MC students accepted to medical schoolMarch 02, 2021

Three Midland County high school graduates are now one step closer to medical school.  Zainab Falana, Enrique ‘Mikey’ Mangan and Jonathan Michael ‘Jon Michael’ Markgraf have all been accepted to Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) and will enter medical school in summer 2022.  The students will graduate this coming May from Midland College (MC) with an Associate of Science degree through MC’s Primary Care Pathway Program.  This coming August, they will enter the University of North Texas (UNT) and spend one year there taking upper-level science courses before entering TCOM.

What all this means is that before obtaining their associate degrees, the three students have been accepted to medical school without having to take the rigorous and expensive MCAT medical school entrance exam.  In just six to seven years after high school graduation, they will enter a medical residency program—an accomplishment that normally takes eight years at a minimum.  All three indicated that they want to return to Midland to practice medicine.

Zainab Falana said that she knew she wanted to be a physician when she was a sophomore at Midland High School.  

“I lost my father when I was in the 10th grade,” Falana explained.  “My mom has a friend who is a doctor, and she really helped my family through our grieving process.  I had always been good in math and science and thought that I might want to go to medical school; however, the compassion that my mom’s friend showed to our family made me realize that I wanted to not only be able to help people through skill, but also have the opportunity to be compassionate to fellow humans.

There are four children in my family, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to attend medical school because of finances.  A high school counselor told me about MC’s Primary Care Pathway Program, and I was immediately interested.  I could stay at home for two years and obtain great scholarships through Midland College.”

Falana is the daughter of Falilat Falana and was the 2019 Midland High School valedictorian.  Her family moved to Houston from Nigeria when Zainab was 9.  Her father’s job in the oil and gas industry eventually caused a job transfer to Midland.  Zainab’s mother works at H&R Block in Midland.  Zainab currently works 20 hours per week as a medical scribe at Midland Memorial Hospital.  

Ricky Mangan is the son of Yomar and Michael Mangan.  Unlike most of the students in the Primary Care Pathway Program who spend two years studying at MC, Mangan will have only spent one year after high school graduation.  He actually received an associate degree from MC in 2020 at the same time that he received his high school diploma from Early College High School at Midland College.  Mangan has spent the 2020-2021 school year taking additional science courses at MC.   

“When I first heard about the Primary Care Pathway Program, it sounded too good to be true,” Mangan said.  “I am very grateful for this program.  If all goes as planned, I will have a medical degree within six years after graduating from high school!”

Currently, Mangan’s goal is to become a diagnostic radiologist, but he said that may change as he encounters his clinicals rotations during medical school.

“I am really interested in technology in medicine,” he explained.  “Radiology has historically been the leader in applying technological advancements to workflow and patient care. That trend shows no slackening.”

Jon Michael Markgraf graduated from Midland Classical Academy in 2019.  He said that his parents Stephanie & Jim Markgraf instilled in him a sense of service to others.

“Throughout high school, I volunteered as a tutor to children who were living at Midland Fair Havens,” Markgraf stated.  “When I was a senior in high school, I took an anatomy & physiology course and really enjoyed it.  That is when I decided that becoming a physician will be a good avenue for an enjoyable career where I can help others.”

Markgraf currently tutors college students who are wanting to get into nursing school.

MC Associate Professor of Biology Joseph Schenkman serves as coordinator of the Primary Care Pathway Program.  He explained that the purpose of the program is to increase the number of physicians practicing primary care in the Midland area and in the state of Texas. 

The program contains the following components: (1) An enhanced three-year premed curriculum that includes two years at MC and one year at UNT; (2) Healthcare enrichment activities that include mentoring and physician shadowing; (3) a summer enrichment experience. 

So far, 20 program graduates have been accepted into TCOM.  To be eligible for MC’s Primary Care Pathway Program, high school graduates must have competitive college entrance exam scores and be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with Texas residency.  Dual credit coursework may be accepted at the discretion of the program committee.  

Since the Primary Care Pathway Program’s inception in 2016, participants have completed over 2,000 community service hours, averaging 100 hours per student, and over 1,000 healthcare-related service learning hours.  While at MC, the students have also participated in over 1,500 clinical training hours at Midland Memorial Hospital (average of 75 hours per student). 

The average GPA for program participants graduating from MC is 3.8, and the average GPA for program students at UNT is 3.9.

Schenkman said that students who successfully complete all of the requirements in the prescribed timeframe while maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA may be granted an interview that can lead to an offer of early acceptance admission to TCOM.  Additionally, by attaining only A’s and B’s, while maintaining the 3.5 GPA, the submission of an MCAT score will be waived.  Falana, Mangan and Markgraf are three of those students.

Schenkman further explained that in addition to partnering with UNT, the program’s success can also be attributed to a third partner—Midland Memorial Hospital.  

“Because of the relentless efforts of our two partners, the Midland community, University of North Texas Health Science Center and, of course, Midland College faculty, staff and administration, these students have continued to gain the foundation necessary to continue their success beyond Midland and Midland College,” Schenkman said.  “The fact that Zainab, Ricky and Jon Michael want to return to Midland to practice medicine and give back to this community says a lot about the support they have received.

“Midland College has provided these students the tools and support for their success, but it is their drive and motivation toward medicine that makes them truly successful.”  

Photo:  Midland College students accepted into Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Pictured from left to right, Enrique Mangan, Jonathan Michael Markgraf and Zainab Falana.