Alyce Brookfield

Alyce Brookfield’s heartfelt commitment to education led her to medicine.  Before enrolling in UVA’s Post Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program, Brookfield spent six years in primary school classrooms for Teach for America and later at a private school.  She then returned to higher education to add to her knowledge, completing a master’s at Harvard’s Mind, Brain and Education program.

However, when she traveled to South Africa to work with the African School for Excellence, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting a new model of education for underprivileged students, her focus began to change.  She is not any less passionate about the importance of education.  Rather, she realized that good health is a prerequisite for learning.  She decided to become a physician.

Brookfield was immediately impressed by the interplay among the PBPM directors when she visited UVA.  “I felt that they really understood what it takes to prepare a student for medical school,” she says.  Her first impression was borne out by her experience in the program.  “They are extremely knowledgeable and very supportive,” she says. 

Brookfield has also been impressed by the collaborative culture they foster.  “This is a demanding program,” she says, “so it’s important that we all feel that we can support and help each other.”