Angelica Marrero, M.D.
Class of 2023
Dermatology research fellow
Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research
Aventura, FL
Dr. Angelica Marrero started a dermatology research fellowship at the Center for Clinical and Cosmetic Research, affiliated with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida in July 2024. She is working with her mentors Dr. Brian Berman and Dr. Mark Nestor. She recently published research articles on a medication's adverse effects and a rare disease case. Dr. Marrero emphasizes that dermatology is not just about cosmetic procedures, but also encompasses oncology, autoimmune diseases, pathology, histology, and surgical procedures. She advises students interested in dermatology to gain experience through elective rotations and publishing research. Dr. Marrero chose UMHS because of the opportunity to rotate in different areas of the United States and the option to do residency in Puerto Rico. She thanks her mother for her support and credits her undergraduate research in oncology for sparking her interest in medicine. Dr. Marrero will be doing “away” rotations in dermatology in Florida and hopes to pursue hands-on patient work after completing her research fellowship.
"When I learned about UMHS, I actually met with one of the owners of UMHS and this was in the beginning of the development of UMHS. And she was so welcoming. She was so beautiful in her approach to how they can help us and what a small class size it is and how the professors are so welcoming towards their students and we're not just a number. I think that was really the main thing that made me want to go into UMHS is the fact that the professors would care for you, the owners would care for you, everybody would care for you. And it's been actually proven through my approach and a lot of my classmates as well, UMHS genuinely cares about their students. So, it was a great experience overall."
Read more about Dr. Marrero’s journey in her interview with UMHS.
Zachary Vandeveer, M.D.
Class of 2023
Interventional radiology resident
Spectrum Health
Grand Rapids, MI
2023 Residency Match and Class of 2023 graduate Dr. Zachary Vandeveer started an interventional radiology residency in the summer of 2023 at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Vandeveer was valedictorian of the Class of 2023 and was also active in AMSA and various student organizations at UMHS. He is the first-ever UMHS graduate to Match into interventional radiology.
“In order to be a great interventional radiologist, you have to be a great diagnostic radiologist,” Dr. Vandeveer said. “So, they go hand in hand. But, the interventional side has a lot more intervention; procedures, injections, and more. What really interested me was that it's the most technologically advanced field in medicine. In IR you can kill cancer, stop bleeding, and provide concentrated radiation treatment all while using image guidance as a road map. In summary, Interventional Radiology is advanced image-guided minimally invasive surgery via a variety of different techniques. Allowing care to be customized to each patient and for each procedure.”
He credits UMHS for his success.
“UMHS is probably the most unique school in the US and the Caribbean. The administration, especially the president, all the way down through the professors, and the staff are all there to help you succeed. They all want to watch you become a physician and they are there because they love to do it. I would say that is rare in a medical school, to have the president be giving the campus tour and be so involved in each student's success. Especially a president that is so open to suggestions and feedback from the students to better the curriculum of the school. Lastly, one of the best things about UMHS is the students who go there. Every student has a unique path to Caribbean medical school and you quickly learn that these students are incredible people with an amazing story to share.”
Read more about Dr. Vandeveer and how UMHS helped him make his dreams a reality.
Carlos A. Villanueva Soto, M.D,
Class of 2023
Internal medicine resident
University of Puerto Rico
Centro Médico de Puerto Rico, PR
Dr. Carlos A. Villanueva Soto is a UMHS Class of 2023 graduate and started an internal medicine residency at the University of Puerto Rico in Centro Médico de Puerto Rico, PR in summer 2023. Dr. Villanueva Soto is one the most prominent UMHS students from Puerto Rico and worked as a UMHS Media Ambassador for many years. Dr. Villanueva Soto also did a huge amount of volunteer work in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit back in 2017. In fact, the impact of Hurricane Maria was actually part of the reason he applied to UMHS in the first place because he did not want to wait around trying to get into another medical school. He was thrilled to go to his native island to work in internal medicine because of the great demand for doctors in Puerto Rico. “There is currently a shortage of specialists,” he said. “There is a massive exodus of physicians moving out of Puerto Rico and moving to the mainland, with one of the reasons being the current situation we have of insurance companies taking over everything that we care about, which is making sure our patients get proper healthcare. I feel that my decision to stay in Puerto Rico is the most correct decision that I could ever make.”
Dr. Villanueva Soto said UMHS is the best choice for prospective medical students from Puerto Rico.
“I feel that UMHS is a current viable choice for prospective students in Puerto Rico. From my experience in most of the hospitals that I set foot in, not only in the United States but mainly in Puerto Rico, UMHS already has an amazing standing and we have set the bar to what is expected of a high-performing medical student. So, attendings and residents speak highly of the quality of the UMHS students. To me, that shows that UMHS is doing things right.”
Read more about Dr. Villanueva Soto in our blog.
Tess McClenahan, M.D.
Class of 2023
Anesthesiology resident
Baystate Medical Center
Springfield, MA
Dr. Tess McClenahan started her residency in anesthesiology at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts in summer 2024. She said that her interest in anesthesiology was influenced by her father, who was a nurse anesthetist. Dr. McClenahan describes a typical day for an anesthesiologist, which involves preparing the operating room, reviewing patient histories, administering medications, and monitoring patients during surgery. She emphasizes that anesthesiology is not just about putting patients to sleep, but also involves continuous monitoring and providing compassionate care. Dr. McClenahan believes that anesthesiology is a competitive field because of its autonomy, variety of procedures, and good work-life balance. She also mentions the importance of networking and achieving high step scores for success in the field. Dr. McClenahan chose UMHS because of the positive experiences shared by alumni, and she encourages current and prospective students to make the most of their time in medical school and to network. She plans to continue in anesthesiology after residency and is interested in practicing in a rural setting. While a student at UMHS, Dr. McClenahan worked for the UMHS Marketing Department as a Media Ambassador, sharing student content on social media about St. Kitts and the UMHS experience.
Why did she choose UMHS over other medical schools?
“I had first applied to some US MD and DO schools. And while I had some interviews through those avenues, I had a little bit of a non-traditional path into med school. I was at the point in my life where I knew for certain that med school was something that I wanted to do and I wasn't going to stop until I got to the end goal. And so when I applied to UMHS, I had gone to a couple of their prospective webinars and actually one of the student alumni speakers was Dr. Mikayla Troughton, who is a practicing anesthesiologist now. And so just listening to her experience and shed some light on UMHS, it was something that I just felt really strongly to apply to and I have no regrets. I applied a few months before I started and there was no waiting game with it, and I was like, like I said, this is what I wanted to do and I wanted to get started as soon as I could.”
Read more of her interview in the UMHS Endeavour.
Andrieu Aguinaldo, M.D.
Class of 2022
Internal Medicine resident
Prime West Consortium, West Anaheim Medical Center
Anaheim, CA
Dr. Andrieu Aguinaldo started an internal medicine residency at Prime West Consortium, West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, California. Born and raised in California, Dr. Aguinaldo is pleased to be returning to his home state for residency. He graduated in 2022 and took a year off before Match to work as a Clinical Research Coordinator in Lomita, California. "I had the opportunity to work on more than 15 Clinical Trials that focused on significant analysis on cutting-edge treatment for a variety of diseases, ranging from COVID-19 to Eosinophilic Duodenitis"—which is a rare condition causing inflammation throughout the digestive system,” he said.
Read more about Dr. Andrieu Aguinaldo's internal medicine residency in CA.
Jared Sharza, M.D.
Class of 2022
Emergency Medicine resident
McLaren Macombe Hospital
Mt. Clemens, MI
Dr. Jared Sharza is from Canandaigua, New York and started an Emergency Medicine residency at McLaren Macombe Hospital in Michigan in summer 2022.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he did a lot of frontline and EMS work. “I feel like a lot of the times people just think that Emergency Medicine is a lot of heart attacks,” he said. “It's a lot of immediate treatment, but Emergency Medicine is the stabilization. It's the triaging. And it's the treatment of different patients that come into the hospital. It can be from lifesaving measures, to non-acute measures, with patients coming in just for minor complaints. And from there, they're either discharged to go home or they're admitted into the hospital for further workups, evaluations, or procedures by other teams. In that sense, emergency medicine is the frontline of the hospital for different resources. Emergency medicine—on top of my experience having been a medic for just eight years now—I really enjoy the fast-paced environment. I enjoy the variety that comes into the department. I like how I can go from one case to another and it can be something mild to mild, or mild to severe, and that kind of environment I really do thrive in. It's just about anything and everything. And I also do enjoy some procedures as well. Emergency medicine allows me to really do all of those different things.”
Blog: Dr. Jared Sharza on Emergency Medicine residency in MI
Nisha Hollingsworth, M.D.
Class of 2021
Neurology resident
West Virginia University School of Medicine
Morgantown, WV
UMHS Class of 2021 grad Nisha Hollingsworth, MD LNHA transferred to UMHS from another Caribbean medical school and said “it was the best decision I ever made,” especially because of the outstanding clinical rotations. Dr. Hollingsworth was still working as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, managing a 109-bed skilled nursing facility with a COVID-19 unit, but in summer 2021 she started a Neurology residency at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Dr. Hollingsworth is originally from Barbados, West Indies. Her parents immigrated to New York when she was three years old. She grew up in both New York and South Texas but called South Florida home before starting residency in West Virginia.
She had been working as a licensed Nursing Home Administrator at a skilled nursing facility. Her experience in this field helped foster an interest in Neurology, ultimately leading to obtaining a residency in this area of medicine. “My love of neurology definitely stemmed from my time spent in skilled nursing facilities,” she said. “While I was not directly involved with patient care, I was still very involved with patients and families. Everyone that comes into a SNF [Skilled Nursing Facility], even those with the same diagnoses, [are] all different. I have seen maladies that others would only read about in textbooks. I’ve seen every type of dementia and movement disorder there is, from Alzheimer’s to Korsakoff to Huntington’s and Hemiballismus. Seeing the disease progression and treatment, it is always fascinating and once I learned that neurologists were the ones helping to diagnose and treat these conditions, that was it for me; I knew it’s what I wanted to do. Neurology gives me the ability to stay in long-term care and geriatrics and, at the same time, be a part of an ever-evolving field of medicine.”
Read more about Dr. Nisha Hollingsworth's Neurology residency in West Virginia
Brian Hernández-Colón, M.D.
Class of 2020
OB/GYN Chief Resident
St. Luke Episcopal Medical Center
Ponce, PR
Dr. Brian Hernández-Colón started a residency in the summer of 2020 at St. Luke Episcopal Medical Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico. “This residency was my first choice because I have witnessed how well the residents work together as a team and I like that the attendings take their time to teach,” he said.
He first became interested in OB-GYN when he took an Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship as his first rotation at UMHS. “The day I witnessed my first delivery, I told my wife that I wanted to become an OB-GYN,” he said. “I was drawn to its variation between surgery, hands-on procedures, primary care and the excitement and joyfulness that can come from obstetrics. This is a specialty where you really connect with patients by developing genuine relationships at crucial life milestones. The rest of my core rotations only solidified the fact that it was truly what I wanted to become.” Many aspects of the specialty interest him. “By the time I was rotating in Maternal Fetal Medicine, I was convinced this is what I am supposed to do. I loved learning about the intricate fetal anatomy and the art of interpreting a fetal sonogram. The importance of discovering predictable factors for diseases and searching for red flags as a form of prevention complement my problem-solving personality. I am intrigued by how we can intervene and possibly change the prognosis of that little human’s life from that moment on. I appreciate not only women’s health but also the baby’s health. Obstetrics and its rewarding moments gave me the reassurance I needed to choose this medical career.”
Read more about Dr. Hernández-Colón’s road to residency success in the UMHS Endeavour blog.
Bahaa Elzein, M.D.
Class of 2020
Internal Medicine
Private practice
Detroit, MI
Class of 2020 graduate Dr. Bahaa Elzein is currently in private practice in the metro Detroit area and pursuing Locum Tenens opportunities across the country doing Hospitalist work. He plans open his own Primary Care/Urgent Care Center in the near future.
Dr. Elzein started an internal medicine residency at DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Michigan in summer 2020. He completed the DMC/WSU program in 2023. “The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) is an alliance of hospitals that encompasses over 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees,” he said. “DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital is one of the eight hospitals/institutes composing the Detroit Medical Center. DMC is affiliated with medical schools from Wayne State University and Michigan State University. DMC has one of the largest Graduate Medical Education (GME) in the nation. There are three Internal Medicine residencies affiliated with DMC that take a total of 80 residents per year. Downtown (48 interns), Sinai-Grace (24 interns), and Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital (eight interns).
Being from Detroit, I really wanted to stay home and close to my family.” Dr. Elzein has been a MSUCOM Clinical Faculty Member MSUCOM Clinical Faculty at Michigan State University since January 2023. Clinical faculty at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine entails interest in academic efforts and dedication to teaching and/or research.
Click to read more about Dr. Elzein’s success in his interview with the UMHS Endeavour blog.
Josué Alejandro Ocasio Tapia, M.D.
Class of 2019
Internal Medicine resident
UPR University District Hospital
San Juan, PR
Dr. Josué Alejandro Ocasio Tapia was pleased to learn he was starting an Internal Medicine residency at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) University District Hospital in the summer of 2019. Dr. Ocasio Tapia is among many successful UMHS grads who have matched in their Puerto Rican homeland.
Dr. Ocasio Tapia grew up in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. He admits he did not always want to be a doctor. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting and a minor in management from the University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo campus. During his second year of college, he was hired to work at the Dr. Karl Lang Cardiopulmonary Institute as an administrative assistant. While working there he learned how medicine gives one the privilege and responsibility to help others. “My passion for medicine started to grow,” he said. “Throughout my life, I discovered I had a passion to serve others, since early in adolescence I participated in community activities mainly for the special education department for elementary school in the town of Manatí, as well as visiting nursing homes during Christmas time to bring music, food, supplies and family activities for the residents,” he said.
Many factors convinced Dr. Ocasio Tapia to choose UMHS over other Caribbean medical schools. In addition to the high Step 1 pass rate at UMHS, he found a conference given by Earl Mainer, UMHS Senior Associate Director of Admissions for the Southeast and Puerto Rico, especially informative and inspiring. “When I went to the conference held by Earl in Puerto Rico, I learned about all the resources UMHS offers to help us reach our degree, how they make the moving process and adaptation easier and smoother for us, and the fact that they don’t see you as an MCAT score or GPA; UMHS looks at your potential and passion to become a doctor and put everything in place to guide you throughout the process. This helped me decide on going to UMHS,” he said.
Shane O’Toole, M.D.
Class of 2019
Anesthesiologist
Anesthesia Management Services – McLaren Health Care
Rochester, MI
Class of 2019 UMHS valedictorian Dr. Shane O’Toole is working as an anesthesiologist at Anesthesia Management Services at McLaren Health Care, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the Upper Midwest. Dr. O’Toole completed residency at McLaren. He chose UMHS for many reasons. Dr. O’Toole has been interested in anesthesiology ever since he worked as an endoscopy technician and saw how crucial the role of an anesthesiologist is in a hospital. “A patient may come in for a simple procedure, but the anesthesiologist is the one watching the EKG to monitor the heart, watching the vent to make sure the patient is being properly ventilated, watching the fluid intake and output through the IV and making sure everything else is functioning smoothly throughout the procedure,” he said. “It is really a specialty where you need to account for every organ system and think of the patient as a whole.”
Click here to learn how UMHS helped Dr. O’Toole launch a successful career as a physician.
Laura Tafuri, M.D.
Class of 2019
OB/GYN physician
Southwest Community Health Center Inc.
Bridgeport, CT
Dr. Laura Tafuri is presently an OB-GYN physician at Southwest Community Health Center Inc. in Bridgeport, CT. She has been an active UMHS alumni member and in fall 2022 was part of the panel on the UMHS livestream “Women’s Cancer Awareness: Doctors Discuss Ovarian, Cervical, and Breast Cancer Screening,” along with UMHS 2016 graduate Miriam Bernstein, MPH, MD, and Natalie Osborne, MD, who works at Joseph France General Hospital in St. Kitts.
She started an OB-GYN residency at Bridgeport Hospital (affiliated with Yale University) in Connecticut in the summer of 2019. It is truly a case of coming full circle. “I was actually born at Yale in New Haven, so I think it’s funny that now I am a resident in the Yale system,” she said.
Dr. Tafuri has wanted to become a doctor for as long as she can remember because for her, medicine is a family affair. Her dad is a Family Medicine physician and her mother was an ICU nurse while Dr. Tafuri was growing up. “So, there was no shortage of medical talk at the dinner table and I loved it.” Through the outstanding connections she made while in clinical rotations at UMHS, Dr. Tafuri ended up getting an OB-GYN residency at Bridgeport Hospital Yale New Haven Health.
Learn more about this gifted young doctor’s story in our official university blog.
Youtube: Women’s Cancer Awareness: Doctors Discuss Ovarian, Cervical, and Breast Cancer Screening
Jasmine Rivas, M.D.
Class of 2018
Family Medicine Physician & Hospitalist
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare & Medi-Call Direct, Inc.
Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Jasmine Rivas completed a family medicine residency at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. She is now a board-certified family medicine physician and hospitalist working in Tallahassee, FL. Dr. Rivas is Hospitalist for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.“I’ve been working as a hospitalist for the last three years now and I love the work that I do,” she said. She is also President of Medi-Call Direct, Inc., a company she founded to help increase patient advocacy and health guidance.
Miami native Dr. Jasmine Rivas always wanted to become a doctor and help others. When it was time to apply to medical schools, she decided to indulge in her love of exploring other cultures by applying to UMHS in St. Kitts.
She was not sure what to expect upon arrival to UMHS, but Dr. Rivas immediately adjusted to the surroundings. “Moving to an island I had never visited before made me more adaptable,” she said. “Also, forming lasting relationships with people from across the globe and learning about various cultures has broadened my perspective. I believe this will always give me a competitive edge.”
“The founder of UMHS, the late Dr. Robert Ross, and current President Warren Ross, both had extensive experience and success in leading medical students to successful careers in medicine. UMHS offers very competitive tuition and an excellent education. Also, St. Kitts is a beautiful island and who wouldn’t want to spend 16 to 20 months with ocean views from campus and home.”
Learn more about this incredible young doctor’s story in our official university blog.
Brian Gonzalez Sanabia, M.D.
Class of 2018
Internal Medicine resident
Hospital Episcopal San Lucas
Ponce, PR
Dr. Brian Gonzalez Sanabia grew up in Moca, a town on the west side of Puerto Rico. At the age of 13, he worked as a lifeguard during the summer. It was while working on the sunny shores of Puerto Rico that he first learned how much he enjoyed helping others, especially those in need of medical attention. As a lifeguard he had the opportunity to save several people’s lives through resuscitation. It was at that moment that he knew he wanted to become a physician. “When I was introduced to the field of medicine by one of my best friends, I fell utterly and profoundly in love with the idea of becoming a physician, and that I would have the opportunity to serve the community while also pursuing my passion for science,” he said.
After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez with a biology degree, he visited six different Caribbean medical schools, but UMHS in St. Kitts stood out from the others. UMHS provided a personal approach that others had not. He was especially impressed by the “attention and availability” of the admissions officers. He was especially interested in UMHS because he could return to Puerto Rico for his clinical program. This was a big plus for him since his wife and kids are in Puerto Rico.
He is one of many UMHS graduates who have returned to Puerto Rico (where he will complete his residency). He is now in a position to help bring desperately needed medical care to the island after Hurricane Maria. “UMHS puts students first and are dedicated to your success. Professors are very approachable and eager to teach. Basic sciences are very comprehensive and prepare you well for USMLE Step 1. From the first day, the professor steers you towards unlocking your highest potential. This was key to obtaining my desired scores and eventually being competitive enough for the match.”
Read more about Dr. Gonzalez Sanabia’s journey to becoming an M.D. in the UMHS Endeavour.
Arjun S. Kanwal, M.D.
Class of 2018
Cardiology Fellow
New York Medical College
New York, NY
Dr. Kanwal, a native of Potomac, Maryland, received his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Maryland. He decided to go the Caribbean route for medical school. He admits that, when he interviewed at UMHS, he did not know what to expect.
“At the interview, I was swayed,” he said. “I ended up talking to Ryan Ross [longtime UMHS admissions representative and Director of Marketing] for two hours about everything from University of Maryland–we both went there–to UMHS. I figured if someone high up has the time to talk to a prospective student for hours on end, the school must care about taking the time to get to know each student. My main concern about the Caribbean was the huge class sizes and high weed-out rates. My talk with Ryan helped to combat that concern.”
“The faculty in St. Kitts are among the best professors I’ve ever had and I don’t think I would be where I am without them. They really went above and beyond to make sure we learned the material for Step 1.”
Discover more about Dr. Kanwal and how UMHS helped him every step of the way through medical school by reading his interview in our blog.
Obteene Azimi-Ghomi, M.D.
Class of 2018
Trauma/Surgical Critical Care Fellow
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX
Class of 2018 valedictorian Dr. Obteene Azimi-Ghomi is currently a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care Fellow at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX.
Dr. Azimi-Ghomi, a Maryland native, wanted to become a doctor ever since he was eight, when his uncle gave him a copy of Netter’s Atlas of Human Anatomy. He credits UMHS for giving him all the necessary tools to successfully obtain a residency. “I absolutely believe that attending UMHS and the experiences I had there gave me several advantages going into residency.”
It was during the clinical program that Dr. Azimi-Ghomi realized he wanted to focus on becoming a surgeon after medical school. “Many times, during my surgical clerkships, we were medically managing patients on the ward, trying all that we can do to not only avoid having to perform surgery, but also medically optimize the patient and their pre-existing conditions,” he said.
“Half of surgery is knowing when and when not to operate. A good surgeon never cuts unless when absolutely necessary. And when we do operate, it is an art. Every incision and stitch is performed diligently and intentionally. I can’t express in words the feeling of going in to see a patient who is acutely ill, identifying the pertinent anatomy as well as the pathology or disease, knowing how to approach and treat the disease, and observing the dramatic improvement in their health.”
Read his full interview to learn more about how UMHS helped Dr. Azimi-Ghomi make his dream of becoming a physician reality and making a difference.
Nick Kessener, M.D.
Class of 2017
Pediatrics resident
Illinois St. Francis Medical Center
Peoria, IL
Dr. Nick Kessener applied to several Caribbean medical schools and was accepted by all, but it was the personalized, polite attention he received at UMHS that helped him decide to start his medical journey at the state-of-the-art campus in St. Kitts. He also liked the fact that UMHS has affordable tuition and is run by the Ross family, with their years of experience helping IMGs from the U.S. and Canada achieve countless goals in the Caribbean and later back in North America.
Dr. Kessener had a strong medical background before attending med school. He previously worked in Nuclear Medicine doing stress tests for a cardiology group in Colorado before he decided to go for his M.D. He starts his residency in summer 2017 in the combined Medicine/Pediatrics program at the University of Illinois St. Francis Medical Center, and part of his time at Children’s Hospital of Illinois, south of Chicago. Besides landing such a prestigious residency, Dr. Kessener says he’s pleased that finally he, his wife and children will all be able to live in the same place for at least four years. The UMHS Endeavour caught up with this busy young doctor to talk about his experiences at UMHS, his advice for med students going through the Match process, his goals for residency, and more.
“My study at UMHS helped prepare me well for the matching process in terms of further development of interpersonal skills. With the diversity found at UMHS both in its student body and in clinical rotations, you get to work with many people from many different backgrounds.”
Just click here to read in the UMHS Endeavour blog how UMHS helped Nick become a doctor.
Sarhad Najor, M.D.
Class of 2017
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics resident
Hurley Medical Center
Flint, MI
Dr. Sarhad Najor started his residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan this summer. It has been a long road to residency indeed for Dr. Najor, who spent the past 17 years in Michigan but was born in Iraq.
We caught up with this young doctor to talk about why he found the small class sizes at UMHS helpful and his confidence in the Ross family’s excellent track record in medical education. We also discussed why he decided on a Med/Peds residency, his tips for making the most out of the Match process, and why he feels the time he spent at UMHS constituted the “best four years” of his life.
“Because of Dr. Ross and Mr. Warren Ross’ background, I had great faith in attending UMHS. I knew they would move this medical school to the correct path based on their history with molding great medical schools.”
Nichole Zuccarini, M.D.
Class of 2017
Critical Care Physician
HCA Florida Ocala Hospital
Ocala, FL
Dr. Nichole Zuccarini’s interest in medicine started out with majoring in medical technology at Michigan State University and receiving a Bachelor’s of Science. She spent time after graduation working in a lab and in marketing and sales. She eventually wanted to become a doctor and chose UMHS because of the state-of-the-art facilities at the St. Kitts campus. She matched in Internal Medicine at the Detroit Medical Center Sinai-Grace Hospital in Michigan after doing an additional rotation there in late 2016. She is especially excited about her residency because she’ll be working with patients who have not had Primary Care before.
“I went to UMHS because of their extended basic sciences program and awesome school facilities in St. Kitts. As a result of a reduced course load in the basic science program, I was able to excel academically.”
Elizabeth Nielsen, M.D.
Class of 2016
Pulmonary/Critical Care Physician
ProCare Health
Waukesha County, WI
UMHS graduate Dr. Elizabeth Nielsen starts her Internal Medicine residency at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine and Affiliated Hospitals in summer 2016. It’s the result of lots of hard work for the Normal, Illinois native.
The state-of-the-art facilities at UMHS and the outstanding faculty made her education particularly memorable.
“I felt that UMHS was very clean, with great facilities, and welcoming when I came to visit the island several months before I started. I was most impressed with the ventilation and technology in the anatomy lab. It was also great to know that the professors were pretty easily accessible during office hours.”
Miriam Bernstein, M.D.
Class of 2016
OB/GYN Attending Physician
Upstate University Hospital at Community General
Syracuse, NY
UMHS graduate Dr. Miriam Bernstein wanted to be a doctor ever since she watched a TV series at age nine. Now, the New York State native’s dream has come true and she has landed an OB/GYN residency at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Attending UMHS helped Dr. Bernstein achieve that dream. “The school's reputation and the natural beauty of St. Kitts weighed into my decision that it was a good fit for my goals. I also was attracted to the aspect of being a part of a newer school. I felt it would give me more of a chance to personalize my experience and be treated as an individual and not a number like at some larger schools.”
“The professors on St. Kitts challenged me both personally and academically. Island life helped me become less rigid, more relaxed and allowed me to meet people from all over, including some that I now consider family. I was also fortunate enough to have an amazing set of preceptors in my clinical education that truly wanted to teach and share their knowledge as well as to push me to become a better doctor.”
Dr. Bernstein says her experience at UMHS was invaluable. Read why in her UMHS Endeavour blog interview. Just click here for the full story.
Aaron Vazquez, M.D.
Class of 2015
Medical Director of Behavioral Health
Intermountain Healthcare
St. George, UT
Aaron Vazquez, MD, MBA, has been Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Intermountain Healthcare in St. George, UT since October 2020. He completed his residency in Psychiatry at Case Western University/University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. He has participated in two UMHS livestreams, including “Suicide Prevention and the State of Psychiatry” with fellow UMHS grad Dr. Harki Kaur and “Non-Traditional Medical Student Livestream: A Student’s Perspective” with UMHS grad Dr. M. Papus Keita and UMHS student Evelyn Brewster.
Dr. Vazquez is a strong advocate of getting published while still in medical school. Dr. Vazquez was one of the co-authors of an eating disorders study published in Psychotherapy Research in 2013, “Effects Of Providing Patient Progress Feedback And Clinical Support Tools To Psychotherapists In An Inpatient Eating Disorders Treatment Program: A Randomized Controlled Study.”
Dr. Vazquez admits he prefers “listening over speaking.” He told the UMHS Endeavour two years ago that he became interested in psychology and psychiatry because he has always been fascinated by human behavior.
Click here for the full interview with Aaron in the UMHS Endeavour.
Christine Marshall, M.D.
Class of 2015
Family Medicine Physician
Specializing in weight loss & obesity management
Pippen Health
Greater Philadelphia, PA
UMHS 2015 graduate Christine Marshall, MD, MBA (née Fetterolf), is a family medicine physician who specializes in obesity medicine and weight management and works for Pippen Health in Greater Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Marshall is from Royersford, PA. She decided to become a doctor after seeing her parents, who are both deaf, struggle to understand their own health issues because of miscommunications with healthcare providers. She was determined to one day change the way deaf families experience healthcare by improving deaf cultural awareness in healthcare and eliminating the need for sign-language interpreters for her own patients. She says she always had an interest in how the human body works growing up and now, after years of hard work, she has made her dream of becoming a doctor a reality.
In the summer of 2015, Dr. Marshall started a Family Medicine residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA and hoped to make a difference advocating for cultural competency in healthcare, particularly in the area of disabilities. Dr. Marshall was a panelist on a UMHS livestream in 2022 about treating deaf patients, "Closing the Deaf Gap: Giving a Voice to Deaf Patients." Dr. Marshall published an article, "Tips for Treating Deaf Patients," in the September 15, 2020 issue of Physicians Practice magazine. "Growing up with deaf parents, I was able to experience firsthand what medical care was like for the deaf community," she wrote.
When Dr. Marshall was a UMHS student and throughout her clinical rotations, she wrote many posts on her blog, Chrissy MD: My Experiences as a Caribbean Medical Student (published before she graduated), about her studies, clinical rotations, and the residency Match process. She also answered many questions from prospective students curious about UMHS and life in St. Kitts.
Contact Information: cfett25@gmail.com
Kristin Biggie, M.D.
Class of 2015
Pediatrics physician
Taslimi and Mirza
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dr. Kristin Biggie started her residency in Pediatrics at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida in summer 2015.
The South Florida native says she is thrilled to be in her home state, allowing her to be close to family and friends. She will also serve fellow Floridians. We caught up with Dr. Biggie to discuss Pediatrics, her clinical rotations, advice on the match process, the advantages and disadvantages of being a Caribbean medical student, her goals for residency, and how UMHS faculty and staff helped her during her medical education.
"UMHS invests a lot of time and money in ensuring good step 1 scores for their students. This is a gift that all students should utilize. Exhaust your step 1 resources because a strong step 1 score will set you apart as a residency candidate...
...There are many superb clinical rotations at UMHS. It is up to the student to seize the rotations that will work best in their future. If pediatrics is in your future, Sinai Hospital in Baltimore is the place to be."
How did UMHS help her on the road to residency? Click here to read Dr. Biggie's interview with the UMHS Endeavour.
Alessandra Secco, M.D.
Class of 2014
Infectious Disease physician
Metro Infectious Disease Consultants
Niles, IL
Dr. Alessandra Secco first became interested in medicine when her grandfather became ill with cancer. She enjoyed being at his bedside but wanted to do more to help him and to understand and treat his illness.
Dr. Secco graduated from UMHS in June 2014 and immediately started her Internal Medicine Residency at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. She was pleased with the clinical rotations at major U.S. hospitals offered by UMHS, allowing her to work directly with patients in areas where health care is desperately needed.
"I was extremely prepared for my boards and especially so after our Kaplan review course during our 5th semester. I also felt confident with patient interaction and physical exam techniques due to our excellent preparation during our 4th and 5th semesters."
Larry McMann, M.D.
Class of 2013
Medical Director/Special Ops
HCA Healthcare/TeamHealth
Suttons Bay, MI
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan, USA
Dr. Larry McMann achieved success at UMHS and finally became a doctor after a long journey that included being erroneously told by an undergraduate advisor that medicine “would not be a good fit” for him, a brief stint working as a dietitian, and later struggling as a medical student at a different school. Dr. McMann persevered and earned his M.D. at UMHS, getting one of the highest scores possible on USMLE Step 2.
“UMHS does a great job of giving you the tools that you need to succeed,” he says. “the motivation of the faculty, the positive attitude; they have real zeal for what they do. They don’t have an attitude like this is their job. They have an attitude like this is their calling.”
Dr. McMann credits the highly credentialed, caring UMHS faculty for his success. “At UMHS, the focus from day one is getting you to understand the material and that can be going to the classroom, you interacting with your professor and them really caring about whether you know the information or not when you leave the class.”
Amrita Amanda Lakraj, M.D.
Class of 2012
Board-Certified Neurologist
Froedtert Hospital & the Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI
While still a UMHS medical student, Dr. Lakraj did neuromuscular research at Yale and published a case report. In addition, as a postdoctoral research associate at Yale, she observed patients and published manuscripts about movement disorders.
Dr. Lakraj also contributed to a chapter for a textbook. We spoke with this accomplished young doctor about how her medical education at UMHS prepared her for neurology, a lifesaving area of medicine.
"UMHS gave me the tools necessary to be successful in the clinical world. The experience molded me into a strong doctor and encouraged me to take on any medical challenge."
Read Dr. Lakraj's amazing story by clicking here.
Charlie Opperman, M.D.
Class of 2012
Family Medicine physician
Simplicity Health Direct Primary Care
Centerville, OH
Dr. Charlie Opperman was worried that his MCAT score might interfere with his chances to get into medical school, but he excelled at UMHS.
The superlative USMLE Step 1 preparation at the Portland, Maine, 5th semester campus and extraordinary clinical rotations were key factors to Dr. Opperman’s success at UMHS, and he’s now an Internal Medicine resident at Kettering Medical Center in his native Ohio.
"The Kaplan course in the 5th semester is extremely helpful and prepared me to sit for the USMLE. It is very intense, focused and extremely important. I absolutely loved the 5th semester which helped me transition seamlessly into the clinical program".
Rahul Gosain, M.D.
Class of 2012
Director of Regional Infusion Services & Medical Director
Wilmot Cancer Institute
Webster, NY
Residency: Internal Medicine at Johns-Hopkins University-Sinai Hospital
Rahul Gosain, MD, MBA, is the Medical Director of WCI in Webster, NY, and the Regional Director of Infusion Services of WCI, overseeing the regional infusion growth to improve patient accessibility.
“So that all our patients can get the best care close to home,” he said. “As a community general medical oncologist and a hematologist, I see and treat patients with various solid tumors and blood cancers. With the Oncology Brothers platform and podcast, my two passions, clinical practice and education, come together. With this platform, we aim to provide perspectives on developments in cancer care and treatments. Our podcast's discussions aim to bridge the gap between academic and community oncology for better cancer care for all our patients close to home.”
Dr. Gosain completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD in 2015. He completed a Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship at the University of Louisville in KY in 2018. He completed an MBA in Healthcare, Technology and Leadership at John Hopkins University-Carey Business school in March 2024.
James Brown, M.D.
Class of 2011
Internal Medicine Chief Resident
Drexel University College of Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Hometown: Forsyth, Georgia, USA
Dr. James Brown has always loved science and helping people. He chose UMHS because he was impressed by the clinical program. UMHS helped him score high on USMLE exams and reach his goals.
“I was very well prepared and have had no trouble with any examinations,” Dr. Brown says.
“Throughout Internal Medicine residency, I have scored in the mid-90 percentiles for my in-service exams for the past three years.”
Dr. Brown credits one UMHS staff member for being especially helpful during clinical rotations. “I loved working with [UMHS Director of Clinical Relations] Maxine Paul. She was always available to discuss any concerns I had. Her genuine interest in the success of her students and the school was always apparent. I can’t believe what she was able to accomplish with my clinical rotations.”
Kristin Miller, M.D.
Class of 2011
Family Medicine physician
Mercy Hospital
Yukon, OK
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Dr. Kristin (née Riggs) Miller was in the very first graduating class at UMHS. The 2011 graduate is currently the President of the UMHS Alumni Association.
Dr. Miller always wanted to be a doctor because she understood science and “knew that could be my gift to other people.” When she started looking at medical schools, the dedication of staff, state-of-the-art campus and high-tech facilities at UMHS impressed her the most, and she knew the school was a good match for her.
She calls the professors “the frontrunners in American medical education, the doctors that write the textbooks.” Dr. Miller adds that knowing how much the school is invested in students’ success gave her an extra sense of security.
“Due to the small class sizes, it was easy to form relationships with the UMHS faculty,” Dr. Miller says. “They all had an open-door policy. I took advantage of that and owe a lot of my success to the dedication of the faculty. A handful of them are still my mentors to this day.”
