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Although he doesn’t start classes at University of Connecticut School of Medicine until the fall, Tyler McRuiz ’06 is confident he’ll be prepared for whatever challenges lay ahead.
McRuiz received a full four-year scholarship from University of Connecticut that covers all fees and tuition. The scholarship carries a service component that requires McRuiz to devote at least 20 percent of his practice time to a health profession shortage area, an area mostly populated by medically underserved minorities, in Connecticut for five years after he completes residency training.
The chemical engineering graduate does not have to choose an area of specialization until he is ready to choose a residency, but already several fields have caught his attention.
“Many fields look interesting, but I have been thinking about anesthesiology or oncology because I think it would be amazing to take someone’s pain away or help them in a battle against cancer,” he says. “That may very well change though.”
McRuiz believes the opportunities he had as an undergraduate at Lafayette have prepared him well for medical school. He conducted independent study research with Kenneth Haug, associate professor of chemistry, on quantum chemistry and completed EXCEL Scholars research on the relative location of atoms in two amino acids with Bradley Antanaitis, associate professor of physics.
It was his honors thesis with James Ferri, assistant professor of chemical engineering, that had the largest impact on him. Building on Ferri’s previous nanotechnology work, they used a unique measurement technique to explore the properties of very thin films composed of biological polymers, which have applications in areas such as timed drug release and implant coatings. In the lab, they synthesized the films and studied properties such as elasticity and response to deformation.
“There were a lot of professors who helped me get here,” says McRuiz. “Everyone was incredibly supportive and helpful, but if I had to name one it would be my senior honors thesis adviser Dr. James Ferri, who gave me advice and encouraged me. He was really a unique person, and I learned a ton from him. My work with Dr. Ferri probably taught me the most. It was beneficial to see a large project through to completion. Dr. Ferri had very interesting projects that were already set up, and thus I could accomplish a lot by putting in the time. I also learned how to better approach and solve problems, think, and present myself.”
McRuiz also believes his overall Lafayette experience and major course of study gave him an advantage over other medical school applicants.
“Lafayette supplied me with ample opportunities to set myself apart from other candidates,” he says. “Things like multiple research opportunities with excellent professors, being able to [be a teaching assistant in] labs, or tutor, etc. Also, I took away a lot from Lafayette in terms of how I thought and solved problems.
“The other thing that I think has prepared me for medical school is the rigor and completeness of the chemical engineering department at Lafayette. They run an excellent program and because of that, I left with what I think is a far better preparation for medical school or any other academic or professional endeavor than most.”
McRuiz is a past recipient of the Lehigh Valley Section of the American Chemical Society Award, given to outstanding senior chemical engineering majors for achievement in chemistry, and the Dr. E. L. McMillen-K. K. Malhotra ’49 Prize, awarded to juniors who have attained a high cumulative average in chemical engineering and who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in the Unit Operations Laboratory.