Carmen Kavali flourished in Mercer's biomedical specialization program because of the individual attention she received from her small class sizes and the dedicated professors who mentored her throughout her undergraduate years. "It was important for me to be able to know my professors," she said. "At Mercer, I wasn't simply one face among three hundred others."

"As a biomedical engineer you have to have a great and curious mind — it's not enough to know that things work; you have to know how things work. That's directly applicable in medicine, especially in surgery," Kavali said.

The rigors of the biomedical specialization prepared Kavali to succeed in medical school and beyond. She now owns her own surgical practice in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia . "Studying biomedical engineering is a great way to prepare for medical school," Kavali said. "At Mercer, you become accustomed to hands-on experience, and you're not afraid to ask questions necessary to understand the smallest of details. That directly prepares you to be successful in medical school."

CARMEN KAVALI, KAVALI PLASTIC SURGERY B.S., Engineering. – Biomedical, '92, M.D. '96