The Orientation Leaders (OLs) have been selected! They will be working hard to make sure your orientation is fun, informative, and welcoming. We will introduce the entire group through the next few Vital Signs so you can get to know them before Orientation in July.
Brittany Roman
1. Where are you from?
Columbus, Ga.
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
I first wanted to become a doctor after spending my life watching my dad practice internal medicine. He truly is my biggest role model, and I hope to become half the doctor he is one day. My decision was solidified after suffering a traumatic accident my sophomore year of college that required multiple surgeries to correct, causing me to take a year and a half off school. After experiencing the level of care that the ER doctors, surgeons, nurses, and specialists had for me, I knew that medicine was where I was meant to be.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
My favorite spot currently is Jeni’s Ice Cream – catch me there at every study break!
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
I think a lot of people don’t realize how much outside the classroom time you must put in for every hour you spend in lecture. It can be quite overwhelming at times, but having a study schedule, mental health breaks, and a good support system is key. Although the workload can be a lot, it may be hard for people to believe me when I say that medical school can be fun. Learning from some of the greatest minds in the field of medicine is incredible in itself, but personally, looking forward to the time that I get to spend with my peers outside of class is something I always really look forward to doing.
5. What made you choose UAB?
I chose UAB because, from the moment I set foot on campus, I knew this place would help make me the best doctor I could be. I also was quite impressed with the research opportunity here because that’s a particular interest of mine. In addition, every single faculty member and student I met was uncommonly kind and willing to go above and beyond to help me in whatever way they could. From day one, I felt the power and love from the UABSOM family and quickly realized just how much they cared for their medical students. For all of these reasons, my decision to pursue my medical school career here was a no brainer!
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
I feel that being in professional school instills in you a much greater sense of purpose than that of undergrad – every time I open a book or my laptop here, I approach it as getting me one step closer to becoming what I was meant to be. Though there is significantly less downtime in medical school than in undergrad, I feel like there is inherently more structure, so we medical students tend to thrive in that sort of environment.
Channing Bruce
1. Where are you from?
Birmingham
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
If we are being honest, the show Scrubs was the first thing that made me think about becoming a doctor. I would probably never say that in an interview, but I know y’all won’t judge me. I feel like medicine also perfectly combined my love for math and science with my love for underserved communities and compassion for others.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
My favorite place in Birmingham is Morris Avenue – it’s a picturesque, cobble stone street and has one of my favorite restaurants, The Essential.
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
I think that one thing people should know about medical students is that we don’t all have our minds made up about everything we want with our careers. Some of us know that we want to be doctors and that we want to help people, and we don’t know what that looks like yet for us, and that’s okay. A lot of people get surprised when they find out I don’t know what specialty I want to do, but that is actually really normal!
5. What made you choose UAB?
I grew up in Birmingham and was constantly surrounded by UAB physicians, scientists, and students. I wanted to be a part of this community and am so glad I made the decision to choose UAB!
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
Because of the way that classes are scheduled, I have to be much more intentional about planning my free time and breaks. In undergrad, if I didn’t have homework due the next day I might watch some TV or go to dinner with a friend. In medical school it is just different because you always have more to be learning with little time to learn it. So, scheduling is key!
Hudson Driskill
1. Where are you from?
Guntersville
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
I had always wanted to become a doctor growing up and throughout school. My first real experience with medicine came when I was in high school and traveled to San Vicente, Mexico, for a medical mission trip. After seeing how the clinic was run and the tremendous benefit that was given to the people in that region, I decided to shadow at my local hospital and try to find other avenues to experience medicine in college. During undergrad I was able to participate in other medical mission trips to Guatemala as well as become a CNA and join a variety of on-campus clubs. While all of these activities were centered on my ultimate goal, there were certainly periods where I did not feel the same drive that I experienced in Mexico. I finally came to the realization, however, that anything I wanted to pursue would not always be easy and would come with some sacrifices. Once I thought that I had experienced medicine from the perspective of both “highs” and “lows,” I felt the conviction to pursue becoming a physician while leaning on my previous experiences and relationships I formed along the way for support.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
My wife and I love spending time in downtown Homewood. We live dangerously close to Cookie Fix which has a wide variety of flavors that are different every day, and they also sell frozen packs of their most popular flavors that you can take home and make in batches! There are also lots of great restaurants in that area including SoHo Social, Dave’s Pizza, and Real and Rosemary.
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
From an outside perspective, spending most of your days studying seems like it would make medical school drag on forever, but I think actively participating as a student feels very different. In my experience, once you have the right expectations and a schedule set ahead of you, adhering to that schedule and getting enough studying done makes the time and days and weeks fly by very fast!
5. What made you choose UAB?
UAB was by far my number one choice for entering a medical school. I really valued the proximity to home and the academic reputation it has among other schools. On top of that, I have really enjoyed all of the new classmates I have met, and I think people have been great at limiting competitiveness within the class and are more willing to help each other.
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
The greatest difference I have noticed is the increased importance of remaining adaptable and limiting expectations. You are given a lot more freedom to learn the information and study in the ways that are most effective for you. You may have no idea what that looks like for you (I certainly didn’t), but there are many different methods that are available to you which means that it may take longer than you expect to find what fits you best. I have also found myself reaching out much more to older students, staff, and professors than I felt like I needed to before, but those opportunities are incredibly informative and should not be interpreted as a failure, struggle, or inability to succeed on your own.
Andrew Bonner
1. Where are you from?
Birmingham
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
I’ve wanted to be a doctor since high school when I went on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua and ended up needing the help of our team doctor when I broke my arm pretty badly. It’s a pretty long story, but I knew that I wanted to serve people in a similar way as I was served after that situation.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
Kitchen table with my Mom. Her name is Patrice.
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
There’s a service called Sketchy that teaches a lot of information through cartoons, and a lot of students, including myself, use it. So, a lot of my medical knowledge is based on some random cartoons that do not appear to have anything to do with medicine.
5. What made you choose UAB?
The people at UAB and in Birmingham are great. UAB does a good job in building community in the medical school, and Birmingham is a good place to be for building community as well. UAB also does research on anything you could imagine, so it’s an advantage for medical students to have that at their disposal.
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
Professional school requires more of your time, but I’ve also found my classes to be much more engaging and fulfilling than my undergraduate classes. I’ve enjoyed being around people who have similar interests as me, so it has made it easy to have something to connect on with all my classmates.
Kalissa Means
1. Where are you from?
Eutaw, Ala.
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
The human body has always intrigued me; I honestly just find it fascinating. I grew up around healthcare, and I always enjoyed learning more about the body. As I got more experience with the field through shadowing, I knew that this was the career field for me. There’s a constant state of learning and encountering new things daily which is also very important to me.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
Jack Brown’s
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
We often hear about how competitive and “cut throat” medical school can be; however, the med school admin and your fellow classmates are actually very supportive. They want you to succeed!
5. What made you choose UAB?
I attended UAB for undergrad, and I could not imagine going anywhere else for medical school. It’s my second home. Go Blazers!
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
The work never stops. Professional school is literally your job now.
Nicole Panzica
1. Where are you from?
I was born in Nashville and moved to Birmingham at a young age. I graduated from Auburn University in 2020.
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
I’ve always wanted a career that allows me to connect with people, and science was something that I really enjoyed and felt passionate about. Medicine is a career that gives me the chance to be curious about creative solutions, always be learning new things, and help people in a personal way.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
Railroad Park - it’s right by my apartment and the perfect place to take a break, actually get some sun, and meet some animals!
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
The time commitment! I study for much longer hours than I ever did in college. It was hard to adjust to, but it eventually starts to feel like the new normal. I’ve learned the importance of creating balance, seeing friends and family, and not letting your life be overrun by school.
5. What made you choose UAB?
The support systems from peers, faculty, and staff became very clear to me on my first visit to UAB. They seemed to really value students’ input and enjoy building relationships with students, which is something I have appreciated and depended on a lot already.
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
Professional school stands out to me because of the independence it requires. In combination with the amount of material and the difficulty level, this makes time management and personal responsibility invaluable. It is up to you how much you study and in what form you study, so one of the hardest parts for me has been trying out new techniques and figuring out what works. The more you settle into a routine, the easier it gets.
John Smith
1. Where are you from?
Orange Beach
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
My younger brother was my biggest inspiration to become a doctor. Among the countless life lessons he taught me in his time here, I will never forget the enormous duty and privilege a physician has to their patients and patients’ families. There are many doctors to whom I owe a debt of gratitude and respect for helping my brother and many other children and patients like him through health and sickness.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
Railroad Park has been a lifesaver for me! It’s a block from my apartment and has provided so many opportunities to take a break from studying and get some exercise for my dog and myself.
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
Being a medical student is much more feasible than people think! It’s not easy, and it takes time but you’ll adjust and have plenty of time for the things that are important to you. Everyone has different styles of studying and different schedules, and that’s okay.
5. What made you choose UAB?
I knew that I wanted to go to medical school in the state that I wanted to later practice in. UAB in my opinion is the best medical school in the state and one of the best in the country! It seems that every week I have an opportunity to learn from true pioneers of medicine.
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
Mostly, being a professional school student feels like trying to fit twice the amount of learning into the same amount of time. With this in mind, there are the same pressures and expectations of being involved, staying on top of your schoolwork, and finding time to do the things that matter to you. It is all possible, it just takes more dedication and many reminders of why you are here.
Katherine Buchanan
1. Where are you from?
Birmingham
2. What made you want to become a doctor?
I have had the idea I wanted to be a doctor since I was really young. To see how I liked it, I volunteered throughout high school at Children’s of Alabama and fell in love with the personal side of medicine that I saw there and the relationships the doctors had with their patients. I knew I wanted the opportunity to be able to work with people on this personal level and provide this same compassionate care. I love that medicine challenges you to continuously solve problems and find the best solution, but also gives you the opportunity to help people in their biggest times of need.
3. What is your favorite Birmingham spot?
Railroad Park. I love to spend time running there. It is so close by and a great way to take a break and get outside.
4. What is something about being a medical student that more people don’t realize?
I think that people do not realize that you can have a life out of school. Even though I spend lots of time studying, I still have opportunities to see my family and friends and take some time for myself. It is possible to balance school with life still!
5. What made you choose UAB?
I have lived in Birmingham my whole life with the exception of college, and I always knew that I wanted to continue to live and work here. I had heard from current students that they had enjoyed their experience so far and when I interviewed, I was impressed by the community that I saw. UAB was a great fit and an easy choice for me for these reasons and many others!
6. What are some of the differences you’ve noticed in being a professional school student (expectations, pressures, visibility, etc.) than those of an undergrad or graduate school student?
One difference I have noticed as a professional school student is that you have to be very committed to what you are doing as it does take a lot of your time and effort. It is more important to manage your time well and not fall behind. However, if you love what you are doing, the experience is rewarding for you and worthwhile as you really are learning things you will continue to use in the future.