Alumni Spotlight

Anthony Gutierrez is a first-year medical student up at OHSU and has a great story to tell. The story includes many experiences at UP including volunteer work, teaching assistantships, and multiple leadership roles. The story continues after graduation with work at a clinic in California where he was also able to get involved in research in the area of oncology. Included is a more detailed story of his path to medical school but we’ll let Anthony describe the details. We wish Anthony the best as he continues his journey to becoming a great future physician.

1. Describe your path (jobs, experience, other) from starting at UP until now.
In August of 2015, I was driving on I-5 to Portland. I spent my first week as a Pilot volunteering through the Moreau Center Service Plunge. While creating lifelong friendships, I learned more about Portland and its marginalized communities. Through UP, I found a volunteer position at Cesar Chavez elementary school as a tutor and soccer coach. By May of my first year, I was preparing to embark on UP’s Nicaraguan service immersion, my paternal homeland. When I returned to the states, I coached soccer on the weekends and volunteered at San Francisco General Hospital.

A few days before sophomore year began, I entered Schoenfeldt Hall Room 219, where I shared a suite with seven other proud Pilots. Organic Chemistry with Dr. Wood and Physiology brought a whole new meaning to academic challenges. Although demanding, these courses developed me into a better student. To gain leadership experience, I became president of Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and secretary for the Pre-Med Student Association. When the next summer came, I was fortunate to have been selected to take part in a research/shadowing internship at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco. At this point in my Pre-Med career, I gained a fundamental understanding of the medical world.

In my junior year, I became a volunteer Research Coordinator at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute. Although challenging, I slowly gained a better perspective on the realities of medicine and human mortality. At UP, I became Vice President of the Pre-Med Student Association to create a group that supported pre-health students with opportunities for exposure and MCAT course discounts. After completing my first semester of Biochemistry with Dr. Hoffman, I joined her research lab. I worked on a project titled, "Purification and Isolation of Anticancer and Antibiotic Compounds from Archeological Soil Bacteria." Dr. Hoffman provided me with countless professional and scientific experiences that continue to help me today. The following summer, I became a full-time assistant researcher in her lab and presented my data at multiple national conferences.

By my senior year, graduation and medical school were on the horizon. At UP, I became a Teaching Assistant for the A&P classes and took on the role of President of the Pre-Med Student Association and Blue Key Honor Society. In the winter, I began studying for the MCAT and filling out the AMCAS application. Within a month, I realized that the application process was more daunting than anticipated. So I canceled my MCAT date and decided to take a gap year.

After graduating, I became a Clinical Research Coordinator at CPMC. I began coordinating structural heart clinical trials but transferred to oncology once the pandemic reached San Francisco. In a few months, I became the lead for our melanoma studies. Working full-time, I studied for the MCAT through Altius, a test-prep company. My MCAT was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was moved to June. After completing the AMCAS application, secondary essays, and interviews, I decided to attend OHSU School of Medicine.

I left my job at CPMC in June of 2021 and jumped on a flight to Waikiki. In August 2021, I began medical school at OHSU.

2. Give a description of your application process / tips for upcoming applicants.
I began the AMCAS application process in February of 2020 by gathering a diverse group of writers for my letters of recommendation. I also worked with my previous English professors at UP to help edit and guide my personal statement. Meanwhile, I continued to prepare for the MCAT. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced the AAMC to cancel my test and push it off until late June 2020. This was my first, and fortunately only, time applying, so I wanted to make my application “perfect.” I wanted to see my MCAT score before submitting my application, so I waited until mid-August. The next day, I was engulfed in secondaries from the near-twenty schools I applied to (Contrary to what I did, I highly recommend working on secondaries before receiving them from schools). I completed my first interview in early October and received my first acceptance soon after. However, I did not make my final decision to attend OHSU (my dream school) until April of 2021.

Aside from all the technical work in the year-long application process, I highly recommend keeping these five things in mind:

1. Start early and decide whether you want to take a gap year(s). Gap years allowed me to become financially competent to carry me through medical school, see how the real-world functions, and most importantly, gain invaluable time with loved ones.

2. Bond with your professors! Your journey through medicine cannot be done alone. Your professors and mentors will open doors for you and guide you to achieve your dreams.

3. Numbers don’t lie. Be objective in your school selection and realize that acceptance into a medical school is just the beginning. AAMC has all the published data on acceptances with stats, including GPA, MCAT, and ethnicity, available online.

3. Do NOT listen to the internet/blogs. There is no fool-proof way of becoming a millionaire (aside from NFTs and crypto), and neither is there one to get you into med school. If there was, everyone would be doing it. Everyone has something to say, so a great way to navigate the noise is to “trust but verify.”

4. Enjoy the process and live your passions. If you want to become a physician, your purpose will fuel you through your journey.

5. You are loved and never alone.

3. What are your favorite memories of UP / any highlights?
UP was a grind, but I rarely think back on my time spent studying. I think about the beautiful bonds developed between individuals. The athletic games (I still bleed purple). The house parties scattered throughout St. Johns (Die-up). Working alongside and in collaboration with brilliant professors. And living in solidarity with Portland communities.

The University of Portland is a school with countless opportunities to do good for others and full-send every passing day.

4. What general advice would you give aspiring pre-health types?
People will remember how you made them feel, not necessarily what you did. To pursue medicine is an honorable aspiration. The journey is often discouraging and daunting, but if your heart stays true, you’ll learn to appreciate every second of it. I truly believe that when you give it your all, you’ll end up where you’re meant to be.

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, so get after it.