A match made in medicine
Graduating UCI medical students learn at festive ceremony where they will first practice as doctors
Spring brings the promise of new beginnings. And for graduating medical students across the country, that promise was fulfilled on Match Day, when they found out where they’d been “matched” to serve their residencies for the next three to seven years. The festive ceremony, which this year was held simultaneously at all U.S. medical schools on Friday, March 15, marked the transition from classroom to clinic as they embark on their professional journeys.
At UCI, 99 future physicians learned where they’ll start their careers after earning their M.D.s in May. Seventy are staying in California, with 44 remaining in the University of California system and 22 remaining at UCI. The most popular specialty was internal medicine (20 students), followed by psychiatry (12) and pediatrics (nine).
Along with the rigors of coursework and rotations, the class of 2024 also endured the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet they still found time to serve the community. Driven by the desire to achieve their lifelong dream of helping others, supported by fellow students and mentors, and dedicated to delivering compassionate care, three of them are profiled here.
Finding his calling
For Leonardo Alaniz, overcoming a series of challenges while growing up sparked his desire to become a surgeon dedicated to serving the community.
He was born in Phoenix to immigrant parents, and his family struggled with access to care due to language and insurance barriers. When his parents did see a healthcare provider, Alaniz served as their “medical manager” and interpreter. The need for quality medical care was further compounded by a devastating knee injury he suffered during a wrestling match while uninsured.
“My interest in plastic surgery developed after I learned how broad the field was,” he says. “Having the potential to express my artistic side while restoring a patient’s form and function was the calling I had been seeking, especially when I learned how the Latino and other minority communities are still vastly underserved by reconstructive surgery. I aim to use my background and experiences to close this gap.”
When the time came to go to college, he majored in finance so that he could help support his family. After achieving career success as a district manager for General Motors, he strongly felt the need to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.
Alaniz decided to attend UCI for its Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community, a five-year M.D./master’s program that includes coursework emphasizing leadership, advocacy and service to meet the needs of under-resourced Latino communities. For his master’s work, he earned an MBA from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management.
“The opportunity to have my medical education tailored to serve disadvantaged patients really spoke to my goals in life. I also thought it would be amazing to be around other people who share my values of caring for the underserved,” he says.
Alaniz also faced other hurdles during his journey through medical school, having to open a used car dealership to continue supporting his family.
“After finishing residency, I might pursue a fellowship in craniofacial surgery. After that, I plan to leverage my MBA to get a role in hospital administration so I can help advocate for policies for disadvantaged patients,” he says. “My concentration is in healthcare management so that I can help to improve hospital processes and patient outcomes. I also hope to organize and participate in medical mission trips that provide services and train local surgeons for lasting impact in the community.”
Alaniz matched with a plastic surgery residency at UCI.
Finding joy in medical school
Rana Andary grew up in a household where both parents were healthcare professionals, so it’s unsurprising that she followed in their footsteps.
“I witnessed their careers as they practiced in rural areas abroad, and I admired how they connected with patients. This sparked a passion for community health, advocacy and preventative care, which helped me decide to pursue a career in medicine,” she says.
The first-generation Lebanese immigrant is the first in her family to attend medical school in the U.S. Choosing UCI was both a homecoming, having earned her bachelor’s degree there, and a deliberate decision, so that she could continue serving the community she grew up in, supported by a diverse student body.
Andary’s engagement in extracurricular activities as a medical student included serving in student government and as a member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which strengthened her connection to her classmates, faculty and mentors.
“I found lots of joy in the activities I pursued during medical school,” she says. “Balancing them with being a student was definitely tough, but they provided me an outlet to recharge and delve into medicine-adjacent topics that I found interesting. I loved planning events to foster community among our class and the school and also valued being able to work with leadership to help promote a better educational experience.”
Andary found her calling to be an obstetrician-gynecologist because it offers the perfect combination of surgical expertise, primary and preventative care, long-term patient relationships, and the opportunity to continue to engage in advocacy and education.
“Being an OB-GYN is exciting! It mixes all the parts of medicine that I love,” she says. “I found myself just enjoying each facet of the field, with my labor and delivery rotation being one of my most exhilarating and fulfilling experiences.”
Andary matched with an obstetrics and gynecology residency at UCI.
Better equipped to connect with patients
Always interested in science, Nicole Finney’s interest was piqued by the possibility of becoming a doctor after watching an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Later, it was her desire to improve her knowledge of integrative practices not traditionally taught in medical school that brought her to UCI’s medical student integrative medicine track.
The Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine is a four-year longitudinal track that trains future physicians to be leaders in effective, compassionate, whole-person care.
“While I didn’t know which specialty I’d choose during the first few years of my participation in HEAL-IM, I was confident that what I was learning would help me empower my patients and provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for integrative healing practices that address mind, body and spirit,” she says. “I feel better equipped to connect with and understand my patients.”
She decided to become a general surgeon during her third year. Taking the advice of an intern to think about which rotation most energized her, despite the number of hours worked, she realized that happened when she was in the operating room.
“Upon reflection, what drew me to surgery is very similar to what drew me to sports growing up. Beyond being fascinated with the diverse pathology that surgery offers, I enjoy working with my hands, being part of a team and slipping into a ‘game-day zone’ when focusing on the task at hand in the OR,” she says.
Although quite accomplished when she came to UCI, having earned both a bachelor’s in global disease biology and a master’s in public health from UC Davis, Finney says while in medical school she still experienced imposter syndrome.
“I think everyone goes through it at some point, but being the first doctor in my family as well as a woman interested in surgery intensified this feeling,” she says. “I was lucky to have great female mentors at UCI across various specialties and levels of training.”
After completing her residency, she plans to pursue fellowships in palliative care and trauma/critical care, where she hopes her knowledge of integrative practices that “address whole person care” will deeply impact many patients.
Finney matched with a general surgery residency at UCI.
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