A Family Affair
Five cousins chase their medical dreams at Oakland University
By Andrew Dietderich
For one group of past, current, and future medical students at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, it’s definitely safe to say that the school is a family affair.
Chaldean cousins Jackie, Julianne, and Jacob Thomas all officially begin attending OUWB as members of the Class of 2029 on Monday, August 18.
They join a fourth cousin, Christina Thomas, who starts her second year of medical school that same day.
And all four follow in the footsteps of a fifth cousin: Alison Thomas, M.D., OUWB ’20, a practicing OB-GYN physician.
Ray Wilson, MSA, director, Medical School Admissions, said “the fact that OUWB is lucky enough to have a set of siblings as part of our incoming class, let alone twins is incredibly exciting.”
“When you add in their cousin (Jacob) and that the three have a cousin who is a current second year (Christina) and one who is an alumnus of OUWB (Alison), it really speaks to the incredible culture that these individuals were raised in,” he said.
“Even more impressive is that each of these students gained admission without us knowing of their relationship to one another,” he added,
The family’s first real exposure to OUWB happened in 2013, just two years after the school welcomed its first class.
That’s when Alison Thomas — as a high schooler — attended a summer outreach program hosted by the school for youth interested in medicine and careers in health science.
After high school, she attended Wayne State University, where she earned an undergraduate degree. But for medical school, Alison started at OUWB in 2016.
The West Bloomfield-native has always considered what is formerly known as Beaumont (now Corewell) to be her dream hospital at which to work — the collaboration between OUWB and Beaumont made the school especially appealing.
“I remember leaving interview day, and I was so in love with the school,” she said. “I knew I had to be here, no matter what.”
The other major factor was the engaging OUWB faculty and staff.
“It was something I didn’t see at other schools – how much care they put into making sure that we are on the right path and that we have all the resources we need,” she said.
Alison graduated from OUWB in 2020 but has remained connected to the school and the friends she made. In 2022, she attended an OUWB reunion event held on campus.
When her classmate and close friend Erfan Faridmoayer, M.D., unexpectedly died in late 2023, Alison helped organize an effort to establish an OUWB endowment in Faridmoayer’s name (she also helped organize a memorial on the OU campus at which she also spoke.)
Also, Alison has been involved in the OUWB Alumni Chapter, most recently serving as president elect.
And, of course, she served as a kind of “unofficial recruiter” when she learned her cousins were interested in OUWB.
“I love OUWB,” she said. “I told them how wonderful my experience was and how supportive of a community it was and still is. It makes me really happy and excited that they’re able to join this community, too.”
Her first “family recruit” was Christina, now an M2. The fathers of both Christina and Alison were first cousins.
“Alison’s always been a role model…she opened my eyes to OUWB and made me realize that’s somewhere I would want to go,” said Christina.
She recalled attending Oakland University as an undergraduate and seeing medical students with their OUWB backpacks. At the time she thought that it “seemed like such a reach” but decided to talk to Alison anyway.
“I told her that I loved the idea of OUWB being in my future and asked her if she thought it was the right choice for her,” said Christina. “She had nothing but good things to say. She is the biggest cheerleader of OUWB.”
“From that moment on I was laser focused on figuring out what I had to do to get here,” she added.
Christina said Alison gave her an extra sense of security. She saw firsthand the kind of success a person can have at the school, even though she knows full well that “everyone’s path is going to look different.”
Now with one year of medical school behind her, Christina said she has seen that it wasn’t just talk.
“When everyone says OUWB is a family and supports each other no matter what…I’ve seen it and experienced it,” she said. “It’s made me realize I was told the honest truth, and I really did make the right choice.”
Like Alison did for her, Christina paid it forward with other members of the Thomas family, starting with her first cousin, Jacob.
Jacob graduated from high school in 2020 and moved to North Dakota to play junior hockey. He said he decided he wanted to do something he was more passionate about and sought “a better way to have an impact on the community.”
He moved back to Michigan and earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Michigan State University. Jacob said he applied at about 20 medical schools but decided on OUWB based on the opportunities to do research and after speaking with Christina.
Jacob said she’s already introducing him to other students and helping him along the way.
“She was like ‘All right, we’re going to tell you what you need to do, how you’re going to study,’” he said. “It’s definitely an advantage to have someone like that who’s been through the same school.”
He won’t be alone as the newest member of the Thomas family at OUWB either. Christina and Jacob’s second cousins, Jackie and Julianne — who are twins — are also part of the Class of 2029.
Julianne attended University of Michigan for undergrad while Jackie went to Michigan State University. Both studied biochemistry and Jackie said they have always felt a calling to medicine and the decision to become doctors was solidified after shadowing an internal medicine physician while in high school.
They also have experience volunteering at local hospitals and serving as medical assistants during a gap year.
“I really can’t imagine a better career than getting to come home each night knowing that you helped make someone’s life better,“ said Julianne.
Both said they were inspired to pursue their dreams and attend OUWB by seeing their family members succeed, particularly Alison.
“Just watching her go to medical school and accomplish her dreams…it’s really inspirational,” said Jackie. “We’ve been shown that we can put in the work and accomplish our own dreams.”
“I’m really glad we get to attend OUWB together,” added Julianne.
All five Thomases said it makes sense that they ended up at OUWB because the school’s mission, vision, and values largely align with that of their family.
And with other younger Thomases also considering their futures, Jacob said he wouldn’t rule out still more family members applying to OUWB.
“We all have our own path, but I think it all comes down to the core values of wanting to help others and enrich the communities that we come from,” he said.
“And it’s pretty cool that we all get to do that together.”