying to medical schools. Among those that said yes was one at the top of his list — Harvard. “It was pretty unbelievable,” he said, recalling receiving the acceptance email March 1. “It’s a very tough process even to apply, and the rejection rate is so high.” For example, the 2022 class a year ahead of him has 165 students out of more than 6,900 who applied.

K o e s t e r

T R E V E R

CLASS OF 2018

In early August, he began classes at the Harvard medical campus in Boston — separate from the main campus in nearby Cambridge, Mass., ready to tackle four years at one of the world’s best-known schools, then four to five years of a residency. “Choosing Stout was one of the best decisions I ever made. The university did a phenomenal job preparing me for the MCAT,” said Koester, who graduated from UW- Stout in three years with a 4.0 grade-point average. For the past year, Koester was a clinical research coordinator at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. He helped conduct research on a rare pediatric hip disease, something he believed set him apart from other Harvard applicants, and had opportunities to meet with children and families affected by it. Having overcome several adolescent health issues, Koester hopes to become a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. “You can make a big difference in people’s lives,” he said.

Trever Koester, right, and research interns at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul demonstrate a virtual reality system that makes cast removal for young children less traumatic. Koester ‘18, started at Harvard Medical School this summer.

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