Navigating a Changing Admissions Process
Dr. Yvette Perry seeks students who can adapt quickly to the Miller School’s new curriculum
By Bob Woods
Photography by Tom Salyer
Yvette Perry, Ph.D., is the Miller School’s new associate dean for admissions
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hen Yvette Perry, Ph.D., arrived at the Miller School in June as the new associate dean for admissions, she hit the ground running. That was a testament to her nearly dozen years at the University of Toledo, as well as the timing of her appointment. “We were closing out the 2023 admissions cycle and just ramping up the 2024 cycle,” Perry said. She immediately started preparing the admissions office team and admissions committee process to review some 11,000 applications and interview up to 700 applicants in the process of ultimately selecting an incoming class of 200 students.
Since the pandemic, interviews have been conducted virtually, which she believes has been a positive change. “The pandemic forced us to recognize how inequitable and challenging it was to do in-person interviews,” Perry said. “Applicants would spend thousands of dollars to get on a plane, stay in a hotel and rent a car. Virtual interviewing is cost-effective for the applicants and the admissions office and gets rid of some of those equity issues.”
Perry directs her staff and the admissions committee — comprising as many as 60 current and retired faculty members and fourth-year Miller School students — to take a strategic approach when considering applicants. “It’s not just a matter of test scores and grade point average,” she said. “With the Miller School’s new curriculum, medical students will need to work with other people, be responsible for a lot of learning and be self-directed. We need to find folks who can adapt to that environment quickly once they get here.”
Adding to the task is the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year banning affirmative action in college admissions. “We know what works in attracting folks to the profession,” Perry said. “We’ll make whatever adjustments we have to while continuing to evaluate all applicants fairly and holistically.” 
