Medical schools are reporting the most interest they’ve seen in over a decade, with many admissions officers and industry professionals sourcing an 18% surge in applications to the example set by medical workers and public health figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, Forbes reports.
The number of applications to medical schools across the country increased 18% this year, the Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) told NPR, with AAMC Senior Director Geoffrey Young labeling the interest as “unprecedented.”
The Stanford University School of Medicine saw the number of applicants for its 90 available seats jump by 50% to 11,000, while applications to Boston University’s School of Medicine went up 27%, with 12,024 people applying for its 110 spots.
“That, I think, may have a lot to do with the fact that people look at Anthony Fauci, look at doctors in their community and say, ‘You know, that is amazing,’” said the dean of admissions at Boston University’s school of medicine.
According to NPR, this phenomenon has become known as the “Fauci Effect” among school admissions officers, who believe that the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has inspired a younger generation with his guidance on the coronavirus pandemic.
Young said the only comparison he can make is to the surge in interest in the military after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
