12-year-old starts medical schoo

NEWS.com.au ^ | May 02, 2003

[gd124]

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12-year-old starts medical school May 02, 2003

HE hasn't even hit his teenage years yet, but Sho Timothy Yano is on course to fulfill his professional ambitions by the time he's 18 and perhaps make history in the process.

With one degree already under his belt, the 12-year-old has just won a scholarship to study medicine at the University of Chicago, where he will combine his medical studies with a Ph.D., the university said yesterday.

Sho is thought to be one of the youngest candidates to enroll in medical school, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

In light of his tender years, college elders have structured his studies so that he doesn't begin patient visits or clinical rotations until he's at least 18.

By then, so the thinking goes, the youngster's social skills might have caught up with his astonishing academic abilities – not that he isn't somewhat precocious in that respect also.

"Sho is remarkably thoughtful and mature in his thinking," said Gregory Dobrov, a professor in classical studies at Chicago's Loyola University, where Yano did his undergraduate degree.

"He regularly can produce reflections on questions that you'd expect to only make sense to a middle-aged person or a fully-formed adult," Dobrov told the Chicago Tribune.

Son of a Korean mother and a Japanese father, Sho enrolled in college at the tender age of nine and will graduate summa cum laude (with top honours) from Loyola later this month with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry.

Still, in spite of his nearly flawless grades, test scores and recommendations from his college teachers, the admissions panel at the University of Chicago thought long and hard before deciding to admit him.

The 12-year-old had to go through double the customary number of personal interviews with the relevant departments. He was also evaluated by a child and adolescent psychiatrist, university officials said.

Ultimately, though, the university felt it would be denying both Sho and the institution a valuable opportunity if it shut the door on him.

"We have to appreciate that he's 12 years old and he has completed college," Michelle LeBeau, who heads up the university's cancer biology program.

"He's ready to move on to the next step of his education. It's not practical for him to stay at home. What do we expect him to do?"

"At the same time, it will also be both an unusual opportunity and a significant responsibility for us, to do justice to him without altering the experience for his fellow students."

Sho is slated to start at the university next month, with a view to pursuing his ambitions to be a cancer researcher.

Agence France-Presse

[gd124]

This is ridiculous.

[Phantom Lord]

Why?

[Guillermo]

Why is it ridiculous.

He's obviously a genius, why should his obvious talents be stunted?

[Wolfie]

Could be worse. Could be Law School.

[cynicom]

Like most of these kids, they go on to a life obscurity. Most are never heard from again and few produce anything of note.

[widowithfoursons]

Well, I was so much smarter at 12 than I am today. I just get dumber as the years progress. An 18 year old doctor could be an improvement on the present lot. At least he will be full of hutzpah. Might even cure someone accidentally.

[Calpernia]

I don't know. God bless him for being gifted; but, I think he is losing a lot too. There is a lot more to learn growing up than can be found in books and degrees. There is also the need for just being a kid.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

A plastic surgeon buddy of mine started med school at age 16 he has no regrets he missed some of those cool teenage years. But had no time picking up chick's at age 20 with MD after his name.

[kevao]

This is ridiculous.

Why? Doogie Howser did it, at an even younger age as I recall.

[aruanan]

He's obviously a genius, why should his obvious talents be stunted?

I know of at least one lab in immunology there they'd better keep him out of if they don't want a pre-teen graduate student suicide on their hands.

[aruanan]

But had no time picking up chick's at age 20 with MD after his name.

You mean, "But had no trouble picking up chicks at age 20 with MD after his name"?

[headsonpikes]

When I saw the headline, I assumed he was founding a school.

That would be impressive.

[Chipata]

"Would you trust an 18 year old doctor? There's more to life than academics. I would not trust an eighteen year old--no matter how bright."

This part I agree with. I'd have been far happier if he'd have been studying a subject like astro-physics, mathematics, or even philosophy.

[aruanan]

Would you trust an 18 year old doctor? There's more to life than academics. I would not trust an eighteen year old--no matter how bright.

He'll just be finishing up the Ph.D. portion of the MD/PhD degree at age 18. All the rest will come after that.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

yes sorry got up early this am

[fawn796]

And he is still young enough to be taught how to dictate his reports clearly!

(What can I say, ... I'm a medical transcriptionist)

[unixfox]

Just wait till he goes to Cancun on Spring break, that'll do him in.

[aruanan]

And to learn that the nurses know the most about the patients.

[Chipata]

"A plastic surgeon buddy of mine started med school at age 16 he has no regrets he missed some of those cool teenage years."

As you probably already know, in the UK where there's no pre-med, students start studying medicine at 18 (17 is not that unusual) and qualify at 23.

I started my law degree at 17, had graduated at 20, and was a fully qualifed lawyer at 22 (23 is the usual age).