Testimonials
Andrew Deak, MD
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2025
“The people make Temple what it is: an incredible place to train, work, learn, and grow. As a medical student here at Temple, I saw and experienced how knowledgeable and driven the residents were, but I also felt like I was really treated as part of the team. There is no hierarchy in the internal medicine program here at Temple. Each student, resident, and attending is treated with the same respect, and everyone is encouraged to voice their opinions as colleagues. Temple has an extremely unique patient population, provides the highest level of care, and the clinical education here is truly second to none. With all that said, the culture and camaraderie amongst the people here is what made me want to stay here for residency. As a resident, this "Temple Culture" is even more apparent. We all work extremely hard with one another, for one another, and especially for our patients to provide the highest level of care, which inspires a sense of community between everyone here. I could not be prouder to be #TempleMade.”
Koura Sall, DO
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2025
“I visited Philadelphia about 2 years ago during the AMEC, the student national medical association’s conference in Center City. At that time I fell in love with the city, its rich culture, history, and museums and was so inspired by the physicians I met there. I wasn’t familiar with the residency programs in the area but knew that there were great hospitals with strong clinical education. I also knew that I wanted to work with a medically underserved population who would benefit from physicians who are passionate about improving healthcare disparities of minorities communities and improve their health literacy. I wanted to be at a program that provided a lot of cardiac and critical care while providing residents with autonomy and support they need to grow as excellent clinicians. Temple had all of those answers for me and was exactly what I had wished for. Intern year is tough everywhere given the increased responsibility we have as new physicians as well as making several adjustments from being a student to a physician and constantly being challenged. I’m so grateful that I chose Temple because I couldn’t have asked for better co-residents who are so kind, caring, and supportive. I love my Temple family in my home away from home.”
Rachel Thomas, MD
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2025
“Once I was in my fourth year of medical school at Temple and had completed my IM sub-internship, there was no other place I could imagine doing IM residency. I feel so lucky to have matched here for so many reasons! The camaraderie, support, and guidance among the IM residents here is outstanding. Our program leadership is notably accomplished, kind, and diverse, and they represent many of the different perspectives and stories found in medicine today. If I reach out to a fellow resident or faculty for guidance, I will find a helpful hand reaching back. TUH sees an incredible variety of fascinating cases which nurture knowledge in both internal medicine and the subspecialties, and we train with compassionate physician professors who truly enjoy teaching the finer aspects of medicine and want to see us succeed in every way. But perhaps the most important thing is the deeply meaningful relationships we build with the patients at Temple. Many of them may have struggled to care for their health amidst the troubles and triumphs in the story of North Philadelphia. They teach us how to connect and communicate in a unique way, and I think our practice of medicine is more thoughtful and complete because of what we learn from treating them. As resident doctors here, we make a lasting impact and do good in a place that needs us—a place that has much to teach us.”
Moeen Aboabdo, MBBCh MPH
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2024
“Coming from overseas as an international graduate, I was excited to join a large academic institution like Temple. I chose Temple because I wanted to join a program that supports an underserved community in the US. Temple truly lives this message, with inspiring attendings who help navigate our healthcare system to help the community of North Philadelphia. I have also appreciated the autonomy we are given at Temple. This has allowed me to grow my clinical decision-making skills, gain confidence in my abilities, and build strong relationships with patients. I have also appreciated the supportive community at Temple. The residents are always looking out for one another, the attendings are always open to questions, and program leadership are always approachable with feedback or concerns. Finally, I can’t overstate how amazing the people at Temple are. My co-residents are great group to work with but are also the people I choose to unwind with after a long day of work. Whether it is sharing a laugh or discussing a difficult case, there is always someone around to talk to. Coming from Bahrain I am so grateful for the people at Temple, the patients I have been able to learn from, the faculty who taught me, and the mentors who gave me opportunities for growth. I am so glad that I made Philadelphia my home and Temple the program I trained in.”
Nicholas Talabiska, DO
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2024
“Believe it or not, I applied to Temple on the final day of the ERAS window… And it was one of the best decisions I have ever made!
I cannot speak highly enough about the training that we, as Internal Medicine residents, receive at Temple. I am constantly blown away by the quality of clinical practice, scholarly activity and medical education that comes out of this institution. At the end of the day, this is a resident-run hospital which grants us a tremendous deal of autonomy. This is exactly what I was looking for in a training program. Specifically, a place that would allow me to grow into a confident and competent internal medicine physician while allowing me to serve an incredibly diverse and underserved community of patients. As a program, we are fortunate to have been trusted with the opportunity to serve a community that truly needs help and are supported by our teaching staff to do so as we grow into the physicians we dreamed of becoming.
From my interview day until now, I have never felt a stronger sense of camraderie with my co-residents and attendings. Although we come from numerous different backgrounds, we truly are a family in every sense. I have met lifelong friends here that I could have never imagined before starting at Temple. Whether it’s participating in potlucks during the holidays, celebrating significant life events or simply spending a night away from the hospital in one of Philadelphia’s trendy neighborhoods this is a program that consistently chooses candidates that seamlessly fit together to make this program feel like home.”
Lauren Gaffaney, MD MAUB
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2023
“When I was applying for residency, I looked for programs in urban areas with diverse patient populations. I also wanted to be at a hospital that does everything, including transplants and ECMO, and accepts patients from other hospitals. The hospital I rotated at as a medical student was fairly small, so I had to transfer patients to larger medical centers in Boston for most transplants and certainly for ECMO. I didn't want that in residency, I wanted to see everything, and be able to take care of these really sick patients, so I could set myself up for success no matter where I end up practicing in the future. So that is how Temple ended up on my list, but what made me choose Temple was the people. The residents I interacted with on interview day all seemed to genuinely like each other, and the level of participation at noon conference really impressed me. Having trained here for the past two plus years, all these things remain true. We get amazing clinical experience and autonomy managing our patients and running services even as second years. It is an incredible privilege to take care of the population of North Philly, a truly medically underserved community. And despite starting my intern year in June 2020, in the heart of COVID lockdown, my class has become incredibly close. There is no other group I'd rather have at my back in a crisis, or play "Heads Up" with on a night shift.”
Andrew Beckman, MD
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2023
“If you are looking for an IM program that will prepare you for anything, look no further than Temple. We are privileged to be able to care for a very sick and medically underserved population, and you will encounter everything from “bread and butter” cases to unique and interesting complex medical pathologies on a weekly basis. This program values resident autonomy from day 1 of intern year, and with graded supervision from attendings, you WILL feel confident in managing your patients independently by the end of intern year.
When I applied for pulmonary and critical care fellowship, my training made me confident that I would succeed wherever I matched. As a resident, I managed multiple patients on ECMO, CRRT/dialysis, plasmapheresis, LVADs, and guided urgent workups for solid organ transplants (heart, lung, kidney, liver) in both our RICU and CCUs. If you’re procedure-oriented like myself, you can become proficient in central/arterial lines, paracentesis, I&Ds, and laceration repairs to name a few, and take advantage of our ultrasound curriculum to become skilled at POCUS.
Even with all of the great clinical exposures, what truly makes this residency great are my co-residents. I have made some of the strongest friendships you can make here. There is always a co-resident who is willing to help you with a clinical question, procedure, coverage, or even a second opinion. More importantly, there’s always someone trying to do post-nights brunch, explore Philly’s breweries, a Bad Bunny concert, or enjoy some food and football on days off. Overall, I am extremely proud to be #TempleMade and could not imagine having done residency anywhere else.”
Andrew Motzer, MD
Temple, Internal Medicine Residency, Class of 2023
“I knew that I wanted a residency program which would offer me a broad range of pathology with reasonable autonomy to formulate and enact my own plans. Our experience encompasses so many different fields, and throughout my residency I’ve been exposed to a wide array of pathology. I’ve managed critically-ill patients on VA- and VV-ECMO in our RICU and CCU rotations, had exposure to acute leukemias and bone marrow transplants in our BMT unit, and have learned the intricacies of hemodynamics and pulmonary hypertension management on our Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant service. We have so much exposure to cutting-edge therapies, yet I’ve also always felt that my decisions have carried weight, and have had supportive autonomy in enacting plans. I truly believe that few residencies in the country offer the array of pathology that we are exposed to, and even fewer let residents drive management in a responsible manner.
Beyond patient care, our residents have a camaraderie which resounds year after year. I’ve grown tremendously with my class, and feel that I can rely on my residents for help with anything in or out of the hospital. We truly take pride in being “Temple Made,” and I know that the bonds and friendships I’ve developed in residency will last a lifetime.”