Pre-Health Virtual Event
Your path to medical school starts with choosing the right foundation, and Mississippi State University is committed to helping future physicians thrive. During our Pre-Med Virtual Panel, you’ll hear from current MSU pre-med students, medical school students, and physicians who credit their success to the preparation they received here. Learn how personalized advising, rigorous academics, research opportunities, and a collaborative campus community help students stand out in the medical school application process. Join us Tuesday, April 14, at 6 p.m. CT to see how MSU equips you with the tools, confidence, and experiences needed to pursue a career in medicine.
Meet the Panelists
Dr. Mary Celeste Reese serves as the Director of MSU's Dr. A. Randle and Marilyn W. White Healthcare Pathways Resource Center. She also advises pre-med and pre-dental students.
Sneha Cherukuri is a Madison, Mississippi native who graduated from Mississippi State University in December 2025 with a degree in Biological Sciences and minors in Psychology and Medical Humanities. A Stephen D. Lee Scholar and Presidential Endowed Scholar, she was actively involved in a variety of extracurricular and professional activities such as New Maroon Camp, Music Maker Productions, undergraduate research, and peer tutoring. She is currently spending her gap semester in Washington, D.C. and will attend the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Fall 2026.
Sarah Taylor is a third year medical student at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She grew up in Vicksburg, MS and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University in 2022. While at Mississippi State University, Sarah enjoyed being a part of Roadrunner, Phi Mu sorority, Pre-Health Ambassadors, and Gamma Chi. She spent a gap year before medical school in Starkville working as a medical assistant at Magnolia Dermatology. Sarah is excited about her medical school journey and hopes to pursue a residency in Family Medicine after graduation next spring.
Dr. Hardman is a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and fellowship trained in facial cosmetic surgery. He is board certified by the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery. He is a native of Hoover, Alabama who started his educational journey right here in Starkville. He graduated from Mississippi State with a degree in Biomedical Engineering before getting his Doctorate of Dental Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS.
Dr. Hardman was accepted to complete his oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. During his time in residency, he was intensively trained in all aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery including dentoalveolar surgery and management of impacted teeth, complex orofacial infections, facial trauma, orthognathic surgery, benign/malignant pathology, microvascular reconstruction, and nerve repair.
After his residency, he sought to add to his training in facial cosmetic surgery and was accepted into a highly sought after fellowship with Dr. Jon Perenack in Baton Rouge, LA where he was trained all aspects of facial cosmetic surgery including liposuction, face and neck lifts, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, chin augmentation, lip lifts, blepharoplasty, brow lifts, and hair restoration. During his time in fellowship, he was a part time faculty at Louisiana State University in New Orleans where he was able to help train residents in facial cosmetic surgery.
Dr. Hardman is proud to return to call Starkville home and serve the people of Mississippi. He is joined by his wife Mary Langdon and his four children, Tommy, William, Miles, and Henry. In his spare time, he enjoys being outdoors with his four boys and playing golf.
John H. Kosko, M.D. is a board-certified, fellowship-trained foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon.
Kosko, a Greenwood native, graduated summa cum laude in biological engineering from Mississippi State University. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He completed an orthopaedic residency from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. At UMC, he received the Department of Orthopedics OITE Award, Resident Research Award, Citizenship Award and Best Orthopaedic Teaching Resident. He completed a fellowship in foot and ankle reconstruction from OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Institute in Charlotte, N.C.
He is a member of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Mississippi Orthopaedic Society.
Kosko was a visiting medical student to the University of Oxford and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Center in Oxford, England. He completed an AO Fellowship in Luzern, Switzerland.
Seth Ladd, D.O., is a native of Mississippi. He completed high school at West Jones High School in 2005. He is an undergraduate of Mississippi State University, where he finished with a Bachelor of Science in 2009. Dr. Ladd was in the first medical school class at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated in 2009. He then completed his General Surgery Residency with St. John's Episcopal Hospital in New York, NY followed by a Burn and Reconstructive surgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He currently works as a General Surgeon at South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel, MS where he specializes in general, acute care, burn and robotic surgery. He also has a passion for teaching and serves as an adjunct professor for William Carey College of Medicine.
Dr. Anna Jennings Nix is a 2009 graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences. Following graduating from MSU, she attended the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry where she completed her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. Following graduation from UMMC, she completed her pediatric dental residency at UMMC in 2018.
Dr. Nix has a special interest in early orthodontic development, tongue and lip-tie treatment, and guiding proper facial growth in children. She is passionate about helping children achieve healthy smiles and educating families about the importance of oral health in a child's overall development.
In addition to running her practice, Dr. Nix currently serves as President of the Mississippi Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, where she advocates for children's oral health across the state. Outside the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Jimmy, and their three boys.