Bowie State Alums to Begin Medical Residencies at Harvard and Yale
(BOWIE, Md.) – You should never be surprised by what could be achieve with a Bowie State University education, a point amplified by a pair of alums that leveraged their studies as biology majors into medical careers. Drs. Angelique Ealy and Julisha Patten (pictured, l-r) both walked the BSU campus as the first steps toward medical residencies with Harvard and Yale.
Dr. Ealy graduated from Bowie State in 2017 and originally came to campus as a transfer student during her sophomore year. . Her mother, who was an adjunct professor at Bowie State at the time, encouraged Dr. Ealy to consider BSU as an affordable alternative where she could still get the quality education she desired.
“I started my time at Bowie State at Crawford, which was the antiquated science hall,” she said. “The curriculum, students and professors were great. I felt like there needed to be an advancement in facilities. Lo and behold, the new natural sciences building was available the very next semester, and I felt like it really rounded out my education.”
Dr. Patten, a 2016 graduate, also had an interesting academic journey, coming to Bowie State after leaving the Air Force and working a short stint at Ft. Meade. Dr. Patten worked full-time at night while balancing her class work during the day, and she credited the close bonds with professors like Dr. Alan Anderson and Dr. Mikhail Goloubev, each of whom encouraged her when the going got tough from time to time.
“There’s some people that don’t support you, so it’s nice when you have a strong support system,” said Dr. Patten.
After completing medical school at University of Maryland Baltimore and Howard University respectively, both Ealy and Patten are set to start highly prestigious medical residencies as the next part of their journey. Dr. Ealy will be working as a psychiatrist out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, which has a partnership with Harvard University to serve as one of their teaching hospitals. Dr. Patten will begin her anesthesiologist residency with Yale University out of Yale New Haven Hospital.
Ealy and Patten are grateful for the education and foundation they received at Bowie State that propelled them to their current professional settings. One thing they both want current Bowie State students to know and internalize is that they are academically equipped to compete with their peers, and they have the constitution to overcome all obstacles they encounter on the road.
“I just focused on doing what I needed to do, while reminding myself I’m here because I deserve to be here,” said Dr. Ealy. “I worked hard to be here.”
“Give yourself some grace,” added Dr. Patten. “The road is very hard. But don’t give up. It’s so worth it.”