Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine officially welcomed the entering MD Class of 2025 during the Introduction to the Profession module, held from August 4-8. This weeklong program, which culminates in Founders’ Day, provides first-year students with a comprehensive overview of their medical education.
During the week, students participated in Focused Hospital Experiences, spending time with various healthcare professionals across the system to learn about their roles, such as environmental services staff, social workers, nurses, and patient-care technicians. They also met with patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, conducting their first patient interviews.
Each day focused on a student’s role, aligned with Feinberg’s core competencies: healer, community member, scholar, learner and teacher, and member of a profession. The class also enjoyed a bus tour of Chicago, including a visit to Bronzeville, a neighborhood where many patients of Northwestern’s affiliate hospitals reside.
The class of 140 new first-year medical students comes from 32 states and the District of Columbia, and has earned undergraduate degrees from 50 different undergraduate schools, where they pursued 45 fields of study. All 140 students of the 2025 entering class engaged in research at the undergraduate or graduate level.
The week also included a welcome barbecue at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where students connected with their new classmates and the faculty members who will guide them over the next four years.
