Meet Tanhar Islam, an outstanding UNT biology major and pre-med student who was recently accepted to the UNT Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC TCOM), where he will be starting the next chapter of his journey in July. 

“Becoming a doctor has been my dream for so long that knowing I actually got into medical school feels surreal,” said Tanhar. “When I received the acceptance, I immediately called my parents to share the news with them; it was a meaningful moment for me because of how much they’ve supported me on this path.” 

Tanhar learned about the 3+4 Pathway Program, an accelerated medical partnership between UNT and UNTHSC TCOM, the year before starting college. He applied to participate and never looked back. 

“The program gave me a clear path toward medical school while still allowing me to build a strong foundation in the sciences as an undergrad, and this really appealed to me because it provided a supportive academic environment with access to many helpful resources,” he said. “It has been rigorous, but it pushed me to develop stronger study habits, improve my time management, and overall become more resilient, which I think has prepared me well for medical school." 

During his three years at UNT, Tanhar has been the recipient of several scholarships, including the UNT Excellence Scholarship and Robert J. Hardin Presidential Scholarship. He participated in Dr. Lee Hughes’ SEA-PHAGES lab to gain research experience, and created a virtual English program to help high school students from his hometown in Bangladesh who are interested in studying abroad and exploring more expansive career opportunities. He is passionate about learning and volunteering. 

“I love learning about history, so I volunteer as a transcriptionist with the Civil War Bluejackets project, where I help transcribe historical US Navy records from the Civil War,” said Tanhar, who also volunteers at hospice, assisting with end-of-life care for patients. “I also became an Emergency Department Medical Scribe after graduating high school and have been training new scribes for more than two years now.” 

As he worked his way to this point, Tanhar said he appreciated the support from the UNT Office of Health Professions, specifically his advisor, Evanna Merchant, who he checked in with every semester for program guidance and help navigating the application process for medical school. 

“I also connected with a former 3+4 student and current TCOM student, Elle, who gave a lot of great insight from her own experience in the program, which helped me on my path,” said Tanhar. “I’m looking forward to finally studying medicine in-depth and gaining the knowledge I need to be a great doctor. I’m also excited for clinical rotations in medical school, when I will start to gain more hands-on experience and apply what I have learned.” 

Tanhar’s advice for other students hoping to embark on the premed journey: “Stay organized and develop study habits early. Personally, I always found flashcards to be helpful,” he said. “I’d also recommend keeping in touch with advisors regularly and not being afraid to ask for guidance when needed. I’d be very lost if I had not talked to my advisors!”