Featured Student

Brian Gavitt, Block IV

Brian Gavitt is a fourth year student at CHM who hails from the small town of Glennallen, Alaska.  He received his undergraduate education at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida and completed a Master’s degree in Public Health at the George Washington University in Washington, DC.  After completing graduate school, Brian worked on Capitol Hill as a policy advisor to a member of the United States Senate.  While in DC he met, dated and married Gayleen (Dalsimer), and seven months later they moved to East Lansing so that Brian could begin medical school at CHM.

 

During his pre-clinical years, Brian was elected by his peers to serve as a student member of the College’s Admissions Committee.  He also actively participated in the MSU chapter of the AMA (medical student section) as an elected delegate as well as a founding member of the national organization’s Standing Committee on Public Health.  Brian is attending medical school on a scholarship from the United States Air Force, and served as the co-president of the MSU chapter of the Military Medical Student Association and volunteers as a member of the Medical Reserve Corps.  He also worked as a pre-clinical tutor and graduate assistant for the clinical skills course.

 

During his clinical years, Brian had the opportunity to work with several MSU surgeons who were researching the management of coagulopathy in trauma patients.  Additionally he served as a member of the Sparrow Hospital Ethics Committee.  Brian and Gayleen remained actively involved at their local church and are excitedly awaiting the birth of their first child in January of 2008. 

 

Brian is looking forward to starting a residency in general surgery next year and hopes to specialize in trauma and critical care surgery.  He enjoys spending time with his wife, traveling, hiking and camping in the backcountry of Alaska as well as roasting his own coffee beans (which will undoubtedly prove helpful during residency).