Student Doctor of the Year loves the personal side of medicine
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Media Contact: Sara Plummer | Senior Communications Coordinator | 918-561-1282 | sara.plummer@okstate.edu
MacKenzie Toliver was always interested in medicine and helping people, but she initially thought her contributions to the field would be through research, studying diseases and working to find cures.
It wasn’t until high school — when she was part of a research program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation — that she began to see her future differently.
“I care a lot about the people aspect of health, just as much as the knowledge and science of it. I realized I cared a lot more about the people. My motivation was the actual person, not the science. And I thought ‘I think being a doctor is probably a good path,’” said the third-year student at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine.
A Tulsa native, Toliver said she wanted to go to medical school somewhere close to home and OSU-COM was a perfect fit for her.
“I think the culture of OSU is what stood out to me — the community and the family. I specifically looked for that in a medical school and OSU, by far, has the best sense of belonging out of any place that I would have been able to go to,” she said. “It’s clear that people care about each other here, and in this field that’s really important. That keeps you motivated and grounded, and everybody feels very authentic.”
As a medical student Toliver served on the Student Wellness Committee, as president of OSU-COM’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association and is currently part of SNMA’s regional leadership team. She was a 2024-25 Albert Schweitzer Fellow and her community health project focused on black maternal health education and support.
She elected to participate in the Urban Underserved Medical Track and Global Health Track as part of her medical education
“I think the culture of OSU is what stood out to me, the community and the family.
I specifically looked for that in a medical school and OSU, by far, has the best sense
of belonging out of any place that I would have been able to go to.”
Toliver recently added another accolade to her resume — she was chosen by her peers as the 2026 OSU Student Doctor of the Year.
“I was completely shocked. I literally cried, and I told my mom immediately,” she said. “It felt good to know that people think highly of you. I care a lot about the people I’m around and I love mentoring people and developing people. It’s part of the reason I’m drawn to medicine. So, to know that it’s seen and valued, and people are feeling supported by me feels good.”
Support is something she’s always found at OSU-COM.
“Medical school is hard for everyone everywhere. I think the things that matter and the questions to ask yourself are ‘Where am I going to feel the most supported academically, emotionally, socially? Where am I going to learn? What place is going to grow me into the doctor I want to be and give me the flexibility to discover what that is and get me there?’” Toliver said. “I think OSU does that. You’re going to find your group; you’re going to find people who are going to support you. We champion each other’s successes.”
During her third and fourth years of medical school, Toliver will complete rotations in different specialties in various clinics and hospitals getting first-hand experience working with patients and physicians.
“I love people. I love getting to feel like I’m actually serving people. That all that studying from the first two years of medical school, I get to actually apply that knowledge now. I love watching people, especially people who look like me, light up when I walk into the room,” she said. “I’m currently on my pediatrics rotation and when little kids are saying ‘You’re a doctor, I want to be a doctor too’ and you actually see yourself in them, it’s exciting. It reignites your energy and passion to want to continue on this path.”
Toliver hopes that her path will ultimately lead her back home where she can continue to impact the community she came from.
“There’s just something special about Tulsa, it pulls you back in. There’s a lot of opportunity for people with big ideas and a passion for service,” she said. “Given what I’m interested in and where I think I can best serve and help people, it just makes sense.”