After medical error , revealing facts , offering apology goes a long way

The School of Medicine set recruitment records with this year’s new class of doctoral students, receiving the largest-ever pool of applicants and boasting the highest acceptance rate in the school’s history. Of the 2,030 applicants to Stanford’s biosciences PhD programs, 174 were offered admission and 116 accepted, according to William Talbot, PhD, the medical school’s senior associate dean for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs. “We look for people who take risks, are creative, work hard and have integrity,” he said. “We look for people who are going to be leaders.” Talbot and Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, welcomed the new students on Sept. 25, the first day of classes, during a ceremony where they were presented with lab coats. “Welcome to all of you as you begin what will be one of the most significant journeys of your lives,” Minor said, addressing the students gathered at the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge. This class is also one of the most diverse in the school’s history, with 25 percent of new doctoral students coming from underrepresented backgrounds in the biosciences. “Diversity has been a major focus of the dean and of our team,” Talbot said. The school has increased outreach programs, recruitment visits across the country and community building to provide a welcoming environment for all students in an effort to increase its diversity levels, he said. In addition to the 116 new doctoral students, 64 students seeking master’s degrees in the biosciences have started their coursework.