Physiology Alumni Celebrate Match Day

At the March 15 Match Day ceremony, members of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson Class of 2024 learned where they will spend the next three to seven years of their careers as physicians in specialized residency training programs.

Cheers erupted at 9 a.m. as more than 100 students tore open envelopes to learn where they matched and embraced each other and loved ones in celebration.

Around the country, more than 40,000 soon-to-be graduates from medical schools took part in the annual tradition, simultaneously learning where they were placed by the National Residency Matching Program.

“You will always remember today, your Match Day, as I remember mine,” said Michael Abecassis, MD, MBA, dean of the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson. “The realization that the current leg of your journey is nearly over, and being rewarded, combined with the contemplation of the next leg makes for mixed emotions. It is a time filled with great anticipation and uncertainty and excitement. I would like to offer you all my deepest congratulations. You should be proud of what you have accomplished so far — and confident in your ability to succeed in this next chapter.”

Meet the College of Medicine – Tucson Class of 2023

There were 108 students who matched into residency programs. Below are a few of the students who also earned undergraduate degrees from the medical college’s physiology program.

Priyanka Hadvani, MS: ‘I was so excited’

Phoenix native Priyanka Hadvani, MS, matched into anesthesiology at Rush University in Chicago. 

“When I opened the envelope, I was so excited to see that I was going to be at Rush University, one of my top choices,” Hadvani said. “I’m really excited to be in Chicago for the next phase of my training.”

Hadvani started at the College of Medicine – Tucson a decade ago as an undergraduate in physiology and medical sciences.

“The physiology program solidified my desire to pursue medicine and was helpful in showing me that medicine was truly what I wanted to do with my life,” she said.

Hadvani also felt like she got a head start on a lot of the medical school curriculum by studying physiology as an undergraduate.

“It was really nice to have started with a lot of the faculty in physiology that I also saw in medical school,” Hadvani said. “Dr. Zoe Cohen taught me cardiology in undergrad, and then again in medical school. It was really great to have the experience of seeing material taught again by faculty I became familiar with in undergrad.”

Hadvani chose anesthesiology because of opportunities to use experiences from her physiology background.

“I was always interested in having a heavy medicine foundation in the specialty I chose, and ultimately I decided to do anesthesia because I liked the hands-on procedures blended with the mix of physiology and medicine,” she said.

Hadvani hopes in the future that she’ll be able to work with residents.

“I hope to be involved in medical education so I can give back to the community and make medical school and residency better for the people who come after me,” Hadvani said.

Ziad Hindosh: ‘Waiting impatiently and patient at the same time’

Ziad Hindosh matched into internal medicine at UCLA-Olive View, close to where his partner lives in Southern California. 

“There was a lot of excitement, and a lot of work leading up to this moment,” he said. “I think all of us were just waiting impatiently and patient at the same time.”

Hindosh is excited to take the next steps in his medical career and get settled into a new city.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for all of us to go wherever we’re going and make the most out of everything and anything,” he said. “It’s a new home and a place to learn and grow.”

Hindosh chose internal medicine because he enjoys the dynamic thinking that the specialty requires. 

He studied physiology and medical sciences as an undergraduate at the College of Medicine – Tucson, which helped as he started medical school, especially by forming relationships with faculty members.

“I saw Dr. Zoe Cohen here today, who was very, very, exceptional and amazing in my growth and learning as a student, even in medical school,” Hindosh said. “The continuity definitely helped make an easy transition for medical school and it couldn’t have helped anymore,” he said.

Looking back on his time as a physiology student, Hindosh fondly remembers working the opportunities the Physiology Club offered.

“My favorite memory was being a Physiology Club officer and just interacting with so many different students in physiology,” Hindosh said. “It’s fun seeing students grow from their first year to their fourth year and how much they accomplish.”

As he develops his career, Hindosh hopes to be a physician patients can trust.

“I want to be a good clinician and someone who really knows how to take care of patients in their families,” he said.

Adelina Lane, MS: ‘I enjoyed the physiology master’s so much’

Adelina Lane, MS, loves Tucson, so she was happy to match into emergency medicine at her top choice, Banner – University Medical Center South in partnership with the College of Medicine – South Campus.

“The program here is amazing,” she said. “I decided to rank South Campus as my top choice and that’s where I’m going, so I’m very excited.”

Lane found a strong sense of camaraderie when working with the emergency medicine teams in Tucson.

“It’s just an amazing community of people,” she said. “They’re always there for you. It’s a very strong team dynamic in the emergency department, and I really thrive in that kind of environment.”

Lane studied physiology and medical sciences as an undergraduate before earning a master’s degree in physiology, both here at the College of Medicine – Tucson. 

“I got the basic science physiology and how the body works in the master’s program. Then, going into medicine, they tacked on what can go wrong, which is really neat,” she said.

Lane also earned a master’s degree in physiology, and she looks back fondly on her time spent as a TA while earning her graduate degree.

“I really like connecting with other people, seeing them thrive and flourish, and being able to advise them and help them do whatever it is that they want to do with their life,” Lane said.

Her experience as a physiology TA is something she hopes to be able to draw on later in her career, as shoe hopes to work in academic medicine, as well.

“I know I love academic medicine, I really like teaching,” Lane said. “It's also one of the reasons I enjoyed the physiology master’s so much is because I was a TA during that time, and I got to teach so many people and help them. In academic medicine, you still have that component of being able to teach those budding physicians.”

When it was time to pick a specialty, Lane was drawn to the stressful nature of emergency medicine.

“I know it's stressful for some people to handle that, but I love being able to help people,” she said.

Maya Lowney: ‘I’m beyond thrilled’

Maya Lowney matched into general surgery at her top choice, Banner – University Medical Center in partnership with the College of Medicine – Tucson.

“I’m beyond thrilled,” Lowney said. “I’m very, very happy.”

Lowney was drawn to surgery because of the diverse work environment it provides. She can see herself working clinics, operating rooms or on the floor managing patients. General surgery also provides many opportunities for fellowships.

“General surgery is a great field,” she said. “We need a lot more people, especially women to get into it, so I encourage women to seek it out.”

Lowney sees the importance of having more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields, especially to help set an example for future generations of physicians. 

“I’ve noticed a lot of the residents that I’ve been interviewing with have been, I would say 50-50 male and female,” Lowney said. “For me, though, it was really important to have that mentorship because it really allows you to see how they trailblaze the field and what you can look up to and expect to do in the future.”

As an undergraduate studying physiology and medical sciences at the College of Medicine – Tucson, with a minor in dance, Lowney says her fondest memory is her senior thesis in which she studied how dance affects the rehabilitative process of patients with Parkinson’s.

“It was a whole year of getting to explore fields that I really care about,” she said. “It was nice that the physiology program allowed me to do that.”

Lowney also felt incredibly prepared for medical school following her time as a physiology student.

“The physiology program really provides a great foundation for all you need to learn in medical school,” Lowney said. “Without that, it would have been a lot harder to learn the content. And then, you also build really great connections with the faculty.”

Lowney is excited to start the next phase of her medical career.

“I’m excited to continue my journey and foster relationships with all the amazing surgeons and residents who I’ll get to work with and enjoy Tucson,” Lowney said. “

Mikayla Whalen: ‘It’s going to be a big change’

Phoenix native Mikayla Whalen is set to receive her MD in May. When she graduates, Whalen will become a double MedCat, since she received her bachelor’s degree in physiology and medical science from the College of Medicine – Tucson in 2018.

“I got all the academic experience I needed to apply to medical school,” she said of the undergraduate program here.

As a medical student, she was drawn to emergency medicine.

“I like being able to interact with my peers every day, and serving a completely different patient population depending on where you work is really exciting,” she said. “It is humbling to meet people you never would have met before, and it’s an amazing experience to interact with them.”

On Friday morning, she took a few deep breaths before opening her letter and learning she matched to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.

“I ended up being lucky enough to get my first choice,” she said. “Everyone I met was amazing, and I loved the program director. I felt like it would have a supportive, family-style feel.”

For now, she’s navigating the logistics of a cross-country move.

“I’ve never lived anywhere like Boston — it will be the biggest city I’ve ever lived in,” she said. “It's going to be a big change.”