A decade after winning the Nobel Prize, the UNC professor continues to push the boundaries of discovery while inspiring the next generation and building cultural bridges between the United States and Türkiye.

From advancing community care, pursuing competitive specialties, to becoming a first-generation student, these are the stories of four medical students as they persevered to Match Day 2025.

Athena Stein, postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Flavio Frohlich, PhD, professor of psychiatry, is developing next-generation non-invasive brain stimulation treatments alongside her new family in the lab.

Helping people with musculoskeletal problems reduce their pain and live a better life full of mobility is a professional goal that UNC School of Medicine 4th-year student Spencer Sullivan is pursuing. Originally from Franklin, Indiana, he shares more about pivotal moments that led him to want to pursue a career in orthopedics.

UNC School of Medicine 4th-year student Supriya Caton had the desire to include mental health, wellness and medicine into her primary care focus as a physician. From Fuquay Varina, she shares how she saw her potential while working in great community-based primary care and why building relationships matters most when becoming a doctor.

From learning about STEM in high school to majoring in biology and exercise & sport science, UNC School of Medicine 4th-year student Meera Parikh gained in-depth knowledge on human anatomy, physics, and physiology during undergrad. With this experience, Meera knew pursuing a career in medicine was her next step. From Monroe, NC, she explains what she loves most about attending medical school at Carolina.

UNC School of Medicine 4th-year student Uty Utin, originally from Nigeria, has lived in North Carolina since he was 5-years-old. As a youth with a penchant more for music than medicine, it wasn’t until a trip to Central America that his interest in medicine was sparked.

The UNC MD/PhD Program received five more years of T32 funding from the NIH/NIGMS as a Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), securing NIH funding through June 2029 and increasing the number of MD/PhD training slots from 16 to 21.

Taghreed Mohammed Al-Turki, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the UNC Lineberger lab of Jack Griffith, PhD, describes her long, difficult, and rewarding journey of becoming a telomere scientist as a first-time mother at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

In this Vital Signs series, we feature UNC School of Medicine recent graduate Madeline Thornton, MD, MPH. From Raleigh, North Carolina, Dr. Thornton recognized the importance of global health practice and the pivotal role doctors play during undergrad. She shares more about beginning her residency in her home state and the privilege of working in reproductive health.

In this new Vital Signs series, we feature graduate student Katherine Eltz in the Papadopoulou lab. Combining her passions in marine biology and biomedical engineering, Eltz studies the physiology of decompression sickness in scuba divers, astronauts, and sea turtles using ultrasound imaging techniques.

Third-year UNC School of Medicine student Joshua Hale led a study on how medical educators use generative AI. The goal of the study is to better understand how educators can most effectively implement AI tools in curriculum.

Tag: Students

The Enduring Legacy of Dr. Aziz Sancar

The Road to Match Day. Four Medical Students Share Their Journeys.

How an Australian Researcher Found Her Home at UNC-Chapel Hill

Five Questions with Spencer Sullivan

Five Questions with Supriya Caton

Five Questions with Meera Parikh

Five Questions with Uty Utin

UNC MD/PhD Program Celebrates 25 Years as an NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program

“You Can Be Both,” A Single Mom’s Journey to Becoming a Renowned Telomere Scientist

Five Questions with Madeline Thornton

Five Questions with Katherine Eltz

Researchers Explore Generative AI Benefits and Shortfalls in Medical Education