Enclothed Cognition

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Kaitlin Herald

University of Texas at Houston Medical Center – Houston, TX

Kaitlin Herald’s sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor while she was in medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ohio. This diagnosis not only caused her to shift her entire life priorities from being a student to taking care of her sister, it also changed the way she looked at illness. Dr. Herald has matched into anesthesia residency after failing to match into neurosurgery residency. Now as a 3rd year anesthesia resident she constantly comments on how lucky she was to have landed in anesthesia because it suits her personality perfectly. The rejection, although hard to take initially, was a blessing in disguise and she would never give up her anesthesia spot or trade back any day. Her confidence and leadership makes her a perfect anesthesiologist. After finding out about her sister’s illness, Kaitlin dedicated her life to helping others in need. Improving health both by being an excellent physician and helping serve underprivileged patients. She spent 3 months abroad in Germany helping neuro-surgical patients receive surgical treatment they would not have had otherwise. She is a true humanitarian and her motivation is to treat every patient as if they are her sister. Many times in medicine, a treatment can only cure a disease to a certain extent; it is a patient and their caregivers' positive mindset, and hope, that drives a patient to a cure. Kaitlin provides this for her patients. Kaitlin has made multiple sacrifices in her dedication to medicine. The biggest being caring for her sister after her diagnosis of a brain tumor. Being the oldest child, and the only physician of her family she committed herself to helping her sister. Switching her role from one of a medical student to one of a personal caregiver. She sacrificed lecture, rounding and studying time to attend her sisters doctors appointment and treatments with her. She worked outside of her school work to help supplement her sisters medical bills and prescriptions. Vote for Kaitlin here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Russell Russo

LSUHSC Orthopedic Surgery/ New Orleans, LA – New Orleans, LA

Russell was part of the “Katrina Class;” he was a 1st year medical student during Hurricane Katrina, one of the nation’s biggest natural disasters. His class was torn apart and sent around the state unclear of what would become of the school and their medical careers. Russell was part of a unique class who formed a strong bond given the disaster and was able to finish the year in another city, then triumphantly return to New Orleans the next year to continue their medical education. Clinics were set up in old department stores ruined by the flood. The first floors of all the medical education buildings were not reopened for years, but the medical school thrived anyway in the post-Katrina New Orleans, and they thrived because of people like Russell, who despite losing 25% of their classmates to other schools and family displacement issues, kept the closely knit medical students together to complete their year without an issue. Cadaver labs became animal labs at the vet school in Baton Rouge. Housing was a run-down Finnish cruise ship that was sailed over to settle in the Mississippi river for all the students to have a place to stay. Yet with all this, the medical students of LSU-New Orleans ’09, anchored by Russell Russo, never missed a beat and graduated an incredible class of physicians, with a high number staying close to home in Louisiana. The orthopedic surgery program at LSU-New Orleans is “the right fit” for Russell because, like medical school, it is the closest knit group of residents in the country. Given the high number of athletes who become orthopedic surgeons, it is not surprising to see such a great team mentality in this residency program. Russell is a positive, upbeat person who keeps this team of residents working for a common goal and enjoying every minute of it. Residency can be a stressful, difficult, and emotionally draining experience, but having seen this group of residents, you would think they are having the time of their lives. Russell fits right in with this team of smart, young, eager residents who manage to enjoy every minute of residency while continuing to pump out important research and thrive in a clinical setting as highly well-respected residents. Russell has always had a deep interest with both science and sports, the reason he went into orthopedic surgery. His goal has been to build a career which allows him to care for his fellow athletic enthusiasts, in particular, high school athletes. As a high school athlete, he sustained a serious season ending injury that led him to see an orthopedic surgeon, and it has been his goal since to engage in that career path. Caring for high school athletes allows him to help those young student athletes who may not go pro in sports but use the discipline and teamwork earned in playing for their endeavors later in life. He also strongly believes in the importance of protecting student athletes from injuries such as concussions that can have a profound impact on the rest of their lives. This as well as other reasons is why he has begun to build a career in medicine. One large sacrifice Russell made, came during his first few years of medical school. Sadly after 3 years of helping care for his ailing mother, she passed away from metastatic cancer. Throughout his first few years of medical school, he spent many days in the chemo infusion center studying for medical school tests and chatting with his mom as she received chemo. He did his best to keep her upbeat throughout the tough time, but he knew what Stage 4 cancer meant; although, always praying for a miracle. While most medical students had their special spot in the library or the local coffee shop, he had his spot in the corner chemo infusion chair where there was an extra socket for his laptop. With 2 younger siblings to keep upbeat as well, Russell had his work cut out for him. Despite the challenges and sacrifices that had to be made, Russell thrived and was awarded AOA status his 4th year and was accepted to his #1 choice in the match for orthopedic surgery. Vote for Russell here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Arezou Yaghoubian

UCLA – Woodlandhills, CA

Arezou graduated the top of her medical school class with AOA distinction at UCLA. She is extremely hardworking and excelled in all of her studies. Arezou also did a remarkable amount of clinical research and helped write a book of review questions for the general surgery boards. Arezou is extremely detail oriented and a perfectionist, making plastic surgery a perfect fit for her skills. She is an extremely talented surgeon as well as clinician and will make great contributions in her field in the future. Arezou is the daughter of a family of physicians. As a young girl, she was exposed to the field of medicine by accompanying her dad to his clinic. Unfortunately, Arezou’s grandmother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and passed away in a year. This experience solidified her desire to become a physician and motivated her to continue to work at her goal of entering medicine. Arezou thrives helping others especially those less fortunate. She always puts the need of others ahead of her self and is an outstanding example of a young physician. Arezou has worked very hard to achieve her goals of becoming first a general surgeon and now a plastic surgeon. She has sacrificed many family functions and time with family and friends in order to excel in medical school and get herself to where she wanted to be. Vote for Arezou here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Nicole McCoy,M.D.

Carolinas Medical Center/Levine’s Children’s Hospital – Charlotte, NC

The most exciting and memorable portions of Nicole’s time at Florida State University College of Medicine were the 3rd and 4th years of regional campus training. As the class was split into smaller regional campuses, it gave the medical students the opportunity to work and learn in a small group setting, but most importantly provided training at locations that allowed the medical student to work one-on-one with attendings (other medical schools have students work under residents and a medical student may rarely work directly with an attending). This opportunity gave Nicole the preparation for her to become a competent clinician as she entered residency. She had more surgical experience as she was always the first assistant to the surgeon; she had more OB experience as she was always assisting the physician with deliveries and C-sections; she had more practice with presentation skills on rounds as well as writing notes as she was the only person working directly under the attending. Medicine is exciting and challenging. Despite changes in the healthcare business realm, it is still a fulfilling career that Nicole wakes up excited to embark upon every day. She sees herself practicing medicine for many years in the future and teaching her own children what it is like to have a fulfilling and exciting career. As a candy striper in high school and college Nicole volunteered between the labor and delivery units and Neonatal ICU. She especially loved watching the premature babies grow and thrive with exciting ground breaking medical advances. She was drawn to wanting to be a part of that transformation and really making a difference in the lives of exceptional children. As Nicole’s college friends were working hard and becoming successful business women right out of college–building a savings account and starting families– Nicole was taking out loans to pay the high cost of a medical education and studying late into the night. She knew the payoff (many years later) would be worth it, but it was just difficult realizing how different her career path was from theirs. The long road of medical education and residency has actually gone by at lightning speed and the end result is not far off, but those first few years were tough on her friendships and finances. She says she wouldn’t have changed a thing but may just have put less pressure on herself to fit in with them knowing what she knows now. Vote for Nicole here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

 

Ian Neel

Internal Medicine, University of California, San Diego; San Diego CA – La Jolla, CA

Dr. Neel is a University of California, San Diego medical school graduate. His most memorable experiences in medical school came in quiet interactions with patients, often at odd hours. He still remembers one such patient, a person with a large foot abscess due to poor diabetic control.

“I talked with that patient for weeks about his life, and from time to time asked him about his thoughts on amputation, but did not want to push the decision until the patient had accepted it. This patient will always stand out in my mind as many of our conversations occurred in the early hours of the morning while on-call; a great deal of healing can occur from a conversation at 3 a.m. when the patient can’t sleep due to worry. This patient showed me the necessity of being on-call and being able to have the time to just sit and talk.

Dr. Neel is a natural at internal medicine — enjoying not only the complexities of managing a critically ill patient via careful attention to each organ system and the patient as a whole, but also being a guide to patients, helping them navigate the complex and often extremely confusing world of medicine, explaining consultant recommendations and helping them understand how to get the resources they need to succeed in the world. As a San Diego native, he is also a unique example of someone whose roots in medicine are tied in to his local experiences:

“In 9th grade I started volunteering at a San Diego convalescent home, calling numbers for Bingo and conversing with the elderly residents. Looking back, it was probably my work at the home that first spurred my interest in medicine, although I did not know it at the time. There was one very pleasant elderly woman that would always want to talk with me for as many hours as my responsibilities allowed; we talked every week I volunteered there. Near the end of my first year, I went to the activity department as usual, and found that she did not know who I was. I found out she had Alzheimer’s, and it had progressed to a moderate to severe stage over the course of my year there. We continued to talk, but the home closed and I didn’t get to see her again. I moved to the information desk of the main hospital, however, continued to think about the patient and gained an interest in Alzheimer’s disease.” “It was in third year of medical school when I did a two week elective in geriatrics that my professional interests and academic interests collided. I met Dr. John Daly who reintroduced me to the world of dementia care, and found that it was exactly what I had been looking for in medicine from an academic standpoint. A study of the mind, while helping a severely at risk population and further addressing a plethora of social issues in aiding the families on coping with the disease. Further the philosophy of geriatric primary care, with a strong focus on quality of life over quantity, and minimizing polypharmacy, greatly appealed to me. I proceeded to do geropsychiatry for my psychiatry rotation and another month of geriatrics in fourth year of medical school, finding that after nearly three months of dedicated time in geriatrics my passion had only grown stronger. Hence I knew entering residency where my path lay, a primary care focused route with a fellowship in geriatrics. It has been a difficult yet easy decision, as it feels like every experience in my life has lead to my projected career path, yet I also have found I truly love each rotation I have been on in medical school and residency, so I also have seen that my future could have had so many other potential paths. I look at this as an affirmation that I am doing what I truly have been called to do in life. “ “If there is a sacrifice involved, I guess it would be the sacrifice of time in the pursuit of medicine. I made a choice in undergraduate to not start trying to establish a family until I had first established myself in the world, knowing the commitment and dedication that medical school and residency would take. Much of my time these past 5 and a half years have been spent either at work or preparing for work the next day, as it really is in medical school and residency where you must gain the knowledge necessary to be a successful physician. It only is a sacrifice in that it meant delaying a large part of my life, but if I had it to do over again I’d do it all the same. I truly love medicine, and am so happy to go to work every day. I’ve found what I am meant to do in life and wouldn’t change anything.”

Vote for Ian here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Katie Murray

University of Kansas – Kansas City, KS

Dr. Murray went to medical school at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Katie’s realization that her leadership can transform people’s lives made her medical school experience memorable.

“I believe that I am a leader that can pass on my motivation and skills to others. I feel that I can see good and true passion in others and use my leadership strength to bring this out. I want to make a difference in lives; not just my patients but in all those who surround me daily (students, other physicians, nurses, all hospital employees) and believe that medicine is my ticket in making a connection with so many individuals and imprinting those lives.

Dr. Murray enjoys taking care of patients from all walks of life, which is something seen on a daily basis in urology. Katie says

“It is great getting to know my patients and learning about their life and being a part of major life events for them. The operations and diseases that we treat are truly life changing. It is great to be there for them and and help them through the emotional and physical changes that often occur.”

The specialty of urology lends itself through very intimate and private conversations. People share with their urologist things they don’t share with their spouse. Katie has the ability to be a confidant for her patients and wins their trust immediately. She then backs that up with the an immense level of judgment and a deliberate execution of surgical skill. Katie has made a strong commitment to building a career in treating urological malignancies. After her residency, she will be going on to a very rigorous and competitive urologic oncology fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Katie’s choice to pursue medicine stems from a sincerity which most physicians learn after many years of practice – the very simple and pure feeling that the patient is priority. That ownership; the realization that the patient is depending on your clinical judgment, your research experience, your surgical skill, your ability to bring expert opinion and consensus, that yearning that something more can be done, that anxiety that something has been missed – this is what drives Katie. And that she takes this challenge head on with full responsibility motivates her. She knows that she can make a difference and she demands that all around her put forth the effort. Katie’s role model in life is her aunt. Her aunt is a nurse. Her greatest motivation, according to her, is not one incident but the tirelessness and sustainability by which she improves the lives of others, at work and home. Katie says

“I truly feel that medicine is exactly where I belong. I consider medicine (and urology) my hobby. I would think it would be a sacrifice to my personal satisfaction and happiness if I didn’t get to spend my days and life taking care of others and being amongst other health care providers who feel exactly the same way. This is probably not the right answer, but don’t think I have sacrificed anything.”

Katie is very humble to think she has not sacrificed much, but she is sincere when she says she doesn’t feel like her hard-work, effort, and sleepless nights are sacrifice. Her commitment is very strong and comes from an inner discovery and peace which most physicians take a career to recognize, if ever. Vote for Katie here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Lily Daniali

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery/ Newark, NJ – Montclair, NJ

Dr. Daniali attended University of Washington School of Medicine. This particular school trains the doctors for 5 states (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana & Idaho). Her medical school rotations ranged from learning how to care for critically ill patients in the burn ICU, ORs, and trauma bay of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, to spending 6 months of her outpatient rotations in Sandpoint, Idaho for a rural medicine experience, and to flying in a small commuter plane from Billings, Montana to North Dakota on her neurology rotation with attendings to staff small outreach clinics in North Dakota. Being able to witness and treat a variety of illnesses in a very diverse population made this medical school most memorable for Dr. Daniali. Plastic & reconstructive surgery was the perfect match for Dr. Daniali because it fit her creative personality and let her individualize the treatment plan for each of her patients. Dr. Daniali wanted a field where she could have an enormous impact and chance to return normalcy back to a patient’s life after a devastating injury or after being born with a deforming birth defect. To Dr. Daniali practicing medicine, specifically plastic & reconstructive surgery, is the ultimate fusion of scientific knowledge, artistry, and humanity. It is obvious that everyday when she enters the hospital, she is excited to go see each of her patients and then go to the operating room. The greatest motivation for Dr Daniali to enter medicine was her experience with a serious illness as a child. According to Lily,  she remembered needing her pediatrician more than her own mother when she was sick, and that feeling of profound gratitude and respect toward her doctor made a huge, lasting impression. When Dr. Daniali is finished with her training it will total 7 years post-graduate training after medical school. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. To complete this marathon one needs both internal & external motivation: internally she is driven by the desire to do the very best for her patients; externally each time she helps a wounds heal, see a deformity corrected in the operating room, and open the exam room door to her patient smiling she is reaffirmed that she is on the right track. Dr. Daniali is an extremely humble and caring individual. She feels that while there have been sacrifices, she is incredibly lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to be the person that patients put their trust in when they are the most vulnerable. That responsibility really is an honor to her and it is evident that she puts patient’s needs way ahead of her own. Vote for Lily here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Octaviano (OJ) Espinosa

Naval Medical Center San Diego – San Diego, CA

Dr. OJ Espinosa graduated from medical school in 2008 at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School at the age of 38. Beside having to keep up with his much younger classmates, OJ’s first child was born one week before his first day of school. OJ describes his son Bridger as a wonderful, but very colicky baby! OJ distinctly remembers that Bridger did not sleep through the night until Halloween of his first year. Those first several examinations in medical school were difficult, but OJ persevered. Dr. Espinosa started his residency career as an intern in General Surgery. He quickly realized he was not in the right place. His heart and bedside manner belonged with obstetrics and gynecology. In fact, in looking back, the first surgery he remembers watching was a cesarean section performed by his father, a general physician, in Nicaragua. OJ was only 6 years old. It seems he was truly destined to be an Ob/Gyn. Prior to entering the medical field, Dr. Espinosa was an infantry officer in the Marine Corps. He had aspirations for medicine as a child, but initially opted to pursue a military career. At one point, his father became ill and needed cardiac surgery. While home, the surgeon who took care of his father asked if OJ was interested in observing in the operating room. This experience motivated OJ to change the path of his life. He realized what amazing work could be done as a physician and surgeon. He began making plans to pursue his own medical career thanks to the man who saved his father’s life. Dr. Espinosa was selected for Major (O-4) in the Marine Corps when he decided to pursue his dream and apply to medical school. He had a very promising career in the Marine Corps. Ultimately, he was honorably discharged and went back to school for post baccalaureate studies and earned a Masters Degree in Biomedical Sciences. He was then awarded the Health Professions Scholarship and was REDUCED to the rank of Ensign (O-1) in order to start his career in the Navy. He went on to attend medical school at Rutgers. By then, he had started a family of his own and sacrificed a great deal of time with them to pursue his degree and complete his residency training. Vote for Octaviano here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

 

Kanani Titchen

Jefferson/AI duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE – Philadelphia, PA

Kanani is a nontraditional resident in the sense that she had a career (acting) before attending medical school a bit later in life. Since her third year of medical school at Jefferson Medical College, she has developed and grow tremendously. She is also President of  American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)! Medical School was memorable for Kanani because she was able to learn a tremendous amount about herself in terms of the things for which she is truly passionate. Medical school also offered her the knowledge to start to work on different projects. She is currently working to educate medical professionals about the global problem of human trafficking. Kanani is passionate about helping people who cannot advocate for themselves; pediatrics is therefore a natural fit for her. She works tirelessly to help make the world a bit better. As president of the American Medical Women’s Association, she works to help advance the cause of women’s health and women’s health providers. Jefferson/AI duPont Hospital for Children's residency program is a great fit for Kanani because it offers a busy, full-service children’s hospital in an environment that feels like a family. Kanani has been able to work closely with numerous faculty members, on a number of projects, including her ambitious project to educate healthcare providers nationwide about the problem of human trafficking. Kanani wants to make the world a better place and works tirelessly to do so. Her inspiration for committing to a career in medicine was the death of her father. She saw firsthand how his doctors took care of him throughout his life and helped his family through the difficult events surrounding his death. Kanani left a satisfying career in acting to pursue her dream to be a physician. Not only is returning to medical school difficult from the perspective of returning to formal studying, but this decision greatly impacted her husband as well. When many of her colleagues were setting into leadership roles in their respective careers, she was starting all over (at an older age no less while incurring significant debt). Vote for Kanani here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.

Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life.  We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare,  how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future.  This award is our way of recognizing that courage.

We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:

Tiago Miguel

New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center – New York, NY

Tiago Miguel graduated from the New York University School of Medicine. As a medical student there, Tiago had the unique opportunity to rotate in neighboring Bellevue Hospital; Tiago did his internal medicine clerkship at Bellevue hospital in his third year of medical school. In Tiago’s personal statement, he described that by the end of his second week of his clerkship, he had been wholeheartedly convinced that the field was a mutually perfect match. One component of internal medicine at Bellevue that complemented his passion for medicine was the autonomy it afforded students and residents to formulate their own preliminary assessments and plans before a unified approach was devised. Tiago described how this freedom to think critically and work independently catalyzed his growth as a clinician and passion for internal medicine by allowing him to see and understand the field through my own thoughts and experiences. Yet despite the amount of autonomy granted, the group mentality was not lost, as he was able to function as a critical member of a cohesive treatment team. Whether by drawing and interpreting an arterial blood gas sample, surveying the literature, or providing his overall clinical impression, Tiago’s suggestions and observations shaped the care his team delivered on multiple occasions. He attributes these small, but fortunate achievements to the independence he was given at Bellevue Hospital. In Tiago’s personal statement, he described that his decision to pursue internal medicine was compelled by his care for one particularly ill 31-year-old woman with a prior diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. He had the opportunity to care for her from the initial ER transfer for mild dsypnea, until her transfer to the MICU and final diagnosis of invasive Aspergillosis. Her case was an ideal representation of what drew Tiago to internal medicine. He was awed by the disease progression and intensely engaged in the constant evolution of their differential diagnosis and therapeutic approach, all while communicating his empathy and maintaining close contact with the patient countless times a day. A particularly meaningful incident in Tiago's education occurred during his work as an emergency medical technician  due to its emotional burden and impact on his path to medicine. Tiago received an emergency call and, when he was partnered with a rookie paramedic, he knew he would have to lead with great assertion if the team was to give the 24-year-old gunshot victim a real chance at survival. With sirens wailing and the police radio chatter at its peak, Tiago performed the initial patient assessment, delegated necessary tasks to the responding firefighters, communicated the patient’s clinical status to the ER, all while assisting his partner with providing advanced life support. Although their efforts ultimately proved futile, the day’s events helped foster several important personal realizations. First, he recognized a desire to provide long term, definitive, and more enduring medical care that would allow him to diagnose, to treat, and alter the course of disease and injury. Second, he realized a longing for the opportunity to develop significant, lasting therapeutic relationships by explaining disease, quelling fears, or consoling loved ones to ensure that his career would go beyond making the diagnosis or creating a treatment plan. Tiago worked through medical school as an emergency medical technician. In addition to keeping up with the demanding pre-clinical matriculum with ease (demonstrated by his superb performance on Step 1 of the USMLE), and serving as a research fellow with the Hunter College Summer Honors Research Fellowship Program, Tiago continued to serve as an emergency medical technician with graduated levels of responsibility. His commitment to patient care and clinical experience meant that he he went out of his way to manage additional responsibilities in addition to his rigorous medical school responsibilities. Vote for Tiago here. If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized, please nominate your candidate here.