{"id":160162,"date":"2025-07-18T08:54:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=160162"},"modified":"2025-07-18T08:54:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:54:28","slug":"five-friends-reunite-in-wright-states-boonshoft-school-of-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2025\/07\/18\/five-friends-reunite-in-wright-states-boonshoft-school-of-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Five friends reunite in Wright State\u2019s Boonshoft School of Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From left: Friends and former College of Science and Mathematics Dean\u2019s Circle leaders Gabbie Ramos, Cassie Poeppelman, Hannah Baumgardner, Hannah Davidson and Rahul Shah will continue their shared journey as classmates at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. (Photo by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n

They met as undergraduates with a shared passion for science, service and leadership. Now, five close-knit alumni of Wright State University\u2019s College of Science and Mathematics Dean\u2019s Circle will take the next step in their journeys together as incoming medical students at the Boonshoft School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One is passionate about mentorship. Another, about medical missions abroad. A third is excited to pursue a career in primary care, and the other two plan to serve rural communities as husband and wife.<\/p>\n

Such are the goals of Hannah Baumgardner, Hannah Davidson, Gabbie Ramos, Cassie Poeppelman and Rahul Shah, all of whom served together on the College of Science and Mathematics Dean\u2019s Circle, a student advisory group that works with the college dean to elevate the student experience.<\/p>\n

Having five students from the same cohort continue at the Boonshoft School of Medicine is remarkable, said Ay\u015fe \u015eahin, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science and Mathematics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey helped when I was getting my sea legs as dean,\u201d said \u015eahin, who was appointed dean in 2022. \u201cThey were just amazing. They helped me really know what was happening in the student experience and prodded me to look at problem areas. They were outstanding ambassadors and role models for students to look to and were really thoughtful and supportive of their peers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She praised their leadership and compassion for people, including each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful that they wanted to stay home with us and got into the Boonshoft School of Medicine and recognized for their intellectual ability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The five friends took time between earning their undergraduate degrees and entering medical school to gain clinical experience or continue their education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be special to see us all reunite at Boonshoft,\u201d said Hannah Baumgardner, a Dayton-area native who received a bachelor\u2019s degree in biological sciences<\/a> in 2023. \u201cI\u2019m proud of us for this milestone, and I\u2019m grateful to be entering the next step of our professional careers together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baumgardner initially wanted to focus on orthopedics and sports medicine, but her interests have broadened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to finding my niche in medical school,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m passionate about the mentorship side of medicine, so I\u2019d like to mentor students interested in the medical field in some capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hannah Davidson, who graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in physiology and neuroscience<\/a> in 2024 and is completing a master\u2019s degree in the same field, plans to pursue pediatrics and hopes to eventually complete a fellowship in perinatal-neonatology. She\u2019s committed to serving both her hometown of Dayton and underserved communities abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to give back to the communities that got me here,\u201d she said. \u201cI would like to keep Dayton as my home, but I would like to serve abroad as a physician in places that don\u2019t have the greatest access to care for neonates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davidson is excited to start medical school with her four friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the culture of cheering each other on that we developed, I was able to try new things, which I think made me a better med school candidate,\u201d she said. \u201cBoonshoft also has a family culture, so I think our little group will transition easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gabbie Ramos, who earned her degree in biological sciences in 2023, the group\u2019s reunion will help ease the transition to medical school.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest significance of the five of us starting med school together,\u201d said the Centerville resident, \u201cis the support system and the unity of being able to go through our studies and struggles together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramos, inspired by her mother, a nurse practitioner, has dreamed of becoming a physician since she was a little girl.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s especially interested in primary care and is excited to study at Boonshoft, which is ranked as the top medical school in Ohio for producing primary care physicians.<\/p>\n

Shah and Poeppelman are taking the group togetherness to another level: they recently became engaged. \u201cWe can\u2019t wait to continue our future together as Wright State alumni and Boonshoft students,\u201d said Shah, who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in biological sciences in 2023.<\/p>\n

Shah, a native of India now living in Beavercreek, is considering several specialties, including family medicine, neurology and anesthesiology, and is committed to working in medically underserved areas.<\/p>\n

Poeppelman, who also graduated in 2023 with a degree in biological sciences, said the Boonshoft School of Medicine\u2019s commitment to serving rural and underserved areas aligned perfectly with her goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the course of my research,\u201d said the native of Fort Recovery, \u201cI became aware of how limited access to specialized health care in rural communities like the one I grew up in can severely worsen outcomes for patients. I want to directly contribute to preventing, diagnosing and treating health issues in rural populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u015eahin said the success of these five students underscores the strength of Wright State\u2019s undergraduate preparation and the power of student leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m delighted for them. I\u2019m not at all surprised that they\u2019re so successful,\u201d \u015eahin said. \u201cThey\u2019re smart, compassionate, wonderful human beings. Their compassion for people will come through as they practice medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former College of Science and Mathematics Dean’s Circle leaders Gabbie Ramos, Cassie Poeppelman, Hannah Baumgardner, Hannah Davidson and Rahul Shah will continue their shared journey as classmates at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":160166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,2064,725,2149,2016,2115,715,2109,746],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-biology","category-home-news-sidebar","category-medical-students","category-medicine","category-neuroscience-cell-biology-and-physiology","category-news","category-pre-health","category-science-mathematics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160162"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160213,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160162\/revisions\/160213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}