St. George’s University Grads Making their Mark in their Hometowns

Practicing medicine is a rewarding career. For new doctors, returning to the communities they call home to practice medicine can be even more gratifying.

Starting a medical residency close to home can offer personal and professional satisfaction, including:

• Being near family and loved ones during a demanding time of their career,
• Being able to relate to and serve a community they understand well,
• Starting at a desired hospital/medical residency program, or
• Addressing a need for doctors in a specific area.

Interestingly enough, just over 50 percent of residents choose to continue working in the state where they did residency, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“We see many students who look to continue their education and training in areas where they grew up and have family,” says Dr. Robert Grant, senior associate dean, clinical studies, at St. George’s University School of Medicine. “Following residency, these SGU-trained doctors will become a well-known and highly capable pool of physicians. They are the kind of doctors—especially those who choose to enter primary care—that many communities need.”

SGU-trained medical doctors have the opportunity to practice medicine in their desired location, like their home state or town. In fact, SGU doctors have practiced in every state in the US, in a wide variety of specialties. In 2024 alone,

We talked with five SGU medical graduates who chose to become hometown physicians.

A strong support system close by

Residency is one of the most critical periods of a physician’s training. Filled with long hours, the transition from student to medical resident can be overwhelming for some. Newly-minted doctors have plenty to grow accustomed to—from the responsibility of caring for actual patients to the dramatic increase in administrative duties to the mental and physical exhaustion of being a resident doctor. Being close by to a strong support system, similar to the support system students had while at SGU, can help ease the transition from student to practitioner.

Chassidy Groover, MD ’24, an internal medicine-pediatrics resident at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA, hopes to learn as much as she can during residency while exploring subspecialty options within Med-Peds.

Dr. Groover ranked Tulane as a top residency program for several reasons: her love of New Orleans, the ability to train at a major academic center, and to also be in a position to help the overall patient population of her home state of Louisiana. The added benefit of being near her family and support system in her hometown of Covington, LA, has helped her adjust to the demands of residency.

“Working close to home is much more rewarding than I ever imagined,” Dr. Groover says. “I have to admit that it wasn’t the most important thing when I was first applying to residency; however, I’m definitely glad it worked out in my favor. Now that I’m here, I honestly cannot imagine training anywhere else.

Relating to the unique healthcare needs of patients

Kelise Harris, MD ’24, is an anatomical/clinical pathology resident at Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY—just a few miles from her hometown of Mount Vernon, NY.

Experiencing a residency close to home means Dr. Harris can better understand “what my patients’ needs are, the common pathologies they may present, the circumstances that create these pathologies, and the pathways in which they may progress,” she says.

“It is a great feeling to be part of a healthcare system that is local to me and my community,” she adds. “You form deeper, meaningful connections with your practice when it’s familiar territory; you no longer work from a place of trying to imagine yourself in someone’s shoes when you can draw from a well of genuine empathy because I am reminded that I am helping my neighbor.” -Kelise Harris, anatomical/clinical pathology resident at Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

“It is a great feeling to be part of a healthcare system that is local to me and my community. You no longer work from a place of trying to imagine yourself in someone’s shoes when you can draw from a well of genuine empathy because I am reminded that I am helping my neighbor.”

Answering the call for more rural medicine doctors

The need for more physicians is most dire in areas called medical or healthcare deserts—areas where there is little to no healthcare access for residents.

In Texas for example, many residents live outside of major metropolitan areas and as such face a lack of sufficient access to healthcare services, exacerbating health and healthcare challenges.

Zakaria Abdi, MD ’24, a family medicine resident at DeTar Healthcare System in Victoria, TX, is hoping to be a part of the solution.

Dr. Abdi was attracted to DeTar’s residency program due to plenty of hands-on training opportunities that will help him attain his ultimate career goal: opening a full-scope practice in a rural community, he says.

“Match Day was the pinnacle of my achievements in medical school. I was euphoric when I matched in Texas. I wanted to stay close to my hometown or at the very least be no more than a few hours away,” says Dr. Abdi, who hails from Houston, TX. He also prioritized practicing “in an environment where they have strong family values, and I can follow up with [patients] more often.”

Continuing humanitarian interests, close to home

Michelle Lui, MD ’24, is an internal medicine resident at Washington State University-Everett, close to her hometown of Bellevue, WA. Following med school, she knew she wanted to return home to practice medicine.

“I was incredibly ecstatic on Match Day when I found out I matched at WSU! The residency program fit all of the qualities I was looking for in a program, [including] excellent mentorship from attendings and amongst residents, autonomy, and opportunities for scholarly activity and procedures,” says Dr. Lui, who aspires to be a gastroenterologist.

Importantly, coming home will also allow her to continue her passion for advocating for and promoting women’s health.

While on campus, Dr. Lui was actively involved with SGU’s Women in Medicine Club, one of SGU’s 80+ student organizations, where she served as the vice president of volunteer opportunities. She helped to organize and promote educational seminars on breast cancer and cervical cancer, as well as a free health clinic for breast exams and pap smears for the Grenadian community.

“My positive experiences with the WIM Club fueled my desire to continue this passion for advocacy and service during my time in residency,” she says. “I knew that I wanted to return back to Washington state to continue this mission.”

A desire to give back to their community

Will Arata, MD ’24, is also completing his postgraduate training in New Orleans, LA, which is about 70 miles south of his hometown of Bogalusa. Being able to complete his residency training there allows him to give back to the area where he grew up—an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up.

As a first-year anesthesiology resident at Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Dr. Arata said the hospital was his “number one choice” for residency.

Louisiana also has a drastically underserved population when it comes to primary care, Dr. Arata says.

“A lot of patients have uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, and metastatic cancers that with proper primary care screening might have been avoided. Patients come to the hospital very sick, and we do our best to treat them,” he adds.

As a hometown physician, Dr. Arata loves being able to make a difference in the community that raised him—an opportunity that he thanks SGU for giving him.

“People I haven’t seen in years will come up to me in the hospital, shake my hand, and tell me how proud they are that someone is in the OR that’s ‘one of us.’ I feel immense pride being from here. Knowing that I’m treating the same community that raised me motivates me every morning with energy and gives me a positive outlook on my career,” he says.

Are you ready to start your medical career?

The SGU graduates featured above are making their mark as hometown physicians, but the career options are endless when pursuing a medical degree. From high school prep to medical residency and beyond, check out our resource Journey to Become an MD which provides information and advice to help guide you at each stage of your medical career.

For more information about SGU’s School of Medicine, visit our request information page.