It’s a major point of pride at The University of Tulsa that graduates of the pre-med/pre-health pathways are admitted to medical school at twice the national average. Less well known is that the flexibility, breadth and depth of these tracks prepare students for admission to an array of other programs, including dentistry, occupational and physical therapy, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.
Two recent Oxley College of Health & Natural Sciences alumnae who chose these routes are Bailey Wollmershauser (B.S. ’24) and Zoe Andrews (B.S. ’25).
Currently in her second semester of the doctor of dental surgery program at the University of Oklahoma, Wollmershauser graduated from UTulsa with a bachelor of science in biological science and a minor in Spanish. Double-majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, Andrews was accepted into the doctor of pharmacy program at the University of Texas Austin, where she is also in her second semester.
Dental Surgery
“I planned to go to medical school for pretty much my entire life, right up until three weeks before I started my senior year,” recalled Wollmershauser. “At that point, contrary to my own expectations, I changed my focus and decided I wanted to become a dentist!”
A major influence on her decision was a summer experience of job shadowing an orthodontist. This included watching her write referrals to physicians and other dentists because of signs and symptoms she was observing in her patients during clinical and radiographic examinations. “Up to that point, I wasn’t aware of the role dentists play in improving patients’ system health, whether through oral health treatment or referring to specialists,” Wollmershauser said. “Once I saw this aspect of dentistry, combined with a dentist’s ability to boost a patient’s confidence by enhancing their smile or relieving their pain, I fell in love with the profession.”
Another powerful influence on her career trajectory and a highlight of her undergraduate years was participation in UTulsa’s Global Brigades chapter’s expedition to Panama in summer 2024. During that trip, she assisted a local dentist with extractions and provided fluoride varnish treatments to children in a clinic that brigade members set up in an elementary school. “My time in Panama enabled me to witness the impacts of providing dental care to underserved communities, which grew my passion for the field and for expanding access to dental care to underserved communities,” she said.
On the academic side, Wollmershauser credits the rigorous nature of courses she took in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry with instilling in her essential knowledge as well as study skills she relies on today at dentistry school. She also emphasized the personal support she received from her UTulsa professors. One instance stands out in her memory: “Toward the end of my senior year, I missed a week because I had the flu, and I fell way behind in my experimental design class, which I was already struggling with. When I returned to school, Dr. Harrington Wells worked with me outside of class to get me caught up on everything I missed and helped me with the other concepts I was struggling with. Because of his help, I was able to do well in the remainder of the course and earn a high grade.”
For his part, Wells remembers Wollmershauser as someone whose “mild manner and easygoing personality masks the dynamic person she is intellectually. Bailey is a shaker and a mover. Her enthusiasm is contagious and lights a spark in others.”
Outside of class, Wollmershauser leaned on the expertise of a health sciences career coach at CaneCareers. She provided guidance and resources that strengthened Wollmerhauser’s application, including identifying shadowing, volunteering and other pre-dental opportunities.
Despite her ultimate success, if Wollmerhauser could change one thing about her undergraduate years, she said she would have explored much earlier all the non-medical career paths UTulsa’s pre-health programs make possible. “I also want to encourage other students to consider taking a gap year after college,” she commented. “During my gap year, I worked as an oral surgery assistant, and I can’t emphasize enough how helpful that’s been now that I’m on the road to becoming a dentist myself.”
Pharmacy School
A lot like Wollmershauser, when she first entered UTulsa, Andrews chose to major in biology with a view to carrying on to medical school. Along the way, however, she took a course in organic chemistry taught by Associate Professor Angus Lamar. That experience, she recollected, “completely changed my mind as to the profession I wanted to pursue. Dr. Lamar is an amazing professor. His course made me fall in love with chemistry as a whole and spurred me on to figure out a path that would enable me to work in health care as a pharmacist, helping physicians make decisions regarding medications.”
And plunge into chemistry she did, including tutoring other students through Chem Assist, teaching in chemistry labs and grading for some courses. During her senior year, she served as president of UTulsa’s student-affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society and deepened her understanding of the research process as a member of the Iski Research Group. “Zoe was an invaluable member of my lab, where she furthered critical projects using our scanning tunneling microscope,” commented Associate Professor Erin Iski. “Both as a researcher and as a teaching assistant for physical chemistry lab, Zoe demonstrated independence, empathy and a strong work ethic that was truly unique among her peers. These qualities will undoubtedly assist her to be successful in her post-grad journey of following in her grandfather’s footsteps to become a pharmacist, and our lab feels very fortunate to have been a small part of that journey.”
Outside of her studies, Andrews played viola in UTulsa’s symphony orchestra, an auditioned ensemble open to all full-time students: “I loved playing in the orchestra and enthusiastically recommend anyone who can play an instrument give it a try!”
Looking back on her undergraduate years, Andrews noted that “UTulsa will provide you with a million little pathways to grow yourself, but it’s up to you to take advantage of them and try new things.” Over and above the practical benefit of enhancing her application to pharmacy schools, seizing such opportunities enabled her to “gain more self-confidence, grow into more of a leader and learn how to communicate better with peers and professors. I am beyond grateful for everything I was able to do and experience at UTulsa, which I feel prepared me for anything pharmacy school and the years beyond will throw at me.”
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