The Making of a Physician: Tcu’s Anne Burnett School of Medicine Teaches Empathy Alongside Scholarship

The Anne Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University opened its doors in July 2019, becoming the first new medical school in Fort Worth in 50 years. The inaugural class of 60 students hailed from across the country, drawn by the promise of a new standard of medical education that emphasizes the whole person. From day one, TCU’s MD students learned both the art and science of medicine as Empathetic Scholars(R).

To better understand the medical school and its innovative vision for patient care, TCU Magazine followed six of the inaugural students through their four-year journeys. Writer Lisa Martin spent hundreds of hours conducting interviews and observing all six both in the classroom and in clinical settings as they not only faced the typical challenges of medical school, but also unique ones born out of the Covid-19 pandemic that struck during the students’ first year.

As they worked toward their medical degrees, Ive Mota Avila, Edmundo Esparza, Charna Kinard, Jonas Kruse, Quinn Losefsky and Dilan Sunil Shah grew as people and in their profession. A hospital shift might bring doubt, delight and death in the span of an hour, but the students became adept at navigating it all, including their own fears and emotions.