The Med School Years

What happens when the patient becomes the medical student, and then sets out to become the surgeon who treated him? Join host Deana Golini as she sits down with Antony Alvarado, a third-year student in the UCLA and Charles R. Drew University Medical Education Program and a two-time survivor of pediatric brain cancer. Antony was diagnosed at nine years old in January 2010, after a week of small hea...

What does it actually take to start medical school two months before your 51st birthday and match into your dream residency at 55? Join host Deana Golini as she sits down with Jen Reinmuth-Birch, a graduating osteopathic medical student at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences and an incoming family medicine resident. Jen walks through a path almost nobody takes. She had been out of scho...

How do you match into one of the most competitive specialties in medicine without losing the person behind the scalpel? Join host Deana Golini as she sits down with Dr. Lindsey Brinkley, a University of Florida College of Medicine graduate and incoming integrated cardiothoracic surgery resident at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Lindsey breaks down what it actually took to land in a fie...

How do you translate a personal family mission into an impactful medical career at two of the country's most prestigious institutions? Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Binisha, a recent graduate of Stanford Medicine and an incoming Internal Medicine resident at Duke University. Binisha details her full-circle return to Durham, pulling back the curtain on how her personal experiences suppor...

Can you maintain a life as an elite endurance athlete while matching into a highly competitive surgical residency? Join host Deana Golini as she sits down with Kian, an Orthopedic Surgery resident at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, to reveal the unfiltered reality of life as a surgical intern. Kian discusses his journey from UNLV to ortho residency, breaking down how his backgroun...

How do you transition from competing on the world stage at the Olympics to matching into an elite medical residency? Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Sam, an MS4 at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, who just matched into her top-choice Anesthesiology program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Sam shares her unique journey as a non-traditional student athlete who spent her gap years bala...

What do wrapping high-end Mustangs and Integrated Plastic Surgery have in common? More than you think. Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Augustine, an upcoming graduate of UT Long School of Medicine and incoming Integrated Plastic Surgery resident at Baylor Scott & White Hospital. Augustine breaks down his unique "aha" moment, explaining how his background in an automotive "auto salon"...

What happens when you enter medical school in a diverse urban center during the peak of a pandemic? You learn to become an observer. Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Julia See, an M4 at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who transitioned from the research-heavy halls of Johns Hopkins to the community-driven wards of Jackson Memorial Hospital. Julia discusses her "late" deci...

What happens when your dream of becoming a doctor is interrupted by a life-threatening diagnosis? Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Ananya Bashyam, an M2 at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, who survived three relapses of leukemia while completing her medical school applications and her first year of training. Ananya pulls back the curtain on the "dark side" of medicine, sharing the vulner...

What do you do when medical school makes you feel disconnected from your purpose? You lean into the "extra" opportunities that others overlook. Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Payal, an M4 at Kansas City University, who transformed her medical education by embracing an OMM Fellowship and a national leadership role with the AAFP. Payal shares the raw reality of her M1 "identity crisis," ho...

What does it really mean to commit to an eight-year training path? Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Chinoso Nwakama, a third-year MD-PhD student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who is currently deep in the research phase of his dual degree. Chinoso (Chino) shares his journey from rural Minnesota to the heart of New York City, explaining how the Flex Grad pipeline program al...

What do you do when your medical school dreams and personal life collide? You master the art of disciplined organization. Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Ashley Abing, an M2 at New York Medical College, who just balanced the academic intensity of second year with her own wedding weekend. Ashley, an alumna of the Brown University Master’s in Medical Sciences, shares how she transitioned fr...

What do you do when medical school tells you "no" twice? You fight harder. Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Sheila "Shay" Solares, an M2 at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, about her three-cycle journey to the white coat. Sheila shares the reality of being a first-generation student navigating a system she didn't fully understand until her third attempt. From...

Is a three-year Internal Medicine residency just a stepping stone, or the foundation of your career? Join host Deana Golini as she interviews Ishan Gupta, an M4 at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, about his hyper-focused path toward a Cardiovascular Fellowship. Ishan shares the blueprint for navigating an osteopathic medical curriculum that included a staggering 120 exams in two years....

Ready to bet on yourself, even when the odds seem impossible? Join hosts Deana and Carlos as they sit down with Paulos Flores, an M2 at UC Davis School of Medicine, whose journey to medicine is anything but typical. Paulos spent nearly a decade as a professional poker player and a long-term caregiver for his mother before deciding to pursue medicine in his 30s. He shares the raw reality of startin...

Ready for the strategic blueprint to matching into a highly competitive surgical specialty? Join hosts Deana and Carlos as they dive deep with Afash Haleem, an M4 at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), who is applying for Otolaryngology (ENT). Afash shares his unique journey as a BS/MD graduate who strategically took a gap year for a research fellowship at Mass Eye and Ear. He reveals how he...

Ready to find your strength and community amidst the competitive demands of medical school? Join hosts Deana and Carlos as they sit down with Deondra Montgomery, an M3 at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSU CHM), about turning cultural shock and academic challenge into focused momentum. Deondra shares the profound emotional pressure of being a Latina/Black, first-generation st...

Welcome to the nineteenth episode of The Med School Years Podcast! We sit down with Kamilla, an M4 at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM), who is gearing up to apply for the incredibly competitive field of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Kamilla shares her unique journey, detailing how she transitioned from a Business and Law background (she realized she "hated tearing d...

Ready to fast-track your medical journey and own your unique story? Join hosts Dina and Carlos as they dive deep with Dr. Alexandra “Ally” Copa—an accelerated third-year psychiatry resident at Jackson Memorial Health System—about turning personal challenges into professional strengths in medicine. Dr. Copa shares how she went from Miss Rhode Island to Brown University, then into a pioneering three...

Welcome to the seventeenth episode of The Med School Years Podcast! We sit down with Nicole Hinz, an M3 at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, to discuss the raw reality of clerkships and the transition from preclinical studies. Nicole shares her journey from aspiring neurosurgeon to discovering a passion for Pediatrics, detailing the emotional shock of M3 (where she almost passe...

Welcome to the sixteenth episode of The Med School Years Podcast! We interview Cindy Liu, an M2 at the prestigious NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where the median MCAT is 523 and tuition is free. Cindy offers an unfiltered look at what it's like to thrive in this hyper-competitive, yet surprisingly collaborative, environment. She discusses the pressure that comes with free tuition, how her engin...

Welcome to the fifteenth episode of The Med School Years Podcast! We sit down with Alex, an M2 at FAU Schmidt School of Medicine, to discuss his unique journey from a business major at Clemson to a medical student. Alex shares the emotional reality of receiving the long-awaited waitlist call from his top-choice school and debunks the myth that it's "too late" to switch careers in college. He dives...

Welcome to the fourteenth episode of The Med School Years podcast! In this powerful discussion, we welcome back Sam, an M2 at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. As our first-ever repeat guest, Sam offers a candid look at his journey since being on the Premed Years podcast, and the profound changes and lessons he's experienced. Sam shares his unique path as a non-traditio...

Welcome to the thirteenth episode of The Med School Years podcast! In this fascinating discussion, we interview Ashley Houlihan, an M2 at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A native of the New England community, Ashley shares her unique journey to Brown, from her time as a club ice hockey player at Syracuse to finding a true sense of belonging at an Ivy League institution. Ashle...

Welcome to the twelfth episode of The Med School Years podcast! In this captivating discussion, we interview Anna Stone, an M2 at Emory University School of Medicine. Anna's journey is a powerful testament to the value of a humanities background and the strength found in non-traditional experiences. Anna shares why Emory's focus on community and patient stories made it her perfect culture fit, and...