About Us

What We Offer

Completeness: Understand Medicine from Patient to DNA

Start with the clinical presentation of the patient who walks in the door. Explain their symptoms through the regional anatomy down to the tissue level, cell ultrastructure, biochemistry, proteins, and DNA with no gaps.

See the Patient
- Who Walks in the
Door?

Clinical reasoning requires identifying
the chief complaint, narrowing down the differential diagnosis, and explaining the natural history. Always start with Age, Gender, Timeframe.​

Clinical Medicine is Built on a Foundation of Basic Sciences

The hardest step to make in medical school is to shift from subject-based learning to patient-centered learning. Focus on physician-relevant knowledge and de-emphasize rote memorization.​

Our Educational Principles

Think like a Doctor

Remember that you are not just studying for an exam. This is the best preparation for practicing medicine.

Meet the Professionals

Medical School Companion is a team of medical educators dedicated to student success in healthcare education.

Philip Tisdall, MD

Medical Director

Mary Ruebush, PhD

Director of Curriculum

Jack Wilson, PhD

National Instructor

Make medicine FUN again!

Philip Tisdall, MD, award-winning teacher and published author, trained at the Mayo Clinic and is a diplomat of the American Board of Pathology (AP and CP).

He is a dynamic and engaging speaker who helps students understand how to correlate the basic sciences and apply them to the essential thought processes of clinical medicine.

Dr. Tisdall received his MD from the University of Alberta, where he was the recipient of the gold medal in surgery and the MacKenzie award for History and Physical examination. Students praise him for his insight and ability to make complex material clear and memorable.

Mary Ruebush, PhD, is one of the nation’s most experienced instructors in Microbiology and Immunology for USMLE Step 1 review.

Dr. Ruebush received her PhD from the University of Georgia and has taught Infectious Disease, Immunology, and Pathology at Bowman-Gray Medical School, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Montana State University, where she received Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Jack Wilson received his PhD from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is a Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN, where he has taught all the disciplines of Anatomy for 45 years.

He has received over 70 teaching awards and written 45 published papers, abstracts, and books.

Dr. Wilson has been active in teaching USMLE Step 1 review courses for Anatomy for over 25 years. Students have consistently recognized his ability to present Step 1 Clinical Anatomy in a concise way for success on Step 1.

Philip Tisdall, MD

Medical Director

Philip Tisdall, MD, award-winning teacher and published author, trained at the Mayo Clinic and is a diplomat of the American Board of Pathology (AP and CP). He is a dynamic and engaging speaker who helps students understand how to correlate the basic sciences and apply them to the essential thought processes of clinical medicine. Dr. Tisdall received his MD from the University of Alberta, where he was the recipient of the gold medal in surgery and the MacKenzie award for History and Physical examination. Students praise him for his insight and ability to make complex material clear and memorable.

Mary Ruebush, PhD

Director of Curriculum

Mary Ruebush, PhD, is one of the nation's most experienced instructors in Microbiology and Immunology for USMLE Step 1 review. Dr. Ruebush is the author of Becker’s Step 1 USMLE lecture notes in Immunology and Microbiology, and from 2000 to 2012 was the author of the Kaplan Step 1 Review Notes. Dr. Ruebush received her PhD from the University of Georgia and has taught Infectious Disease, Immunology and Pathology at Bowman-Gray Medical School, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Montana State University, where she received Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Jack Wilson, PhD

Director of Anatomy

​Dr. Jack Wilson received his PhD from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is a Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN, where he has taught all the disciplines of Anatomy for 45 years. He has received over 70 teaching awards and written 45 published papers, abstracts and books. Dr. Wilson has been active in teaching USMLE Step 1 review courses for Anatomy for over 25 years. Students have consistently recognized his ability to present Step 1 Clinical Anatomy in a concise way for success on Step 1.