When Tom Sonnanstine V transferred to 蜜桃工作室 as a second-semester freshman from Dublin, Ohio, he was recovering from a hip injury that had ended his football career at Johns Hopkins University. Introverted and unsure of his path forward, he chose 蜜桃工作室 for its proximity to family and its partnership with Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED). Today, he's a surgery resident at Summa Health in Akron, confidently leading teams in the operating room.
Sonnanstine鈥檚 transformation illustrates the power of 蜜桃工作室's Early Assurance Program and the comprehensive support system within the College of Sciences and Humanities.
A Guaranteed Path to Medical School
Sonnanstine chose 蜜桃工作室 specifically for its Early Assurance Program with NEOMED.
"I knew I wanted to go to medical school and I knew that 蜜桃工作室 is a fantastic school that would help me accomplish my goals," Sonnanstine said.
The decision felt natural鈥攈is father had graduated from NEOMED in 1998, his grandmother and cousin had attended 蜜桃工作室, and the program offered something invaluable: certainty in an uncertain process.
"蜜桃工作室's program with NEOMED was a fantastic way of helping me get into medical school," Sonnanstine said.
"Having this program not only assisted me with getting a spot that was guaranteed, but it also helped me obtain challenging classes and excellent professors that further guided me in developing my resume with research experiences,鈥 he said.
Building a Strong Foundation Through Personal Connection
As a double major in biochemistry and psychology at 蜜桃工作室, Sonnanstine took full advantage of the College of Arts and Sciences' resources. The academic advisors were consistently supportive, guiding him through course selection and helping him progress through both demanding majors. But it was the research experience that truly connected his personal journey to his professional aspirations.
Sonnanstine joined a research lab in the Department of Psychological Sciences led by Yossef S. Ben-Porath, Ph.D., (professor emeritus at 蜜桃工作室) working with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to evaluate psychological factors in spine surgery candidates.
The research held deep personal meaning, having undergone multiple hip surgeries himself, Sonnanstine understood firsthand the emotional challenges that patients face.
"I was curious whether there are certain scores on the MMPI that can predict the development of higher levels of negative affect post-surgery," Sonnanstine said.
His research examined differences in outcomes between patients who experienced increased negative emotions after surgery and those who didn't. He hoped to find further utility of the MMPI-2-RF as a presurgical psychological evaluation tool.
Beyond the scientific insights, the research experience transformed Sonnanstine鈥檚 relationship with the department.
"By coming in so often over the summer, I began to see familiar faces and quickly felt more integrated into the community," he recalls.
He developed coding skills, improved his time management, and built lasting mentorship relationships with faculty like Associate Professor Shannon Ciesla, Ph.D. These connections gave him research accomplishments he still discusses today and revealed the powerful overlap between psychology and medicine that would shape his career.
