“I got to practice incisions and suturing, and we had some frogs that needed postoperative care,” he said. “That was a really valuable experience, and I don’t think I would’ve gotten that at a lot of other schools.”

These days, Prock doesn’t operate on frogs. His patients are mostly dogs and cats. The vet is the co-founder of Furgent Care, a veterinary urgent care in Virginia Beach that offers evening and weekend services for pet owners when their primary care veterinarian is unavailable.

Identifying a need

In 2018, following four tough years at veterinary school (Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech), Prock earned his doctor of veterinary medicine degree. After working as a general practice vet at a clinic in South Florida for three years, he returned to his hometown of Virginia Beach with his wife, Katie (Landis) Prock ’12—they met at EMU—and worked as a locum, filling in for understaffed hospitals that needed help.

“Think of it like substitute teaching, but for veterinarians,” Prock said.

That experience opened his eyes to the growing need for after-hours veterinary services.

“It shocked me the amount of clients who would call in with sick pets and say, ‘My dog is vomiting or has diarrhea or has an ear infection,’” said Prock. “And the answer was, ‘Our first available appointment is in two weeks.’ That’s just how the system works. But it felt wrong to say no to so many sick pets.”

That motivated him to reach out to his roommate from vet school, Jonah Williams, and together they opened Furgent Care in 2024. The clinic is staffed by 16 total employees, including four doctors. It has 164 reviews and a 4.9-out-of-5 rating.

“Our core values are compassion and collaboration, and that’s been echoed in our reviews,” Prock said. “People get what we’re doing and they appreciate it.”

Seeking a balance

From a young age, Prock had a love for animals. He said he’s always known he wanted to become a veterinarian.

“My parents let us keep weird pets,” he said. “I had all sorts of reptiles growing up, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, and bunnies. You name it, we took care of it.”

That taught him the responsibility of pet ownership and fostered in him a connection to animals. He added that he’s also always been fascinated with the subject of biology, the natural sciences, and the “huge, complex system that makes all living things, living things.” 

Those interests coincided with a passion for volleyball. A skilled player in high school, he started attracting attention from college recruiters across the country.

His older sister played volleyball at a Division I school, and he saw the commitment required to compete at that level. “I got to see firsthand what having, essentially, a full-time job on top of college looked like,” Prock said. “That helped steer me toward Division III and EMU.”

“From my visit to EMU, I felt like I could achieve a balance: smaller class sizes and professors who were involved and cared for their students more than they could in a thousand-student lecture hall,” he said. “As an athlete, I was given some flexibility with my assignments. They understood I had more than just school going on and helped me outside of class when I missed it.”

“I think that balance made a huge impact on my ability to eventually get into vet school,” he added.

At EMU, Prock excelled as a student-athlete. He was named to the first-ever Continental Volleyball Conference All-East Division Team during the inaugural season of the conference. His name still ranks No. 2 on the all-time digs list for EMU.

Although no amount of work can truly prepare someone for the rigors and stressors of vet school, he said, EMU’s coursework and degree equipped him as best it could. “It was absolutely difficult and was a new level of challenging, but as far as fundamentals go, I had everything I needed,” he said.

It’s also incredibly difficult to get accepted into vet school, he added. After graduating from EMU with a biology degree, he stayed in Harrisonburg for a couple years, working as an assistant at Heartland Veterinary Clinic and serving as an assistant coach for the men’s volleyball team at EMU. At the same time, he applied to a flurry of veterinary schools across the country.

“I tell people I took one year off on purpose and one year off by accident, because I didn’t get into veterinary school,” said Prock. He was eventually accepted during a second round of applications. 

When he started vet school, he had three goals. One was to graduate. Another was to stay married. And a third goal was to get as much sleep as he could. “My priorities looked different than most people’s,” Prock said, noting the hypercompetitive nature of vet school students. “It was never my goal to become the world’s best veterinarian or the world’s best clinician. I always wanted to help people and I knew I could do that by helping pets and working with animals.”

Keeping his passion going

One of his most meaningful experiences from his time at EMU occurred during a senior seminar class taught by Professor Emeritus Roman Miller. Prock recalled an assignment to shadow a large-animal veterinarian at cattle farms around Harrisonburg for several weeks. They performed everything from routine pregnancy checks to emergency calls and surgery.

“That was wonderful preparation,” Prock said. “I gained an immense amount of respect for farmers and for large-animal vets who work incredibly long and hard hours. To have that kind of foresight in making me do that was really wise and paid off in keeping my passion going.”

As Prock’s responsibilities at the clinic have shifted, he’s spent more time on the business side, building teams and systems, and less time on the floor seeing patients.

For those like him, seeking a career in veterinary medicine, he said the role requires a “specific type of brain.” 

“It’s common to find people who have a passion for animals,” he said. “It’s less common to find those who have a passion for helping people, solving problems, and working with teams.”

Learn more about the clinic at .

Slashcheva emigrated from Kazakhstan to the United States with her family at age 5. She started kindergarten in Harrisonburg, Va., with no knowledge of English. Thanks to an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, though, she got off to a good start.

“The ESL teacher engaged in my siblings’ and my lives well beyond the classroom,” Slashcheva says, “equipping us with the skills and motivation to succeed and excel in academics even as immigrant children.”

Ten years later Slashcheva was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Turner Ashby High School. At age 16? Yes, she had just finished her sophomore year, but she had acquired two years’ worth of credits by taking classes on the side at Blue Ridge Community College.

That fall of 2009 she planned to follow her older sister who had earned a at ��ݮ����. “Nursing seemed like an attainable goal for an immigrant child,” she says, “and I was fascinated with science and passionate about serving others.”

But two weeks before starting college, Slashcheva went to a dentist’s office with her father to interpret for him. Dr. Dave Kenee was impressed with her and challenged her to consider a career in dentistry. Within a few weeks, she was shadowing Kenee at his practice and had transitioned into a at EMU.

Slashcheva was in a hurry to get started in her life’s work. It took her only 2½ years to get through EMU, by taking summer classes and applying previous college credits from Blue Ridge. And she was already building her résumé. While at EMU she worked in the university’s , volunteered at , and traveled to Lithuania for three months as part of .

She found time to continue her interest in music by playing flute in and directing the choir at her church, .

Slashcheva looked for a dental school that shared EMU’s emphasis on service. She won a competitive scholarship to dental school from the federal government’s , which pays her entire tuition bill as well as a monthly stipend. She chose Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

So how did Slashcheva spend her time between graduating from EMU in December 2011 and entering VCU in August 2012? Take a break and leisurely prepare for dental school? No, she went on a four-month mission trip under the . She worked in dentistry and oral health in Honduras and Peru. “That developed my fascination for public health,” she says.

At age 19, Slashcheva entered the VCU School of Dentistry, plunging into her studies as well as student clubs and professional organizations. Her growing résumé now includes president of and nearby Medical College of Virginia (now with over 300 student members), director of tEEEth talk Community Education Workshops, founder/president of Special Care Interest Group, student leader of Christian Medical and Dental Association, and graduate teaching assistant for undergraduate students who are about her age.

Some of Slashcheva’s professors question why she is so involved in service programs at a time when she should be focusing on her professional development as a dentist. “But I want to be a Christian who happens to be a dentist—and not the other way around,” she says. “I learned that at EMU.” She also learned to integrate faith and science.

Slashcheva is active at , where she is the music coordinator and a delegate to .

What’s next for the future Slashcheva when she graduates from VCU in 2016? “As a National Health Service Corps dental scholar, I have committed to practicing dentistry in an underserved area for four years at the start of my career,” she says. The commitment can be deferred, however, if she wants to seek specialty training. At this point she is thinking about post-graduate study in dental public health and geriatric dentistry.

A long résumé is not Slashcheva’s goal. But she is determined to surpass boundaries that were considered insurmountable. And she is driven to pursue a life of service that comes from her Christian family upbringing in a disadvantaged immigrant community.

“Early in my immigrant life, I realized that I may never completely assimilate into my surroundings,” says Slashcheva. “So I found it necessary to choose between being inferior or being extraordinary among my peers.”

Tonight, I want to reinforce that EMU is truly a Christian University like no other. Three and a half years ago, I was poised with making a life-altering decision: Where was I going to attend college? I had received acceptance from five universities. How was I going to choose? Which school would fit? Which school would provide me the best opportunities to excel?

Little did my 17-year-old self know how much of an impact that choice would make on the rest of my life. I stand before you to declare that I made the best decision – that this Christian University, like no other, has transformed me into not only a scholar, but into an individual like no other.

Multiple factors congealed to make EMU rise above Virginia Tech or UVa, in my eyes. First, my mother, the first in my family to receive a college education, had graduated a few years earlier from the . She had shown me the core values of caring and compassion that EMU’s professors instill in the minds of their students. Second, my dream was to become a doctor and and boasted medical school acceptance rates far beyond any public university I had considered. And, third, was the amount of financial support I would receive, making EMU more of a realistic possibility. EMU just seemed to fit.

The fit seemed more like home as I began my studies three years ago. As I reflect on my years burrowed deep inside the bowels of the , I have had multiple defining experiences. While some of my cherished moments are of classes, most are of the connections I made with faculty and fellow students while learning. Whether I was discovering how to set up a silica-gel column in the organic chemistry lab, determining what distinguishes a mockernut from a pignut hickory, or dissecting in the cadaver lab, these defining moments could have never happened without the resources that EMU provides its students.

At this small private Christian university, I have had experiences that my high school classmates yearn for. Most have never sat down in a professor’s office to discuss not only class material but how the semester is going and what challenges they’re facing. Almost none has been provided the opportunity to dissect a cadaver as an undergraduate student.

If these highlights weren’t enough to set EMU and its science department apart, this summer I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Bolivia and the Galapagos Islands on an EMU sponsored cross-cultural. Under the guidance of EMU biology professor and his wife Christina, I had the opportunity to discover biology outside of a textbook. I was drenched by rain in a rainforest, I had a monkey steal my water bottle to drink from it, I swam in Lake Titicaca, I fed the Galapagos Island giant tortoises, I observed Darwin’s finches, and best of all I made connections and built friendships that will transcend generations.

Today an article was posted to , EMU’s intranet system, highlighting EMU’s graduating class of ’62 and their life experiences and accomplishments. From this article, it became evident that EMU, or EMC [in 1962], was a catalyst transforming each of these young minds to prepare them for the future. I can only hope that I can share the same sentiment when my 50th reunion from EMU occurs.

Without the contribution of donors, like everyone in the audience, my education and the education of future students would not be possible. Thank you for allowing my education to be like no other.

Maggie had wrapped up her first two years at EMU before meeting a native of Harrisonburg, Va., Nathaniel “Nate” Yoder, who had returned to his hometown after completing two years at a sister Mennonite school, .

Maggie and Nate were both in the class of 2008, and they quickly discovered a shared interest in answering God’s call through practicing medicine.

Now in their final year at VCOM, Maggie Yoder is pursuing a residency in family medicine, while Nate Yoder will be doing a residency in emergency medicine. They will each earn the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.).

“The VCOM relationship is a perfect next step for someone who’s come through EMU,” says Maggie, adding that EMU and VCOM are both based on service to others and intercultural awareness.

The non-profit VCOM was established with foundation and private donations in the fall of 2003 “to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health,” according to the school’s website. Initial focus on underserved areas in Appalachia has stretched to Latin America.

“The school’s block schedule is set up to encourage hands-on service in clinical settings in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic,” says Maggie. Up to 25 VCOM students travel to rural areas in these countries four times per year for several-week stints. They staff clinics that VCOM has established with local community partners, providing services to people who otherwise would not have access to basic care.

“While most medical students spend the first two years of med-school in the classroom, we had the chance to do hands-on clinical assessment and intervention,” says Maggie. Maggie and Nate have each completed a 10-day stint in Honduras, with Nate also spending time in Guatemala.

After graduating from EMU in 2008, the Yoders took time off to work in research roles – he in a biotech lab and she at the – before beginning medical school in 2010.  Anca Chirvasuta, a 2012 graduate of EMU, has followed the Yoders to VCOM.

The founder and chairman of the board of directors at VCOM, John Rocovich, J.D., LL.M., was key in building the relationship between EMU and VCOM, anchored by a 2008 agreement for automatic admission for qualified EMU grads. The arrangement guarantees acceptance of up to 10 EMU students into the VCOM program, assuming these students follow a distinct academic protocol and demonstrate high achievement in EMU’s pre-med program. (The Yoders’ acceptances predated this agreement.)

Rocovich serves on , which undergirds EMU’s . Renovations are expected to begin in early 2014.

If anyone values opportunity, it’s Lyubov Slashcheva. As a at ��ݮ���� (EMU), taking the Dental Admission Test (DAT) is one of her priorities. Her free moments are spent engrossed in a DAT study guide.

A Russian interpreter for the (HRFC), Slashcheva does not waste a moment. Five schools, including the University of Baltimore, West Virginia University, University of North Carolina, University of Pittsburgh and Virginia Commonwealth University have already received her dental school application. When asked why Virginia Commonwealth appeals to her, the frequenter of the EMU Dean’s List expounded upon her overall campus visit impression. At the school, she said, service is emphasized and envisions that serving others will equip her well for dentistry. In-state tuition and proximity to home also helps, she added.

After she dons EMU’s royal blue gown this December, the visionary plans to travel. She will spend four months in Gracias, Honduras and Mayobamba, Peru with the , serving in two dental clinics. The Luke Society will support her as she educates communities about preventive medicine, stimulates community development and builds community missions with a local pastor. Slashcheva will do this all so local individuals can care for themselves.

With over three years of Spanish under her belt, Slashcheva is slightly nervous for the time away but is optimistic it will be an opportunity for growth. This experience, the forward-thinker hopes, will give hands-on dental experience and a picture of rural dentistry abroad.

Family-rooted worker

In addition to being a highly disciplined student, Slashcheva values her family and church community. When she is not arduously studying for the next exam, serving others or spending time in extra-curricular activities, the youngest of three children relaxes at home with her parents.

She donates her time to the HRFC and other dental clinics in the area while working two jobs. Additionally, Dr. David Kenee, Dr. Steven Gardener and Dr. Stacie Dietz, all in the dentistry field, receive Slashcheva’s helping hands. She also tutors struggling students in organic chemistry and biology and works at .

At her home congregation of First Russian Baptist, Slashcheva co-directs a choir that meets three times a week and attends a weekly youth prayer meeting. “I like a strict schedule,” said Slashcheva who also plays flute in the church band.

After pondering how she spends her free time Slashcheva said she can’t live with free time. “After I graduate, maybe I’ll learn how.”

Slashcheva cherishes the common ground built at the HRFC between medical professionals, clients and volunteers. Others, she hopes, “would value the opportunity that the HRFC presents to do a job willingly while belonging to the larger effort.”

Upper-level courses in topics such as , will appeal to and prepare students from science as well as other backgrounds.

“Many people realize after graduation, once they are in the job market, that they would like to prepare to help meet the needs of our society’s aging population or work to address other under-served health care needs,” says , PhD, program director. “This program will build on the skills people bring from other undergraduate programs to prepare for further professional work in the health care industry.”

This is EMU’s sixth graduate degree, joining (added in 2010), , , and a . In addition, offers graduate programs in divinity, church leadership and religion.

Program exceeds national average

EMU far exceeds the national average of undergraduates who apply and are accepted into medical school. Over the past 10 years, more than 90 percent of EMU students who completed the pre-medical program were accepted to medical school, compared to the current national average of 46 percent.

“Our faith-based approach and trans-disciplinary studies make EMU’s program unique,” said Miller. “We use natural science courses as our core curriculum, and students immerse themselves in the physical, social and spiritual dimensions of biomedicine.”

The MA in biomedicine program adds integrative seminars, practicums and cross-discipline requirements in social science and theological ethics to accent the intersection of faith and science. In addition, students will enroll in a cross-cultural practicum to further hone their skills in a unique cultural setting.

“Unlike other programs, our approach is to educate broadly by combining social science, cross-cultural, theology and ethics courses with our core curriculum in the natural sciences,” said Miller.

One-on-one attention and guidance from faculty mentors is integral to the program.

“As a result of my education at EMU, I feel that I am more prepared to take on a medical school curriculum than my fellow classmates,” said Ian Koons ’07, a post-baccalaureate student who is a first-year medical student at American University of the Caribbean. “The EMU education encourages students to explore an eclectic education which instills a strong foundation on which to build a career.”

More information, links

For more information on the contact (540) 432-4400 or ma-biomed@emu.edu.

Learn more about the MA in biomedicine at EMU:

• and

EMU has signed an articulation agreement with the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, Va., which will guarantee acceptance of up to 10 EMU qualified students into the VCOM program by following a distinct academic protocol and by demonstrating high achievement.

The Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine is a private, non-profit osteopathic medical school located in the Corporate Research Center at Virginia Tech. Founded in 2002, the mission of the school is to help alleviate the critical shortage of physicians in the Appalachian region.

To qualify for acceptance, an EMU student must complete all required undergraduate courses prior to graduation, including eight semester hours of physics, inorganic or general chemistry and six additional hours in selected science courses. Learn more about EMU’s pre-medical program.

In addition, they must have a science grade point average of 3.4 or better, a total GPA of 3.4 or better, have taken the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and have positive interviews with the EMU Pre-Professional Health Sciences (PPHS) advisory committee and the VCOM director of admissions and specific VCOM faculty members.

“This agreement is a direct response to the chronic shortage of physicians in rural areas of Virginia, primary care physicians and physicians providing care for underserved populations and medical missions,” said Roman J. Miller, Suter Endowed Chair of Biology at EMU and pre-medical adviser.

Over the last several years, the acceptance rate into medical schools is 90 percent for EMU students completing PPHS programs compared to a national acceptance rate of 47 percent. Learn more about EMU’s high med school acceptance rate.