Medicine was not always the plan. Although Asher Cohen ’29 MD grew up surrounded by healthcare—his mother is a clinical psychologist, and his father was an interfaith chaplain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center—he enrolled in college convinced he’d become a theoretical physicist.

He loved the science but over time realized something was missing.

“I realized just how much I valued human connection and interaction,” Cohen says. “I wanted that connection to be central to whatever profession I chose.”

He began taking premed courses, conducting research, and preparing for the MCAT. Each step confirmed that medicine offered the combination of scientific inquiry, lifelong learning, and meaningful relationships he had been searching for.

Finding a Home

When it came to choosing a medical school, Yale offered everything Cohen had hoped to find: world-class research opportunities, renowned physician-educators, and the chance to explore medicine’s intersections with policy and law. He’s especially grateful to have found a place with a collaborative culture and deep roots in the local community.

“It’s an extremely collaborative environment,” he says. “Everyone is sharing notes, answering each other’s questions, and supporting one another. I feel lucky that I get to go here.”

A scholarship recipient, Cohen greatly values how financial aid has made Yale accessible to talented students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds: “Everybody comes with different perspectives, and that helps us better connect with our patients.”

For Cohen, those perspectives are especially important because Yale School of Medicine sits at the intersection of the university and the community it serves.

“We’re Yale students—it says Yale on our white coats—but our patients are New Haveners,” he says. “They’re the people we serve.”

Building Relationships

As Cohen prepares to begin his clinical rotations, he’s especially looking forward to learning more about internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, the two specialties he’s most interested in pursuing.

Both appeal to him because they would allow him to care for patients over many years, guiding them through some of life’s most significant moments. Whatever path he chooses, he knows what kind of doctor he hopes to be.

“I want to build relationships with my patients,” he says. “That’s what drew me to medicine in the first place.”