Madeleine Manasse ’24 is on her way to becoming the first doctor in her family after making the switch from violin performance to medical school, thanks to her time in the Postbac Premed Program at GS.
Manasse grew up in New York City in a family of professional musicians, a career path she also intended to pursue. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and participated in the Juilliard Pre-College program before obtaining her undergraduate degree in violin performance from the University of Southern California.
While an undergraduate, Manasse began experiencing tendinitis and cubital tunnel syndrome, related to playing violin. She began learning about anatomy and healing by necessity, which led to her considering a career change so she could help others like herself. However, when she discovered the number of prerequisites for an MD or DPT degree, she decided she needed something to bridge that gap.
“I had always loved learning about the human body, but I never excelled in math and science, so I assumed a career in medicine was not available to me,” Manasse said. “I ultimately chose the Postbac Premed Program because of its reputation for successfully guiding nontraditional students through the medical school application process.”
After enrolling, Manasse tackled the program’s complex STEM curriculum head-on, finding herself in “one of the most resilient, intelligent, and downright interesting communities [I have] ever been part of.”
“The Postbac Premed Program challenged me to think critically, taught me how to approach problem-solving, and trained me to cope with learning high volumes of information—skills that many medical students don’t develop until they arrive at medical school, which put me ahead of the curve,” Manasse said.
Manasse is now pursuing her MD at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo.
“I have unending curiosity for the human body, a strong desire to serve humanity, and a drive to keep learning and developing in my career,” said Manasse. “I am loving learning medicine.”
