Two Virginia Military Institute alumni, Allen Xu ’21 and Thaddeus Wegrzyn ’22, returned to the Institute in late March for two weeks as part of their medical education with a family medicine rotation at the VMI Infirmary.
Xu and Wegrzyn, who are fourth-year medical students at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, chose to serve one of their medical rotations alongside Institute physician, Dr. Melissa S. Krawiec ’01 and family nurse practitioner, Jenny Crance, DNP, FNP-C.
Medical rotations, also known as clinicals, are required hands-on patient care experiences for medical students, and consist of two years of back-to-back four-week durations of training under the supervision of a medical professional in various specialties at many medical facilities. Xu and Wegrzyn have completed about 20 clinicals, with VMI being the last for Xu. Wegrzyn has an additional obligation of two weeks of physical medicine and rehabilitation to complete for Carilion Clinic in Radford.
According to Krawiec, this is the first time alumni have returned to VMI for their clinicals.
“We were delighted to have Allen and Thad with us for two weeks. They were able to closely relate to the cadets and understand the pressures they are under, because they have been cadets themselves. They have come full circle. I trust it was a rewarding experience for them, and I hope they learned some valuable clinical ‘pearls’ in our unique environment. We saw some interesting cases over their time with us,” she said.
Though they arrived to VMI with no set of expectations on what medical conditions they would see during their visit, Xu and Wegrzyn treated a variety of family practice conditions for the cadets including colds, allergies, rashes, burns, dental pain, soft tissue wounds, and orthopedic injuries. They assessed patients and discussed treatment plans with Krawiec and Crance. They also met with cadets who are considering going to medical school. Wegrzyn stated that cadet outreach is important to them. “There is no formal pre-med program at VMI, but there are many cadets who are interested in going into health care. We had many conversations with them and advised them on their options of making that dream a reality.”Xu, a biology major from Ringoes, New Jersey, began his love for healing as a high school student when he became an emergency medical technician (EMT), a skill he continued at VMI. As EMT chief, he would often deliver cadet patients to the infirmary, but was never able to observe their treatment there.
“It’s gratifying to see what happens on this side of the infirmary door,” he observed.
Xu’s chosen medical field of study is psychiatry. Initially entering medical school, he wanted to go into emergency medicine, but changed his mind after witnessing family members facing emotional trials. He noted that returning to VMI at this stage of his training has given him a different perspective on the environment that helped shape him.
“VMI and the military are built on a culture that values discipline, resilience, and composure under pressure. Those are qualities I continue to respect and carry with me. At the same time, my training has reinforced that the reality of life and leadership includes navigating stress, loss, and uncertainty. What I have come to appreciate is that supporting behavioral health does not take away from those core values. If anything, it strengthens them. The ability to reflect, seek support when needed, and maintain personal well-being allows individuals to sustain performance and lead more effectively over time.
Returning in this role has been especially meaningful, and I hope conversations like these continue to evolve in a way that supports both excellence and well-being.” He eventually wants to work with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma.
Wegrzyn, a biology major with an exercise science minor from Lincoln, Nebraska, served as a cadre member as a cadet. He originally wanted to go into combat in the military. He changed his mind though when he started to enjoy his academic studies at VMI.
“It all started to click with me. My advisor was great, and my interest in going into medicine bloomed. I chose primary care medicine as a specialty, so I’d be in a position to teach patients a better understanding of taking care of their bodies. I feel a strong obligation to educate and mentor patients, so they take control of their health and prevent illnesses and accidents.”
The two originally met in a public speaking class when Wegrzyn was a rat. Since both were biology majors, they shared several more classes, and served on the Honor Court together.
Xu confessed VMI prepared them well for medical school.
“The resiliency we learned at VMI has paid dividends. Cadets are taught how to find out what needs done and to create a plan. They learn good time management skills. And believe it or not, we get more sleep at VCOM than we ever got at VMI,” he laughed.
Wegrzyn agreed and shared that VMI graduates are highly thought of at VCOM.
“VCOM’s mission is to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians, which is similar to that of VMI’s mission of producing citizen-soldiers with a high sense of public service. In fact, there are currently five VMI alumni who are in their first year at VCOM. There is a strong pipeline from VMI to VCOM.”
He added there is a chapter of the Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons at VCOM in which he served as president and Xu served as vice president last year. This year, the reins of the two leadership positions are held by two other VMI graduates.
Following graduation from medical school in May, Xu and Wegrzyn will begin their residencies. Xu will serve his for four years in psychiatry at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina, and Wegrzyn, who has commissioned into the Army, will serve his for three years in family medicine at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
