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Katherine Li (Class of 2026) shares advice during the “Plan, Pivot, Succeed: Navigating Study Plans in Dedicated” session.

Second-year medical students are counting down the days until they wrap up preclinical courses. After completing nine medical science courses and two longitudinal courses in just 18 months, this milestone is worth celebrating, but it also signals what’s next: the dedicated study period.  

Dedicated, as it’s commonly called, is the 6-week block where medical students focus entirely on preparing for the USMLE Step 1 exam, the requirement before beginning clinical clerkships and the next stage of their journey toward becoming physicians. 

“Dedicated is the time to consolidate 18 months of material in a focused and efficient way,” said Ben Shirley, medical education learning specialist in the Office of Academic Excellence. “That task can be very daunting for many students because they may not know where to start or how to do it effectively.” 

To help students build a strong foundation for success, UNC School of Medicine’s OAE hosted a half-day Step 1 workshop on Friday, December 5. 

“The workshop helped provide students with the foundation on how to build a study schedule, study strategically, take care of themselves, and get a sense of the common challenges faced during dedicated,” Shirley added. 

The event featured presentations by third- and fourth-year medical students who have successfully navigated dedicated and the Step 1 exam. Second-year students had the chance to ask questions and hear firsthand about their peers’ experiences. 

“I’d advise the current MS2’s to … trust the work they’re putting in,” said third-year student Madison Dunk (top right).

“Last year, I remember feeling reassured that there were many different approaches that worked for each of the panelists,” said Madison Dunk, third-year student and panelist during this year’s workshop. “I was able to borrow tips and ideas from different people to create an individualized process that worked well for me. Now, I’d advise the current MS2’s to build a schedule, stick with it, trust the work they’re putting in, and don’t forget to take at least an hour every day to do something that brings you joy!” 

The workshop also included insights from Student Wellness and Taking Care Of Our Own. 

Now in its second year, the workshop reflects the School of Medicine’s continued commitment to supporting students through this critical period. It followed two information sessions hosted by OAE and complemented Curricular Affairs’ newly launched Step 1 review week back in October. 

“We designed this workshop with the Curriculum team’s review week in mind,” said Shirley. “Our workshop focused less on the content itself and more on the skills students need to effectively approach and manage that content during dedicated. The goal is to lessen students’ cognitive load and give them a clear framework to help them have a successful dedicated season.” 

When dedicated officially begins, students won’t face it alone. With support from OAE and the School of Medicine, they have a clear, proven path forward.

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Nzia Hall at the third annual Walk to End Dementia hosted by a Zambian non-profit organization.

Nzia Hall has felt drawn to adult neurology for quite some time. As president of the Student Interest Group in Neurology, she helped revive the organization’s UNC chapter and now finds herself in the midst of applying to multiple neurology residency programs. 

During her neurology acting internship, Hall met Dr. Deanna Saylor whose work in Zambia spans years and impacts countless lives. When Saylor invited Hall to join her on the next trip to the southern Africa country, Hall didn’t think twice. 

“A lot of the global health electives that we have at UNC are tailored to OB/GYN or internal medicine,” said Hall, a fourth-year student from Durham, North Carolina. “But this was specifically neurology which is what I’m interested in. That made it even more of an exciting opportunity.” 

With guidance from the Office of Global Health Education, Hall traveled to Zambia at the end of August for a four-week rotation.  

“When I met with Nzia, I was immediately struck by her warmth, empathy with patients, and her earnestness to learn, all of which were immediately apparent in my first interactions with her,” Saylor said. “Throughout her time in Zambia, I was struck by her maturity, cultural humility, and openness to new people, new cultures, and new ways of approaching medicine.” 

Under Saylor’s mentorship, Hall worked in multiple units at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, gaining hands-on experience. 

“I would present to Dr. Saylor,” Hall said. “She’s incredible at teaching and breaking things down so that she can teach to your level.” 

On days when Saylor was at clinic, Hall worked alongside an intern. At first, the responsibility felt daunting. But soon, Hall realized the value of caring for patients more independently. She built trust with families and learned what it means to truly connect. 

One moment stands out: A patient suffered a seizure while Saylor was away at the clinic. Hall’s quick and decisive actions under the supervision of the Zambian medical team helped the patient fully recover.

“That was really special to be able to safely care for a patient and a family I really cared about,” Hall said. 

Her time in Zambia deepened Hall’s desire to pursue global health work in the future. She learned how to care for patients despite limited resources and practiced resource stewardship by being mindful of which tests and labs to order — a skill she’ll apply as a future physician. 

“It was amazing to have an impact and do something that matters in a place where there was a lot of need,” Hall said. “You don’t need a lot of resources to give good, quality care. I learned that a lot of care is connecting to the patient and caring for the patient. If that is at the forefront of your approach, you can do so much and accomplish so much with patient care.” 

The trip gave Hall renewed confidence as a provider and inspired personal growth. She said it’s part of the draw for students to participate in global health experiences. Seeing her patients’ resilience despite their circumstances left a lasting impression. 

“I think that the most beautiful thing about being a physician is really being able to have an impact on others’ lives,” Hall said. “You really understand the breadth of that and the gravity of that when you do these global health experiences. It just feels amazing to really give care where there is need. You meet so many amazing people and make amazing memories.” 

Nzia Hall’s trip was made possible through the Privette Endowment fund and the Perkins-Burke International Fellowship program fund. To help support future SOM student global health programs like Hall’s, donate at: www.unchf.org/globalmeded. 

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Class of 2026 CLQS SCP cohort.

One of UNC School of Medicine’s most unique features is its Scholarly Concentration Programs (SCP). The scholarly concentrations involve a longitudinal curriculum where students are paired with a faculty mentor, receive specialized training in a particular area, and produce a final project in the area.

While optional, scholarly concentrations are an excellent way for students to distinguish themselves from a career standpoint. Those medical students participating in an SCP have ample material to discuss during residency interviews.

Four medical students in the Class of 2026 shared their experiences in a scholarly concentration and all the benefits it has provided.

While growing up in rural North Carolina, Anna Ilyasova noticed the difference in healthcare resources between rural North Carolina and the rest of North Carolina. When visiting relatives in rural Ukraine, she noticed those same differences between rural Ukraine and the rest of Ukraine.

This disparity created a passion for Ilyasova, one that initially interested her in public health before bringing her to global health. It all led her to the Global Health scholarly concentration at UNC School of Medicine.

“I was really interested in being part of a small group of people who were really interested in global health for their potential career,” Ilyasova said. “The guided check ins and mentorship are really special in the scholarly concentration. I know that’s something I really wanted at med school. It’s helpful to be part of a group and a mentorship community that follows you along the way.”

Ilyasova’s mentor in the program was Dr. Peyton Thompson. The two of them brainstormed what global health opportunities Ilyasova could pursue and worked through questions of how she could apply global health to a future career.

Eventually, Ilyasova traveled to Kyrgyzstan where she joined a research project that studies barriers to methadone access to people who inject drugs in central Asia. Following the trip, Ilyasova produced a manuscript that was conditionally approved by a peer reviewed journal.

While participating in interviews for internal medicine residency programs, Ilyasova has continually pointed to her scholarly concentration involvement.

“It’s something that has really informed the way I look at medicine,” Ilyasova said. “No matter if you’re pursuing medical research or providing medical care in Kyrgyzstan or North Carolina, the same themes hold true. Being part of the experience allowed me to learn about public health and medicine in a place that was new to me and bring some of those lessons back to North Carolina.”

Anna Caffrey-Bottoms first got her introduction to quality improvement as a Kenan Rural scholar. She participated in small quality improvement projects as part of the program, but she still desired something bigger.

She decided to apply to the Clinician Leadership in Quality and Safety scholarly concentration in order to receive some additional training and complete a larger scale quality improvement project.

Caffrey-Bottoms was paired with Dr. Dana Neutze as a mentor. She noted how Dr. Neutze always provided a helping hand, including looking into the more intricate details of the project. Caffrey-Bottoms completed the project last year where she looked at improving the way blood pressures are charted at The UNC Family Medicine Center at Chapel Hill.

“We wanted to better chart home blood pressures so we had data on our patients and how well controlled they were,” Caffrey-Bottoms said.

The project was a major success. Caffrey-Bottoms even worked on the project past the timeline for the scholarly concentration to roll out the new charting method among even more teams. It’s all brought about a valuable experience that she wrote about in her residency applications.

“Quality improvement was one of my most meaningful experiences in the 10 experiences we had to write about,” Caffrey-Bottoms said. “I feel like it sets me apart from some other people because I’ve gotten some additional training and really focused on something that’s given me a skill that not everybody has going into residency.”

Kainat Aslam developed an interest in public health and quality improvement during her undergraduate years. When she arrived at UNC School of Medicine as a medical student and learned about the CLQS scholarly concentration, she knew it was the perfect fit.

Aslam and her mentor, Dr. Evan Raff, were able to launch a quality improvement project from scratch. They worked on optimizing proxy access to MyChart for older adult patients at UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus, allowing family members and healthcare decision makers with easier access to their portal.

“Dr. Raff was really supportive from the beginning because he’s super passionate about quality improvement himself,” Aslam said. “For me to do a project that I’m really interested in even though it required him to do a lot more work because it was from scratch was super meaningful.”

Throughout the project, Aslam worked with a number of different teams, including nurses, IT staff and volunteers, to support each other’s goals. It’s been a helpful experience for her future career.

Aslam applied to internal medicine for residency. The scholarly concentration gave her incredible opportunities to share on the application and during the interviews.

“This is one of my top three experiences that we’re able to list on our residency application,” Aslam said. “Having that leadership in starting a project from scratch, thinking up all the components, and being able to talk to multidisciplinary teams gives me a lot of experiences I can talk about. This was formative for me.”

After being born and raised in Cuba, Amaya Martinez Mesa moved to Miami when she was 12. While an undergrad at UNC, she participated in a public health trip to Nicaragua.

The trip gave Martinez Mesa insight into research topics she would later be interested in. Once a medical student, she knew she wanted to be involved in global health and joined the Global Health scholarly concentration.

After her MS1 year, Martinez Mesa traveled to Bolivia and worked in a public women’s health hospital in La Paz. This past summer, she fulfilled her primary global health rotation in Peru where she did some work in women’s health, primary care and emergency medicine.

Martinez Mesa credited the global health scholarly concentration staff with helping her plan the experience on short notice.

“Both Heidi White and Dr. Sylvia Becker-Dreps made it happen,” Martinez Mesa said. “I feel like we have a really strong support system. We’re all adult learners, so you need to have your own initiative and take ownership on the projects, but if you want to get something done, it will get done. I think that’s something really special about the concentration.”

For her final project, Martinez Mesa will discuss how different health systems in the United States, Bolivia and Peru have shaped her approach to patient care, communication, and clinical decision making. In the leadup to residency interviews for ObGyn, she anticipates the impact her scholarly concentration will have on her candidacy.

“From the mock interviews I have done and getting my application together, I anticipate that the SCP is going to be a big thing because it lets me talk about my background without talking just about myself,” Martinez Mesa said. “It’s easy to talk about the concentration in a way that highlights things about me.”

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One of the winning groups pose with their UNC gear donated by Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham.

When the new year begins, many second-year medical students across the country will enter their dedicated study period for the USMLE Step 1 board exam, an assessment they all must pass before starting clinical clerkships and becoming physicians. 

At the UNC School of Medicine, the class of 2028 is getting a head start. Medical science directors Dr. Evan Raff and Dr. Emily Moorefield teamed up with Dr. Danielle Samulski to launch a Step 1 review week designed to support students both academically and personally. 

“Based on student feedback, we created a first-of-its-kind, high-energy week filled with engaging sessions, friendly competition, and new study tools,” Raff said. “It was rigorous, motivating, and fun — an experience we hope translates into success on their exams and beyond.” 

Throughout the week, students worked in groups to revisit key concepts, tackle practice questions, and participate in fast-paced activities across topic areas. With UNC’s Step 1 pass rate consistently above the national average, the review week aimed to reinforce academic excellence while easing stress and boosting confidence ahead of dedicated study time. 

Since the USMLE Step 1 transitioned to a pass/fail format in 2022, medical schools have reconsidered how best to prepare students. At UNC, this opportunity inspired a curricular innovation focused not only on academic success, but also on student wellness and engagement. 

“The Step 1 review week was a milestone for our students and our curriculum,” Raff added. “Preparing for the USMLE Step 1 exam is one of the greatest challenges our students face on their journey to becoming physicians, and we wanted to reimagine how schools can support students through it.” 

By carving out time for focused review, students stepped away from their regular coursework and engaged in a fun and exciting learning experience to build momentum for the months ahead.

Another winning group during the Step 1 review week.

“Dr. Samulski’s review sessions were incredibly helpful,” said CJ Tyson, a second-year medical student and Foundation Phase Co-Chief Advocate. “They really highlighted which areas I felt confident in and where I had weaker spots to focus on. Drs. Samulski, Raff, and Moorefield also put so much great energy into hyping the class with fun music and party vibes. Even at 8:30 a.m., it was so fun to see all of my classmates excited for it.” 

Each day ended with a celebration of teamwork and achievement. The winning groups received UNC Nike athletics gear and UNC School of Medicine swag, generously donated by UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham and School of Medicine leaders Dr. Cristy Page and Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody. 

Support from across campus, along with sponsorship by the Behind the Knife surgical board review program, helped make the week a resounding success. The Step 1 review week promoted meaningful change and showed how medical schools can empower students during one of the most pivotal moments in their training.

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Students from the Class of 2027 at the 2024 White Coat Ceremony.

Each fall, medical students across the country don their white coats for the first time, embracing the responsibilities and commitment that comes with the privilege of caring for others’ health. On October 5, 200 second-year medical students in the UNC School of Medicine will receive their white coats during the 2025 White Coat Ceremony.

Dr. Alice Chuang, the associate dean for student affairs in the UNC School of Medicine, answered questions about the upcoming White Coat Ceremony, its significance and our community’s celebration of this next step in the medical students’ journey toward becoming a physician.

What is the White Coat Ceremony?

The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic event in medical education where students are formally and publicly presented with their white coats, marking their transition into the profession of medicine. The very first White Coat Ceremony, originated by Dr. Arnold P Gold, was held in 1993 at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.

What does the white coat symbolize for medical students at UNC?

At UNC, the white coat is a visible symbol of the responsibilities and privileges of becoming a physician. It reflects the values of professionalism, service to others, and the commitment to providing excellent, patient-centered care. It also represents the trust patients place in physicians and the humility with which students are expected to serve. Beyond professionalism and compassion, the white coat also represents the voice of science and medical training. Wearing it carries both the authority to apply medical knowledge and the responsibility to use that knowledge in the service of all patients.

Why does UNC School of Medicine hold its White Coat Ceremony during the second year (MS2), rather than the first year like many other schools?

UNC holds the ceremony at the start of the second year to coincide with students’ entry into the clinical phase of their education. This timing ensures the coat is not only a symbolic garment but also an immediately functional one, worn as they begin working more closely and daily with patients. It emphasizes that the privilege of wearing the coat comes with responsibilities earned through their preclinical study and preparation.

How have students responded to the timing and format of the ceremony in recent years?

Students have consistently valued the ceremony’s timing. Many share that receiving their coat at this milestone makes it feel more meaningful because of their established connection to the peers who have shared their educational journey to this point. The event has become a powerful moment of reflection, celebration, and motivation, with students appreciating the presence of their peers, faculty, families, and mentors as they mark this important step.

How does the White Coat Ceremony reflect UNC School of Medicine’s values and approach to medical education?

The ceremony embodies UNC’s values of service, professionalism, and community. By placing the White Coat Ceremony at the transition to clinical learning, the School highlights its philosophy that medical education is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about preparing to care for patients with empathy, respect, and integrity. The event underscores UNC’s mission to train physicians who are both skilled and compassionate, committed to the people of North Carolina and beyond.

Note: UNC School of Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony will be livestreamed via YouTube.

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From Left: Dr. Dania Torres, Jesus Viña Moreno, Dr. Sophy Meran.

As a child, Jesus Viña Moreno spent countless hours at Hospital General Regional Dr. Marcelino Velez Santana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His mother completed her residency there, often bringing him along. 

This past summer, Viña Moreno returned to those same halls, not as a visitor, but as a medical student from the UNC School of Medicine. Through the Office of Global Health Education in the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, he spent five weeks in the Dominican Republic, building clinical skills and reconnecting with a place that shaped his earliest memories. 

“I have feelings for the place, so it felt natural for me to go back,” Viña Moreno said. “Seeing all the nurses and others who knew me, they’d say, ‘Oh, my gosh. You’re so tall now and you have a beard!’ They would hug me. It brought back those childhood memories.” 

But not all of those memories were joyful. In the seventh grade, Viña Moreno was hospitalized there with dengue fever. His condition worsened unexpectedly, and he was transferred to a larger hospital. Still, his original physician, Dr. Dania Torres, continued overseeing his care. 

There were some dire moments, but Viña Moreno ultimately made a full recovery largely because of Dr. Torres. 

“She was one of the main reasons why I’m still here breathing,” Viña Moreno said. 

This summer’s return also brought a reunion. Though Dr. Torres now serves as coordinator of the hospital’s Maternal and Child Unit, she made time to check in with Viña Moreno, asking about his experience and life in the United States. 

“It was amazing — honestly, heartwarming — to see her,” Viña Moreno said. “Seeing the difference in roles where I went in the first time as a child and now I was there as someone closer to being a doctor, that felt gratifying.” 

During his rotation, Viña Moreno focused on the areas he hoped to grow as a medical student, especially the nerves he felt when interacting with patients. On the internal medicine floor, he checked patients’ vitals, performed EKGs, and presented information to the residents and attendings. On more than one occasion, he helped save lives by alerting staff to deteriorating conditions or assisting with CPR. 

The nerves he had of interacting with patients vanished. 

“The patients loved me,” Viña Moreno said. “I would just go and talk to them. They would call me Dr. Viña. They knew I was just a student, but it’s tradition there.” 

Now back in Chapel Hill for his second year of medical school, Viña Moreno says the trip gave him exactly what he needed: confidence. 

“I’ve struggled all my life with imposter syndrome,” Viña Moreno said. “Even though I think ‘I’m good. I’m ready to do this. It will be great,’ there is a disconnect in what I know and how I feel. So right now, I feel much more confident in my abilities. That’s a big one.” 

The trip also allowed him to use medical Spanish daily, a key component of his participation in the Comprehensive Advanced Medical Program of Spanish (CAMPOS), and it deepened his interest in neurology. He’s already applying what he saw abroad to his coursework. 

“For example, I saw a lot of brain hemorrhages,” Viña Moreno said. “We’re studying strokes now, so I can say, ‘I remember seeing two or three patients with this hemorrhagic stroke and this is how they presented.’ That’s more memorable than reading the Bricks or watching a YouTube video. I can relate to the information much better now.” 

Viña Moreno received support for the trip from an alumni donor through the Jeffrey L. Houpt Loyalty Fund Enrichment Endowment. He’s grateful for the opportunity and encourages other medical students to explore global health experiences. 

“It’s a really great experience,” Viña Moreno said. “I recommend anyone over the summer — just go abroad, put yourself out there, and try to learn and experience new things. It was lovely.”

To help support future SOM student global health programs, donate at: www.unchf.org/globalmeded

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Travis Williams ’20 (MD)

Early life experiences and unforgettable mentors shaped the path that Travis Williams, MD, took to becoming a family and addiction medicine physician in the North Carolina mountains.

Growing up in Chapel Hill, he helped to care for his often-hospitalized father, sparking a passion for medicine that led him to medical school at UNC. As a Kenan Primary Care Medical Scholar, Williams ’20 (MD) sought training opportunities in Western North Carolina (WNC), guided by a handful of dedicated clinicians providing essential care to mountain communities.

“I couldn’t have asked for better mentors,” Williams said. “All of them came from MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center) or from UNC School of Medicine’s Kenan Rural Primary Care Medical Scholars program.”

During medical school, Williams got an early look at what primary care could be, as he shadowed physicians and learned from the clinicians who formed a key support network for patients and for each other.

One of his mentors advised Williams that the work would be either a job, or a lifestyle, and he needed to figure out which one. “I felt that I’d be happiest and most committed if it was a lifestyle,” said Williams.

Woven in the web of care

Just a year out of residency, Williams has become rooted in a life of rural medicine – raising his family near Hayesville, North Carolina, while caring for a diverse patient population.

In addition to a clinical practice at Chatuge Family Practice in Hayesville, Williams helps with Hospice of North Carolina, works with an opioid treatment program in Macon County, provides medical direction for Clay County EMS, and performs stress tests at the regional hospital.

“It’s a privilege that you get to help so many different people, and you quickly get woven into that the web of care where help is needed in many different areas,” he said.

Williams and his wife Liz bought land just outside of Hayesville, where they live with their two-year-old daughter. Their land includes a lake and enough acreage to raise a few beef cattle. Setting down local roots is not a requirement to practice medicine in WNC, but it certainly doesn’t hurt his standing with patients. One of the first things people want to know is where he lives.

“We feel connected to the people and the land,” Williams said. “We’re investing in the future here.”

Carriedelle Fusco, MSN, FNP-BC, nurse practitioner and director of MAHEC Office-Based Opioid Treatment Services, has known Williams since he enrolled in her addiction elective at UNC Health Sciences as a medical student. “Travis’s enthusiasm for medicine and for working with rural populations, especially for people with substance use disorders, was crystal clear from the beginning,” Fusco said.

When it comes to healthcare, communities in WNC have a history of being left out and neglected. For Williams, family medicine – or as he prefers to call it, “community medicine” – begins with authentic knowledge to address the unique needs of a community. With his sights set on returning to WNC after residency, Williams signed with Chatuge Family Practice when he was still a fourth-year medical student.

During his residency at St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, he kept in contact with the clinic to be aware of any skills or areas he should prepare for. “I knew what I needed to train for in residency, so that when I got here, I could hit the ground running,” Williams said.

Chatuge Family Practice

Medicine works differently in the mountains

Providing essential healthcare to mountain communities comes with challenges. Patients travel farther to reach fewer providers. Many lack insurance or a reliable means to travel, making routine care anything but routine. With providers and facilities stretched thin, clinic and hospital closures increase stress on the system.

Telemedicine holds promise for rural areas, but reliable mobile service and internet access is limited by mountain terrain. Things that people in suburban or urban areas take for granted, like 24-hour pharmacies, aren’t widely available. Getting results from imaging or labs also takes longer, adding days to the typical timeframe for turnaround.

Since delays can be critical when determining care, Williams sometimes has to make decisions quickly. For a young girl who came to the clinic with shortness of breath, test results to rule out pulmonary embolism (PE) would not be available for three days.

“I ended up having to scan her,” Williams said. “Luckily, she didn’t have PE, but these are decisions you have to make on the spot.”

Without a nearby hospital, mapping out care for sicker patients can involve more complexity. “If someone’s really sick, I have to consider if Murphy or Blairsville can handle what they might need, or if patients will just get sent to a bigger hospital,” he said. This often means multiple phone calls to explore options related to the next phase of care.

Addiction as a chronic condition

As a medical student and resident, addiction medicine was a through line in Williams’ training. The western part of the state has higher averages of opioid-related overdose deaths and higher rates of substance use than the state and nation.

During medical school, Williams trained with MAHEC’s addiction medicine team, and during residency, with addictionologist Ryan Jackman, MD. Near the end of his residency, he reached out to Matt Holmes, MD, a psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist who has long served WNC communities. Post residency, Williams began helping part-time in Holmes’ clinic in Macon County, learning as much as he could about treating patients with methadone.

Williams’ goal was to begin offering addiction services at the clinic in Chatuge, and making basic primary care services available to those same individuals, through his practice. But first he had to garner support across the clinic for treating this patient population in a primary care setting.

Fusco described how, until recently, care for substance use issues would not have been offered in a family medicine practice.

“We were taught that those with addiction go somewhere else for care,” Fusco said. “We have siloed that work out for decades.”

At Chatuge, Williams has been able to establish care for individuals struggling with addiction. He currently sees 20 to 30 patients weekly who are in various stages of recovery and expects this number to grow. Williams hopes to see more “normalization” of care in this area so that individuals who struggle with addiction have fewer barriers to accessing basic health services.

Expanding the pipeline for care

As a former Kenan medical scholar and MAHEC trainee, Williams takes pride in WNC’s medical education pipeline – and he’s now serving as a mentor-preceptor, giving back to help grow the pipeline.

Future medical, nursing and health sciences students will be able to shadow Williams, learn about opportunities to connect with patients, and get a feel for how healthcare works in the mountains. They can even stay in the trailer Williams bought to serve as free housing for students who make the trek out to Clay County.

Williams doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of rooting his family and career in a remote rural area. He admits that on some days, the lifestyle is more difficult than anticipated.

“My wife and I talk about it,” Williams said. “It’s hard to be a doctor in a rural place with a family – it’s more challenging than I thought it would be.”

Then he laughed and said that might be because he has a two-year-old.

It’s still early days for a young physician barely out of residency, but Williams has a clear commitment to this calling. With each patient he helps and each connection he makes, he is weaving a stronger web of care to support WNC communities for years to come.

Written by Claire Horne, UNC Health Foundation

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Danielle Kapustin, Class of 2027

Danielle Kapustin, a medical student in the class of 2027, was recently awarded an IAMSE-ScholarRx Educational Research Grant. The $2,500 grant from the International Association of Medical Science Educators supports Kapustin’s project, “Transforming Embryology Education: Innovative Approaches to Interactive Medical Instruction.” 

“This IAMSE-ScholarRx grant is a well-deserved recognition of Danielle Kapustin’s incredible work,” said Dr. Evan Raff, professor of Medicine and faculty mentor for Kapustin’s project. “Her creativity, persistence, and drive to improve embryology education have sparked meaningful change at UNC School of Medicine, and it’s been a joy to support her as she brings this challenging material to life in new, engaging ways.” 

The accomplishment helps elevate the innovative UNC School of Medicine curriculum to the international stage. Kapustin explained that the grant will allow the School of Medicine to re-imagine the way that embryology and congenital defects are taught at the pre-clinical level to best prepare students for board exams, clinical rotations, and excellent patient care. 

“The grant funds will support the design and implementation of a series of interactive embryology lessons at UNC School of Medicine, using hands-on materials and 3D visualizations to enhance student understanding of foundational concepts in human development,” Kapustin said. “Funds will also cover travel and publication costs to share the project’s outcomes at the IAMSE international conference and in medical education journals.” 

About the IAMSE 

IAMSE is a nonprofit professional development society organized and directed by health professions educators whose goals include promoting excellence and innovation in teaching, student assessment, program evaluation, instructional technology, human simulation, and learner-centered education.

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Ramirez (bottom right) and part of the FunSalud team.

Adie Ramirez has always been one with a passion for global health. She’s visited several countries in Central America, noting the importance of understanding the communities she could one day serve as a physician.  

This past November, with the support of the Office of Global Health Education in the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, she wrapped up a three-month trip to Guatemala. 

During her time there, she partnered with Fundación Para la Salud Integral de Los Guatemaltecos (FunSalud), a research institute that responds to the needs of the Guatemalan population. Ramirez and the team researched malnutrition in the country, revamping the program to shift from addressing acute malnutrition to chronic malnutrition. 

“It was really important work,” said Ramirez, a medical student in the class of 2026. “It could potentially change the way that we treat malnutrition as a whole, particularly in a worldwide setting and in countries who have higher rates of chronic malnutrition.” 

Now, in her final year at the UNC School of Medicine, she recounts the highlights from her time in Guatemala. 

What did a typical day look like? 

For the majority of my trip, I would go out with the field teams. The malnutrition program used tuk tuks to go visit families. Our main goal was to help change the nutrition of these kids. I worked with a nutritionist as she went out to the field, providing nutritional education, anthropometric measurements of the kids, and general advice. 

Adie Ramirez in Guatemala.

A lot of our research ended up changing that flow, seeing the information and bringing in specialists who were able to change the way the information is created and curated for families so that it was more responsive. On our way back, I would sit with the leadership team and talk about things we could change. There was a lot of data collection and going through that as well, which is not the fun part, but I think it’s just as important.

What did your research look like while you were there? 

When I initially got there, there was an internal analysis of the program, and we found that the kids weren’t really improving while they were in our program. We’d see them, and they would still be in a really chronic state of malnutrition. That was hard for us to grapple with, especially because we’re spending a lot of time with these families. We realized something needed to change. 

We added more field workers, we added new vehicles, and we added lectures for the team to be more knowledgeable about the things that we would be seeing. I was in charge of organizing the planning process. It was a shift in the program with how we responded to the families, and it gave us more time with the families. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing. We want to make sure that these moms understood that we were there for their families and were there for their kids. We wanted them to be better and feel better and set them up for success.  

Why was this research particularly impactful? 

A lot of research has shown how important nutrition is in the first 1,000 days. It impacts your neurodevelopment for the rest of your life. Our goal was that we don’t want to capture kids that are two years old. We want to capture them younger and make sure we can get them the nutrition needed in order for them to be successful later on in life. As of now, the program itself has been incredibly successful. We are seeing kids improving. Families are more interactive. We are spending more time with the families. We truly think that it can change the scheme of malnutrition treatment and research.  

Were there any moments from the trip that really stood out? 

I was there long enough to see kids really be able to turn in their care and how they were responding to the program. That was particularly magical for me. I can think of one kid in particular. When I got there, I was terrified because we’re trained to look for alarm signs and red flags. When I first set my eyes on him, I was concerned that he was not going to survive. I was more vigilant about making those visits and being out there with him. By the time I left, he was responding in a way where I said, ‘OK, I can leave and feel really comfortable and really safe that he is going to thrive in a way that he wasn’t before.’ 

How was this trip different from other trips you’ve been on before? 

I think the biggest thing and what I’ve always called for in global health is that the community knows what it needs. The community knows what it wants. It’s our job with our knowledge to provide the hands to get them where they want to be. This program did an incredible job of doing that and listened to what the people needed. FunSalud is an amazing program. The research being done out there is state-of-the-art and revolutionary. I’m really excited to keep talking to everyone about it all the time. 

Some answers were edited and condensed for clarity. 

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