The week of July 27, 2026 marked the beginning of the medical school journey for Heersink School of Medicine’s newest class of incoming first-year medical students. Each year, the incoming class is welcomed to the school through new student orientation week, acquainting the students with the academic leadership, current student body, and the offices and teams that will contribute to their studies at Heersink School of Medicine.
The team in Medical Student Services (MSS) work to ensure the activities in and around new student orientation equips new MS1s with the necessary tools to understand the expectations but also the excitement of beginning medical school. MSS assembles a group of 30 second-year medical students known as Orientation Leaders to assist with orientation operations, ensuring the activities and breakout sessions run smoothly and effectively.
“New Student Orientation represents some of the best of our student culture in the Heersink School of Medicine,” said Jason Noah, director of Student Life Programs in MSS. “A group of students who felt welcomed and cared for when they started medical school work as Orientation Leaders for months to ensure that the next group of incoming students have that same experience.”
Out of the nearly 4,000 applicants in 2026, 194 were selected, 87% of whom are coming from within the state of Alabama. The mission from the first day at Heersink School of Medicine is to develop each student into the next generation of physicians who impact communities throughout Alabama and across the world.
The orientation week began with an introduction to Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Medical Education from Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and dean, Heersink School of Medicine, and Christina Grabowski, Ph.D., associate dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management. Students were also fitted for their official white coats, which are paid for by the Medical Alumni Association. At the fitting, students were given the opportunity to write Thank You cards to alumni who contributed toward the white coats.
In addition to detailed sessions about the curriculum and life as a medical student, the Learning Communities Program was also introduced. As pivotal support structures for medical students, learning communities are designed to help form professional identity through relationships that include faculty and peer mentorship, coaching, social events, and more throughout all four years of medical school. To capstone the orientation week, students were assigned the learning community they will be part of until graduation. This longitudinal approach helps foster the close family dynamic within groups of students. Students were assigned at a fun sorting ceremony, where the entire class opened envelopes simultaneously to discover their community. This year’s theme was modeled after the Survivor franchise and featured unique introduction and hype videos for each community prior to the opening of the envelopes.
“I absolutely love New Student Orientation,” said Jessica Orcutt, a program manager in MSS. “It’s so exciting to see the students’ smiling faces on the first day and welcome them to the Heersink School of Medicine family. It’s such a privilege to walk alongside them at every step of their medical school journey, and to watch them blossom into incredible physicians.”
“I'm just in awe of the work that Jessica, the orientation directors, and the orientation leaders do to accomplish the week,” Noah said. “They start in January, and for seven months, they think, plan, and adjust to get the schedule and sessions just right. It's truly amazing how much they care about making sure the new students have the best experience possible.”
With the culmination of orientation week, the MS1 class will next take the Patient, Doctor, Society course before beginning their basic science courses to mark the start of their medical school journey. Their next milestone event will take place on August 15, 2026 at the Alabama Theatre at the 2026 Heersink School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony.