Phyllis Parkansky has been connected to the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (Katz) for her entire life, from her first breath.
She was born at Jeanes Hospital, a Temple hospital, while her mother was still finishing her medical degree. She attended her mother's graduation from Katz in 1999 at just 6 months old. And on May, 8th, 2026 she crossed the stage at the Kimmel Center to receive her own M.D., with her mother already waiting on stage, ready to place the hood around her shoulders.
Some full-circle moments take a lifetime to arrive. This one had been 26 years in the making.
Her Own Path, Her Own Choice
Phyllis never seriously considered any other career.
"I don't remember a time when I didn't want to be just like my mom," she said.
But following in her mother's footsteps didn't mean simply following. Phyllis attended the University of Pennsylvania for her undergraduate degree, carving out her own identity before making the decision that felt, ultimately, like coming home.
When it came time for medical school, she chose Katz.
"What better choice than the place where my mom got her footing?" she said. "I wanted to stay in Philly, and I knew what this place had given her. I wanted that for myself too."
What she found exceeded what she expected.
"Temple has such strong clinical training," Parkansky said. "The attendings trust you, they put you in right away. It's not 'come shadow us.' It's 'talk to this patient, do this procedure.' They really care about making us into doctors. I think it's given me an edge compared to people at other institutions."
Training in North Philadelphia also gave her something no textbook could provide.
"I grew up in the suburbs," she said. "Training at Temple, serving such a diverse population, it's made me grow as a person and as a doctor. You're better equipped to take care of anyone because of this experience."
The Finish Line She Held Onto
Medical school is hard. Phyllis won't pretend otherwise. There were long stretches Step 2 dedicated, sub-internships, residency applications, when the road ahead felt impossibly long.
During one of the hardest days of her Step 2 dedicated period, she paused her studying for a moment and did something that carried her through.
"I live-streamed graduation [2025]," Parkansky said. "Every time a family member hooded their kid, I thought, it's going to be me. Please let it be me. I just kept thinking about the finish line: my mom is going to hood me at graduation, and everything is going to be okay."
She made it. She matched into urology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson, staying in the Northeast, close to home.
"Pinch me," she said, laughing softly. "I can't believe it's here."
The Story Behind the Story
To understand what this moment meant to Phyllis, you have to understand where her family started.
Her mother, Inessa Parkansky, MD ‘99, immigrated from the former Soviet Union at 16. Her grandmother, Dora Khrizman, a physician who gave up her medical career when the family came to America, channeled that same love for patients into a career in childcare, eventually becoming a daycare director. She was in the audience at Kimmel Center on graduation day, watching her granddaughter receive the degree that traced back, in its own way, to everything Dora sacrificed.
Inessa came to Temple for her undergraduate degree, then earned her spot at Katz, and the path to admission was not guaranteed. At her medical school interview, a pharmacology professor named Dr. [Concetta] Harakal took a genuine interest in her story. As Inessa remembers it, Harakal assured her she would advocate for her before the admissions committee and expressed confidence that she would be an asset to the incoming class.
"She took a chance on my potential," Inessa said. "She gave me confidence when I needed it most. I carried that moment with me throughout my entire career."
Inessa went on to become a nephrologist, practicing in Montgomery County Temple Hospital - Jeanes campus and Fox Chase Cancer Center. Phyllis is now beginning her career in urology, two physicians, two specialties, one family's enduring commitment to medicine
A Hooding 26 Years in the Making
When Phyllis's name was called at commencement, Inessa was already on stage. Phyllis walked up. Her mother placed the hood around her shoulders, the same academic tradition Inessa experienced at Katz in 1999.
Before the ceremony, the two sat together flipping through Inessa's old yearbook and discovered she still had her commencement tickets from 1999. She recalls holding hers next to Phyllis's.
Twenty-six years. The same school. The same dream. The same thread, never broken.
"This is our family's version of the American dream," Phyllis said. "I'm just really proud of what we've done."
Inessa, for her part, was still searching for the words.
"It almost feels surreal," she said. "I thought about that little 6-month-old at my graduation, and all the years in between the sacrifices, the milestones, the challenges I overcame. And how proud I am. Not just of her accomplishments. But of the person she has become."