As the chair of the Class of 2023, Caleb Jerris serves as a liaison between the administration
and students, in a greatly needed role especially during the COVID pandemic.
“The pandemic quickened the pace of how we could reshape curriculum and learning in medical school,” he said. “I was proud to help our administration by giving the student perspective on proposed policy changes. We made a lot of changes swiftly, and the school relied on me and many other students to help determine how we should conduct testing, in-person hands-on learning, and other daily issues that came up.”
Jerris also served as the president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association and worked with the profession’s governing bodies—the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and the American Osteopathic Association, alongside the American Medical Association. He also liaised with the Georgia Osteopathic Medical Association to advocate for student needs in medical education and beyond in the journey to becoming practicing physicians.
“I always felt that my opinions were valued, even if I was still learning as a trainee,” he said.
“Not only did PCOM Georgia help me become a physician, but I also learned how to grow as an effective communicator and leader. My experience in clinical learning and extracurricular activities will allow me to become a collaborative member of any team I join.”
Jerris knew early on that he wanted to become a physician as he always had a passion for learning about the world. “Naturally it started with the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. I was one of those kids who constantly blurted out facts I learned from television and the Internet. It wasn’t always about medicine. I frequently told my parents I wanted to be a scientist,” he said.
He remembers being amazed during a high school biology course where he learned about the difficulty of treating viruses. “From there, I knew medicine was what interested me the most.”
During his final year in high school, Jerris participated in an internship and spent time in clinics and observing surgery after classes.
“I fell in love with the physicians’ passion as they used their expertise to help people,” he said. He worked full-time in healthcare positions during undergraduate school until he was accepted into medical school.
Jerris grew up in a house with seven kids under one roof so he chose to attend PCOM Georgia because it was close to his hometown of Rome, Georgia, and his family. He played collegiate golf at Shorter University in Rome for two years before transferring to Kennesaw State University to finish his last two years of college.
Following medical school graduation, Jerris will move a little further from home as he starts his residency program in general surgery at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “I am happy for all the opportunities I will have to continue shaping my career,” he said.
He offers the following advice to those coming behind him.
“Making a plan for your life in medical school is very hard, and once you do, it is easy to think it is the only plan that will make you happy. We all think we know what we want and that anything outside that plan is a failure. Be open to all the process has to offer and you may end up in a specialty you didn’t think of when you started.”
He reflected on his medical school years. “I have fond memories, but at times I wish I had been more open to enjoying each step of the process. It sounds recycled, but a lot of the process of getting into medical school, finishing medical school, and matching to a residency is out of your hands.”
“Try and focus on enjoying each moment where you are and know you don’t always need to have the next step of your plan ready at all times.”
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