Keli Donnelly

B.S., double major — Health Science and Athletic Training,

with honors, 2002

Doctor of Osteopathy candidate

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Philadelphia, Pa.

“My legs burned like fire, yet it hurt more to stop than to keep going. The sweet, succulent orange at mile 22 proved euphoric as my body begged for sugar. A smile swept across my face as I crossed the finish line at mile 26.2 thinking about what I had just accomplished, and my memory flashed back to the time a physician advised me to stop running because of my flat feet and bow legs. The marathon proved to be a double victory; not only did I raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, but I also gained the confidence needed to share my childhood secret. I wanted to become a doctor.”

That’s the opening paragraph from Keli Donnelly’s Personal Statement, composed as part of her application to medical school. Now attending the prestigious Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Keli sat down recently to talk after returning from a summer trip to Vietnam.

Why Vietnam? “When I was at Guilford College, I learned a lot, of course, but one thing the college definitely imparts is that we are citizens of the world. I went to Vietnam to help people in need. We spent our time working in a hospital alongside Vietnamese doctors. I was involved in performing physical examinations, making diagnoses and coming up with medical treatment plans. It was amazing.”

She says that the patients in that hospital slept on mats placed on metal beds, sometimes two patients to a bed, and “it was up to their family members to provide any food and water.”

Vietnam was not her first overseas experience. While she was a student at Guilford College, Keli was a member of the Study Abroad program, which she describes as a life-shaping experience … appreciated especially after the fact.

“What Guilford calls The Brunnenburg Semester sent a group of us — 12 students and a professor — to live, study and work in a 12th-century castle in the Italian Alps. We worked on the farm and in the surrounding vineyards, weeding and digging, and we studied and traveled. But it was only after I returned to America that it all hit me. Wow. That semester abroad will remain one of life’s defining moments for me.”

She adds that her very first semester at Guilford College, spent in the athletic training department, immediately affected her and, in fact, “made me what I am today.” She learned that she belongs in the world of health, of wounded bodies and minds, of treatment and rehabilitation and healing.

 “While working as an athletic trainer, I learned that the body and mind are equally important to athletes, and sometimes I could even help when athletes were hurt too badly to compete any more. I learned that coming to terms with that loss was a real challenge, and that I could help them find ways to cope.”

It is significant that Keli has decided to become a doctor of osteopathy, in that osteopathic medicine is an approach to health care that examines and treats the whole person, not just the symptoms. It works with the patient’s body, lifestyle and behavior as a whole.

What finally propelled her to med school was her mother, a nurse. “I had finished Guilford College; I had my degree and a lot of knowledge. I even had a degree in an area that led to a lot of job choices. But I wanted to take one more class, something really interesting. My mom asked what I wanted to study. I said a course in cadavers. Her response: Why not enter med school? She was right, and I decided on the spot to do it.”

Keli will spend three more years studying at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (she’s now in her second year), and then she’ll serve a three-year residency in family medicine. After that? “I’ll probably do a one-year fellowship specializing in sports medicine,” she says.

After she graduated from Guilford College, Keli served as an athletic trainer — for a year at Villanova University and then for two years at middle and high schools for NovaCare Rehabilitation Inc. Athletic trainers, not to be confused with personal trainers, are health care professionals who specialize in working with injuries. They are trained to prevent, recognize, manage and then, if need be, rehabilitate injuries that result from physical activity.

Although Keli was successful as a Certified Athletic Trainer during those three years, she had always wanted a career in medicine. Medical school was the next logical step.

Keli has some advice for high school students considering their college choices. She says: “One time I was backpacking through Europe (my Study Abroad semester gave me the traveling bug), and I spent the night in a youth hostel. Someone else staying there asked where I went to college. I said Guilford College, and the person said ‘Oh yes! I know that school — it’s a small school in a small city where you go to learn about the world.’ And that is exactly right … and why I recommend it.”

She says that the underlying beauty of Guilford College is exploration: “The people there will encourage you to explore — explore anything in the world that you find interesting. They’ll help you, they’ll encourage you, they will even assist you. As a result, if you make the effort, you’ll earn a degree but, even more importantly, you’ll also learn about the world.”