“Match Day” marks one of the most important days in a medical student’s career. Match Day is held annually to announce the results of the National Residents Matching Program (NRMP), which places graduating medical students with residency programs throughout the country. On March 16, 2012, the wait will be over for Perelman School of Medicine students who will open their envelopes revealing the location where they will spend their years of residency training.
Stay tuned over the next week as Penn’s medical students share their thoughts and perspectives during this exciting week of their lives – in their own written words, and on video – via a special Match Day blog and live tweets throughout the day. Family, friends, and news media can follow the excitement via the blog and by using the #PennMatch hashtag on Twitter.
Meet our 2012 Match Day bloggers!
Tamara Bockow
Tamara Bockow is originally from Seattle, WA. Tamara graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She majored in the Biological Basis and Behavior and minored in the Wharton Health Care Management program. Before starting medical school, Tamara spent a year working as a HealthCorps coordinator, teaching inner-city Brooklyn high school students about health, science and nutrition.
Tamara was named a 21st Century Merit Gamble Scholar and given a full tuition merit-based scholarship to medical school. While in medical school, Tamara has co-authored a textbook chapter on gender differences in the brain. She worked as an associate editor and authored a chapter in a medical nutrition book. Additionally, Tamara founded a new organization and successful mentorship program for Penn medicine female faculty and students called the Elizabeth Blackwell Society. She has been actively involved in student government all four years, and is the current president, and past co-president of the Student Interest Group in Neurology. Finally, Tamara has been actively involved in the Neuroscience Pipeline Program, a multi-tiered mentorship and neuroscience education program for West Philadelphia high school students. This year she is the head coordinator. Tamara will be matching in Neurology.
Ben Oshlag
Ben Oshlag is originally from Memphis, TN, and graduated from Tufts University in 2001, earning a B.A. in Computer Science and Philosophy. After college, he continued at Tufts, earning a M.S. in Computer Science in 2003, before spending five years working for the MITRE Corporation as a Network Systems Engineer. One career-180 later, while working on his post-bacc, he completed training as an EMT, and went on to teach for EMT courses at Tufts and Boston University, providing the initial spark for his interest in Emergency Medicine.
While in medical school, Ben has remained active in the community. He developed specific interests in working with both underpriveledged youth and the homeless population through the HEAL & NYAP programs and Penn's UCHC Clinic. He managed to combine those interests the summer after his first year when he participated in the Bridging the Gaps program, working at Covenant House, a local shelter for homeless 18-21 year olds, to promote healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices with the residents. He has also developed his interest in sports medicine, volunteering as medical staff at Penn Relays and other school athletic events, as well as focusing his scholarly pursuit project on sports-related concussions in children. Ben has also been active at Penn, serving on the Admissions Committee for the School of Medicine for two years, and as the Treasurer for both his class and the Medical Student Government. For relaxation, he enjoys playing in a number of local soccer and softball leagues, as well as attempting to turn his head full of useless information into discounted food at local trivia nights. Ben is applying in Emergency Medicine.
Jess Spivey
Jess Spivey is originally from Austin, TX, and graduated from Colorado College in 2002 with a B.A. in Biology. Following college, Jess volunteered for Americorps as a team leader for the Student Conservation Association. The team focused primarily on wildland fire prevention and suppression, and this experience led Jess to further pursue wildland firefighting. She subsequently became a member of the Midewin Interagency Hotshots, a U.S. Forest Service firefighting crew, and spent several years working on fires throughout the country. Though her interest in conservationism and environmental issues remains strong, Jess ultimately decided to leave the Forest Service to pursue another longstanding interest—medicine.
In medical school, Jess is active as a class representative. She was a coordinator for Guatemala Health Initiative’s annual spring break trip to Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. A Bridging the Gaps intern, Jess spent the summer after her first year working with a team that provided educational outreach to Latino immigrants in South Philly. Jess is interested in medical education, and served as a clinical course representative during clerkship year. She is also working with Dr. Jose Pascual on a study examining the utility of video review as an educational tool in the surgical intensive care unit. In her spare time, Jess enjoys cycling and soccer, and generally tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible. She completed her first half-Ironman triathlon in 2009 and is currently training for another in June. Jess is applying in Anesthesiology.
Isabela Wieczorek
Isabela Wieczorek grew up in Brazil and Potomac, MD. She graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University in 2008 with a B.S. in Microbiology. While at Cornell, she served as a Vice President of the 2008 Class Council, earning an award for "Outstanding Team Player."
At Penn, she has been active in the Medical Student Government and planned numerous events for classmates ranging from barbecues to Penn's first Multicultural Fair. Isabela also served on the Admissions Committee for two years, and as a recruitment co-chair for the Latino Medical Student Association. After spending a summer in Brazil seeing the effects of skin disease on quality of life, and conducting research in cutaneous lupus erythematosus with Dr. Victoria Werth, she has decided to pursue a career in Dermatology.