About This Book
Applying to and getting into U.S. medical school has become increasingly difficult: only about 38% of applicants are accepted in a typical cycle, and acceptance rates at the most selective programs sit around 1–2%. Pre-Medicine: The Complete Guide for Aspiring Doctors gives applicants a realistic, structured roadmap through that gauntlet.
Co-authored by Joel Thomas, Phillip Wagner, Ray Funahashi, and Nitin Agarwal, physicians trained at U.S. News Top 20 medical schools and Doximity Top 20 residency programs, the book brings multiple voices and life experiences to a process that affects students from very different backgrounds.
The text is organized in five parts: The Pre-Med Primer, Succeeding as a Pre-Medical Student, Applying to Medical School, Medical School and Career Insights, and an Appendix. The print book includes complimentary access to a digital copy on MedOne.
Key Features
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Top-Program Perspective
Authors trained at U.S. News Top 20 medical schools and/or Doximity Top 20 residency programs.
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Demystifies the Process
Practical advice and evidence-based strategies for each step, starting in high school.
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Honest About the Work
A realistic picture of the daily challenges and rewards from pre-med through residency.
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Multi-Author Range
Different backgrounds and perspectives so readers can find advice that maps to their own path.
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Print + Digital
Print copies include access to a complimentary digital edition on MedOne.
About the Editors
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Joel Thomas, MD
Editor
Diagnostic radiology resident at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis. A former philosophy major, he writes nonfiction across a wide variety of topics and led the editorial direction of Pre-Medicine.
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Phillip Wagner, MD
Editor
Internal medicine hospitalist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he directs Consult and Co-Management Services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He earned his MD and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh, and has been engaged in mentoring pre-medical students throughout his career.
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Ray Funahashi, MD
Editor
Physician and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine graduate who now serves as AI Innovation Lead at Mass General Brigham in Boston, designing generative-AI tools for clinical and enterprise workflows. A physician-scientist turned technologist, he began his research career at the NIH and Columbia University and has collaborated with Nitin Agarwal on studies of patient health literacy.
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Nitin Agarwal, MD, MBA, FACS
Editor
Acting Chief and Site Residency Program Director of Neurological Surgery at the Veteran Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System and Director of the Spine Computational Outcomes Learning Institute (SCOLI). He is board-certified in neurological surgery with fellowship training in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, and earned his MBA from The Wharton School. His work spans neurotrauma outcomes, spine surgery outcomes, socioeconomic research, and patient education, with over 350 publications and more than 350 presentations.