Finding Home at Oakland University

While in high school, Kyle Spengler sent an email to Dr. Kevin Ball, dean of Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences, inquiring about the potential of an internship. He quickly received a response: “Sure, we’ll figure something out. Sent from my iPhone.” As Spengler, a School of Health Sciences alum and current medical student at the University of Michigan, said, “the rest is history.” 

Kyle Spengler works in a lab

After working with Christina Lim, director of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS), for an internship in high school, Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences was a natural choice for Spengler as he began his higher education journey. With a strong interest in microbiology, in addition to already having mentorship from Professor Lim, Spengler quickly found a home in the Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences department. “The curriculum was microbiology heavy with a focus on medical applications, versus other topics I wasn’t interested in,” Spengler said. “I was deciding between a couple of different career options at the time, like epidemiology and medical laboratory science, and thought this would provide a good background. When I ultimately decided I wanted to become a physician, I realized that this curriculum would be helpful in the clinic.”

While being a physician was not Spengler’s initial interest, spending time shadowing while pursuing his education solidified his desire to pursue medicine. Through a classroom connection in an OU chemistry lab, Spengler was able to shadow Dr. Lisa Allenspach, head of the pulmonary transplant clinic at Henry Ford Detroit. “I thought I’d be shadowing a family medicine doctor or something,” Spengler reflected. “I didn’t know what I was dealing with. But she pulled some strings that let me shadow her during the COVID pandemic, and she inspired me to pursue medical school. I saw what she did and thought it was really special. I decided I really want to do this.”

Kyle Spengler at his White Coat Ceremony in July 2025 with his mother and brother

Spengler graduated from OU in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences (CDS) with a focus on Pre-Clinical Professions. He is now studying at University of Michigan medical school, which he is attending on a full scholarship. He is performing research on the bacteria Clostridioides difficile (C. diff); leads a student organization that he founded, THINK ZEBRAS, where patients with rare conditions and their physicians share their stories; and hopes to pursue a global health rotation.

Spengler has felt incredibly well-prepared for his medical education due to his CDS degree. “I think this degree set me apart when applying to medical school because it’s unique,” Spengler explained. “I had interviewers asking about the degree because they had never seen it, and they thought it was something that not a lot of pre-med students learn.” Spengler added, “On top of that, I learned how tests are performed in clinical laboratory settings, and I’ve already been exposed to a lot of things we’re covering in medical school through classes I took with Professor Mabry and Dr. Dinda. It was actually the perfect degree.”

Spengler also gained exceptional preparation for his professional education through the ECLIPSE program. ECLIPSE, or Explorations in Collaborative Leadership and InterProfessional Education, is an undergraduate professional development experience offered through the School of Health Sciences that provides students with opportunities to develop roles, values, teamwork and communication skills. “ECLIPSE exposed me to a lot of ideas that we are currently discussing in medical school, like working with other health professions besides physicians and other important topics in medicine,” Spengler said. While in ECLIPSE, Spengler did his Community Health Impact Project (CHIP) with the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance, raising awareness through signage on campus and social media videos. “The project reinforced my values,” he said, “such as how much I like advocacy and how to keep doing that while in medical school.”

Kyle Spengler (left) with Dean Kevin Ball (center) and Aisha Zanib (right)

Spengler has many fond memories of his time at Oakland. In addition to the aforementioned academic and leadership opportunities, he looks back on unique experiences like researching frogs with Dr. Thomas Rapple and earning one of Oakland’s top awards, the Alfred G. Wilson Award; making the moment even more heartfelt, his close friend Aisha Zanib simultaneously earned the Human Relations Award.

“I was so blessed to attend Oakland,” Spengler said. “It’s my home. The friends I met in class and my mentors in CDS are family to me. Without them, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today.”

For any students interested in pursuing a career in medicine, Spengler recommends getting immersed as early as possible through shadowing a physician, research experiences and volunteer opportunities. He highly recommends the CDS program for anyone pursuing careers as a physician, physician assistant or related health professions.

Spengler’s OU journey coincidentally began as a high school student who was brave enough to advocate for himself by emailing a university dean looking for an internship — and getting a response. “I’m so glad that Dean Ball was paying attention to his phone and decided to respond to some high schooler. If not, I might not have gone here,” Spengler reminisced, “but I can’t imagine having done my undergraduate studies anywhere else.”