Top 15 academic medicine stories of 2025

2025 has been a year of immense change, from an explosion in interest in using AI in medical education, to cuts to federal student loans and Medicaid, to conflicting guidance around vaccines. All three topics garnered interest among readers of AAMCNews, whose reporters chronicled the impact of these changes on students, faculty, and biomedical researchers. Despite the challenges, though, interest in medical school has never been higher, with matriculants at an all-time high in 2025. Other stories that caught our readers' attention? More students seeking dual degrees. Graduating seniors who overcame enormous barriers in their quest for an MD. And a medical student-professional triathlete who became the top American finisher at the Ironman World Championship. Below, we have compiled a list of our top 15 most popular stories of 2025. To get content like this delivered to your inbox every week, sign up for our free newsletter.

Your fall 2025 vaccine guide
Here's what academic experts recommend to combat COVID, flu, and RSV amid conflicting advice from the CDC, medical societies, and state coalitions.

More medical students want more than an MD
As interest grows in dual advanced degrees, medical schools add opportunities. Students see benefits for building leadership skills and specific career paths.

AI will now read your medical school application
Some schools are trying artificial intelligence as a first screener, hoping to make admissions more efficient and reduce human variability. Here are some early results.

Proposed changes to federal student loans could worsen the doctor shortage
Congressional proposals to eliminate Grad PLUS loans, cap borrowing, and exclude residents from Public Service Loan Forgiveness could further strain primary care and may make medical school unattainable for some.

Think you're too old for medical school? Think again
Not everyone enters medical school right after college. Here, a sampling of students over the age of 30 share the unique benefits and challenges of being older than their peers.

U.S. medical schools enroll record number of students in 2025
New AAMC data also show first-time applicants and women drove increase in applications to medical schools.

Puerto Rican medical students face challenges when applying for residency
Students report being misidentified as international medical graduates despite U.S. citizenship and medical school accreditation.

How young is too young for GLP-1s? Bariatric surgery? Academic experts offer insights
Pediatric prescriptions for some weight-loss medications jumped 700% during the past few years. Thousands of teens get bariatric surgery each year. What makes sense for kids diagnosed with obesity?

AI in medical education: 5 ways schools are employing new tools
Artificial intelligence is being tapped to create quizzes, simulate patients, pinpoint student struggles, and write assessments. Human oversight is critical.

Medical schools move from worrying about AI to teaching it
Faculty used to fret over how artificial intelligence might affect education. Now they're training medical students how to use it for patient care and research.

Rising above: These graduating medical students overcame immense challenges on the way to an MD
Five new MDs share how they made it through medical school despite extraordinary barriers.

Women tend to live longer than men. But not in medicine
A new study shows that women doctors don't reap the same longevity benefits of higher education and income as male doctors do. Gender equity advocates aren't surprised.

Vaccine hesitancy is causing needless death and suffering, a vaccine expert says.
Paul Offit, MD, says vaccines have saved countless lives, but vaccine avoidance based on false claims of danger is causing a rise in preventable diseases.

Hospitals make painful choices as federal cutbacks add to economic headwinds
In the face of funding reductions and business challenges, academic health systems reduce staff, press lawmakers for relief, and work to keep patients insured.

Pushing his limits: Medical student Matthew Marquardt goes for the podium at the Ironman World Championship
The third-year medical student and professional triathlete keeps shattering expectations about what's possible in triathlon and medicine. So far, he hasn't found an obstacle he couldn't conquer.