If you’re serious about becoming a doctor, dentist, researcher or health care leader, one name should be at the top of your list: Transylvania University.
In the heart of Lexington, Kentucky, Transy’s nationally recognized pre-health program doesn’t just prepare students for medical school — it launches them there. With an acceptance rate near 90% for recommended students, small classes and one-on-one advising, Transy is one of the most effective and most personal pre-health programs in the nation.
Simply put: If you’re not looking at Transy, you’re missing out on one of the strongest pre-health experiences in the country.
The power of personal mentorship
At Transy, pre-health students aren’t lost in a sea of lecture halls — they’re known. From their first semester, they meet regularly with a pre-health adviser and the Pre-Health Advisory Committee, building a personalized plan that includes coursework, MCAT prep, shadowing and mock interviews.
Senior biology major Ethan Lawhorn says that kind of connection is what drew him to Transy. “I always believed that iron sharpens iron,” Lawhorn says. “At Transy, I can really form connections with my professors. Knowing them on a deeper level helps me ask better questions and pushes me to think more critically.”
That mentorship extends beyond the classroom. For Elizabeth (Meredith) Rhea ’08, now a neuroscience researcher and professor, it was a faculty relationship that changed her life. “This experience changed my life,” Rhea says of her Transy-arranged internship at the University of Kentucky. “Up until my senior year, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduating. That one semester in a lab set me on a path toward discovery and advanced study.”
Real-world experience that opens doors
Transy’s location in Lexington puts students at the center of a thriving medical and research community. They gain early exposure through partnerships with UK HealthCare, Baptist Health and Lexington Clinic.
Lawhorn spent his summer conducting research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, one of the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals.
“The skills I learned at Transy, especially coding in R, set me apart from other applicants,” he says. “That’s not something most undergrads can say.”
For Rhea, a similar early experience at UK became the foundation for a career in neuroscience. Today she leads research projects at the University of Washington and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, studying how insulin moves across the blood-brain barrier and its impact on cognition and aging. Her discoveries are helping redefine how scientists understand Alzheimer’s and metabolic disease.
“Transy professors didn’t just teach us the material,” she says. “They helped us make real-world connections. That sense of collaboration and support is something I’ve tried to carry into every stage of my career.”
Transy grads are changing health care
Transylvania graduates are advancing medicine, neuroscience and public health around the world. They’re innovators, surgeons and researchers who began their journeys right here in Lexington.
Just a few examples
- Dr. Elizabeth (Meredith) Rhea ’08 – Research assistant professor, University of Washington and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; leads Alzheimer’s and metabolic research on insulin and cognition.
- Dr. Rebecca Todd ’99 – Associate professor of OB-GYN, UK HealthCare.
- Dr. Anne Dumaine ’08 – Pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, UK HealthCare; fellowship at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital.
- Dr. Amit Patel ’99 – Facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, associate professor, UK College of Medicine.
- Dr. James Jennings ’90 – Medical director, Norton Medical Group (primary care), Louisville.
- Dr. Sadhna Verma ’94 – Diagnostic radiologist, University of Cincinnati.
From pre-med classrooms to world-class research labs, Transy alumni are proof that mentorship, curiosity and opportunity lead to extraordinary outcomes.
A legacy of excellence 200 years strong
Transy’s reputation for producing physicians isn’t new — it’s legendary. The university’s medical heritage dates back to the early 1800s, when Dr. Benjamin Dudley, a pioneering surgeon, trained generations of doctors in Lexington.
That legacy lives on in today’s graduates. Whether it’s Lawhorn exploring molecular biology or Rhea leading Alzheimer’s research, each student and alum adds to a centuries-long story of innovation, compassion and discovery.
The liberal arts edge that sets Transy apart
Transy’s pre-health students don’t just study science — they study the human experience. Courses in philosophy, psychology and ethics complement rigorous STEM coursework, creating graduates who are both analytical and empathetic.
“Transy taught me to think broadly,” Rhea says. “Science doesn’t happen in isolation. You have to understand how different systems interact, whether you’re studying the brain or the body as a whole.”
That holistic approach, combining critical thinking with compassion, is what makes Transy graduates exceptional candidates for medical school and effective, humane practitioners of medicine.
Where future healers begin
Each year, Transy graduates take part in white coat ceremonies at medical and professional schools across the country, marking the moment they officially join the next generation of health care professionals. Those celebrations represent the culmination of years of mentorship, discovery and preparation that begin on Transy’s campus in Lexington.
With proven results, personal mentorship and a legacy of excellence that stretches back two centuries, Transylvania University stands among the very best pre-health programs in America.
If you’re ready to turn your passion into purpose, your curiosity into care and your dream into your white coat moment, there’s only one place to start.