Page 5 - RUSM Alumni Spring 2023 Quarterly ENews

Alumni Keynote Speaker Profile

“I stood up from that first four-hour lecture and went straight to the tutoring center. By the
time I got to the white coat ceremony later that week, I still was not confident that I had

what it would take to make it through. I have no pictures from my ceremony because I was
terrified, I was not going to make it.”

From that first tutoring center visit on, Dr. Gilmour utilized Ross Med’s academic support
services to stay on track. “I never could have done it on my own. I had never needed a

tutor at any point in my life, but I would have struggled had I not swallowed my pride and
asked for help.” That is one of the several key messages Dr. Gilmour hopes to extend to
the class of 2027 when he delivers his keynote address at the January ’23 white coat
ceremony. “There is a lot going on as a medical student, and if you find yourself in a

similar situation struggling to stay the course, rely on the resources here to help you,” he
says. “Do not be too proud to ask for help.”
Throughout his medical sciences training on campus, Dr. Gilmour was attracted to Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), which he viewed as a hybrid between general

primary care and his former career as a chiropractor. He pursued that specialty through
clinical rotations at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan.

After graduating from Ross Med in 2015, he matched into PMR residency at Michigan

State University (MSU) and later accepted Attending Physician and Assistant Professor
positions at MSU. He and his wife Ashley of 19 years permanently relocated with their
children, Brayden and Addilyn, now eight and six years old. “My wife was always a huge

part of my success. There is no chance I could have done this without her support,” he said.
Ashley will be accompanying Dr. Gilmour to Barbados to speak to student spouses about
supporting their journey throughout medical school.

Dr. Gilmour currently practices in Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at

MSU, serving as co-medical director of Mary Free Bed at Sparrow, MSU’s partner
hospital. He also continues to spend time in the classroom as an Assistant Professor for
MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. Since graduating, Dr. Gilmour has been eager to

help RUSM students and volunteer his time through student support programs, including
the Ambassador Program and HOST Program.

“Medical school was the hardest thing I have ever done,” he shared. “I had to harness
every opportunity to utilize every resource just to make it through, and now sometimes I
wake up in disbelief that I have an awesome job where I help people every day and I

make an incredible living. I cannot overemphasize how none of this could have happened
without the opportunity Ross Med provided me. Nobody else wanted to give me a chance
but Ross Med did, and I want these students to have the same opportunity I was given.”

The Spring 2023 RUSM White Coat Ceremony takes place on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 3:30
pm AST at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC). You can watch the celebration on Ross

Med's Facebook or YouTube accounts.