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| Fourth-year medical students, from left, Fareed Rifai, John Morgan, Christopher Lasecki, Shivam Amin and William Gambla recently matched in ophthalmology residency programs. |
Ophthalmology is one of the most competitive residency programs in which to match, but five fourth-year students at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine have risen to the challenge. Shivam Amin, William Gambla, Christopher Lasecki, John Morgan and Fareed Rifai recently learned they matched in ophthalmology residency programs.
While the majority of medical students will go through the National Resident Matching Program on March 15, students who wish to match in ophthalmology participate in a separate specialty match program.
“The fact that five of our students matched in ophthalmology is outstanding,” said Dr. Susan LeDoux, associate dean of medical education and student affairs at USA. “It speaks to the quality of our students and of our educational program.”
Amin, who matched at the University of Chicago, agreed. “I have had so many teachers and mentors who have genuinely done everything they can to help me become the best possible physician,” he said. “I truly believe the graduates of our program can measure up to the best from any other medical school.”
Amin said he became interested in the field after shadowing an ophthalmologist in his hometown of Gadsden, Ala., who performed cataract surgery on his grandfather. “My grandfather was thrilled afterwards because he was able to see clearly again for the first time in years,” said Amin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from USA. “I appreciate the mixture of surgery and medicine the field of ophthalmology affords and how dramatically you can improve someone's quality of life by restoring his or her vision.”
Gambla, who earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., said he knew he wanted a hands-on, surgically oriented career that maintained a connection to neuroscience. Ophthalmology was high on his list of specialties to explore.
“I was exposed to the field by shadowing Dr. Christopher Semple and other ophthalmologists throughout Mobile who rose to the occasion to mentor interested students,” Gambla said. “I was quickly drawn to the well-balanced mix of high-tech surgical and medical procedures and the ability to care for patients of all ages. The more time I spent learning about the field, the more I knew it was the specialty for me.”
Gambla said he is pleased to have matched at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, where he noted great camaraderie between the residents and faculty. “Their program is well rounded, providing a strong foundation in cataract surgery, retina, plastics and trauma,” he said. “Tennessee also offers training in ocular oncology, which many programs do not have.”
Lasecki earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Alabama. Before starting medical school at USA, he saw his first cataract surgery during a summer position at the Mobile Surgery Center. Then, as a medical student he had the opportunity to shadow ophthalmologists at Premier Eye Group and Vision Partners, adding to his interest in the field.
While the majority of medical students will go through the National Resident Matching Program on March 15, students who wish to match in ophthalmology participate in a separate specialty match program.
“The fact that five of our students matched in ophthalmology is outstanding,” said Dr. Susan LeDoux, associate dean of medical education and student affairs at USA. “It speaks to the quality of our students and of our educational program.”
Amin, who matched at the University of Chicago, agreed. “I have had so many teachers and mentors who have genuinely done everything they can to help me become the best possible physician,” he said. “I truly believe the graduates of our program can measure up to the best from any other medical school.”
Amin said he became interested in the field after shadowing an ophthalmologist in his hometown of Gadsden, Ala., who performed cataract surgery on his grandfather. “My grandfather was thrilled afterwards because he was able to see clearly again for the first time in years,” said Amin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from USA. “I appreciate the mixture of surgery and medicine the field of ophthalmology affords and how dramatically you can improve someone's quality of life by restoring his or her vision.”
Gambla, who earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., said he knew he wanted a hands-on, surgically oriented career that maintained a connection to neuroscience. Ophthalmology was high on his list of specialties to explore.
“I was exposed to the field by shadowing Dr. Christopher Semple and other ophthalmologists throughout Mobile who rose to the occasion to mentor interested students,” Gambla said. “I was quickly drawn to the well-balanced mix of high-tech surgical and medical procedures and the ability to care for patients of all ages. The more time I spent learning about the field, the more I knew it was the specialty for me.”
Gambla said he is pleased to have matched at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, where he noted great camaraderie between the residents and faculty. “Their program is well rounded, providing a strong foundation in cataract surgery, retina, plastics and trauma,” he said. “Tennessee also offers training in ocular oncology, which many programs do not have.”
Lasecki earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Alabama. Before starting medical school at USA, he saw his first cataract surgery during a summer position at the Mobile Surgery Center. Then, as a medical student he had the opportunity to shadow ophthalmologists at Premier Eye Group and Vision Partners, adding to his interest in the field.
“The faculty at USA are always willing to help students who are motivated,” Lasecki said. “Dr. Jon Simmons, Dr. Sidney Brevard, Dr. Linda Ding, Dr. Michael Sternberg and others went to great lengths to help me become a more competitive applicant.”
Lasecki said he is thrilled to have matched at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, where he and his wife “can’t wait to live our best life,” cooking gumbo and listening to brass music.
Morgan also matched at LSU, and he looks forward to honing his eye care and surgical skills with his classmate, Lasecki. He first became interested in ophthalmology through shadowing his father, Dr. John Morgan, a comprehensive ophthalmologist in Birmingham, Ala.
“My desire to become an ophthalmologist solidified after completing away rotations at Medical College of Georgia and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which I really enjoyed,” Morgan said. “I am drawn to this field by both the complexity and delicacy of the eye, and the desire to preserve and restore vision to those in need.”
Morgan, who earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Furman University in Greenville, S.C., said USA has provided him a strong foundational knowledge of medicine and ample opportunity to refine clinical skills through patient care. “I believe these advantages have allowed me to succeed in medical school and will continue to serve me in ophthalmology residency and beyond,” he said.
Rifai will join Lasecki and Morgan in New Orleans, as he matched at Tulane University. “I think Tulane will be an excellent place to train,” Rifai said. “Lots of diverse pathology in the area, strong surgical experience for residents, and a great network of alumni, some of whom have come back to get involved in running the residency program.”
Rifai’s father, Dr. Aref Rifai, is a retina specialist in Pensacola, Fla., and serves a pediatric ophthalmologist with USA Physicians Group. However, it was Rifai’s own research that cemented his decision to pursue ophthalmology.
While an undergraduate studying biochemistry at the University of Miami, Rifai worked as a student researcher at the university's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Then, after his first year of medical school at USA, he spent the summer doing ophthalmology research at Tufts University in Boston.
“We have a strong network of alumni who have been in our shoes, who were able to offer guidance and advice throughout the whole process,” Rifai said. “Not every school has upperclassmen willing to help the classes below, but USA has a strong tradition of trying to make each class better than the last; so having USA alumni in ophthalmology help us out really made the goal of matching in such a competitive specialty possible.”
