*The 3-year first-time residency attainment rate is the weighted average of the 2022-23, through 2024-25 academic years. For each year, the rate is the percent of students attaining a residency out of all graduates or expected graduates in the year who were active applicants in the NRMP match in that year or who attained a residency outside the NRMP match in that year. The 1-year first-time residency attainment rate is 95% for 2024-2025 graduates.
Dr. Zynab Hassan: A Passion for Healing and for Paying It Forward
In first grade, Zynab Hassan, MD ’09, was so fascinated by a book in her school library about the human body – “How We Cough, Sneeze and Hiccup” – that the library dedicated the copy to her. “I just had this curiosity about how the human body worked,” she says. It was the beginning of a lifelong curiosity and passion for medicine.
Today, Dr. Hassan serves as medical director of urgent care services at Holy Cross Health in Florida, with more than a decade of practice behind her in a specialty field she describes as the perfect fit. “Urgent care is the ideal mix of emergency and family medicine,” she explains. “You have to think fast and know a little about everything and be ready to switch gears with every room. One patient could be a toddler with a fever, the next a 90-year-old with a broken wrist, the next someone needing blood pressure meds.”
Today, Dr. Hassan serves as medical director of urgent care services at Holy Cross Health in Florida, with more than a decade of practice behind her in a specialty field she describes as the perfect fit. “Urgent care is the ideal mix of emergency and family medicine,” she explains. “You have to think fast and know a little about everything and be ready to switch gears with every room. One patient could be a toddler with a fever, the next a 90-year-old with a broken wrist, the next someone needing blood pressure meds.”
In first grade, Zynab Hassan, MD ’09, was so fascinated by a book in her school library about the human body – “How We Cough, Sneeze and Hiccup” – that the library dedicated the copy to her. “I just had this curiosity about how the human body worked,” she says. It was the beginning of a lifelong curiosity and passion for medicine.
Today, Dr. Hassan serves as medical director of urgent care services at Holy Cross Health in Florida, with more than a decade of practice behind her in a specialty field she describes as the perfect fit. “Urgent care is the ideal mix of emergency and family medicine,” she explains. “You have to think fast and know a little about everything and be ready to switch gears with every room. One patient could be a toddler with a fever, the next a 90-year-old with a broken wrist, the next someone needing blood pressure meds.”
Today, Dr. Hassan serves as medical director of urgent care services at Holy Cross Health in Florida, with more than a decade of practice behind her in a specialty field she describes as the perfect fit. “Urgent care is the ideal mix of emergency and family medicine,” she explains. “You have to think fast and know a little about everything and be ready to switch gears with every room. One patient could be a toddler with a fever, the next a 90-year-old with a broken wrist, the next someone needing blood pressure meds.”
Mentorship to Help Students Be Prepared
A class of 2009 alumna, and chief resident at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Texas, Dr. Hassan has built not just a storied medical career, but a reputation for helping others. Her work guiding students entering the field is one of the many reasons she was honored with AUC’s Alumni Ambassador Award this year.
Her mentorship and support of medical students goes far beyond advice. At admission events across the country, she’s conducted suture workshops, mini medical camps and one-on-one mentorship. “I love workshops,” she says. “It’s not just me talking. It’s hands-on. I teach students how to hold the instruments, how to get a feel for [suturing]. Some realize that it’s definitely for them. Others not – and that’s just as valuable.” It’s important, she believes, for students to know about the many directions they can take in medicine and the importance of staying open-minded amid the pressures of residency matching and residency itself.
“When I was applying, I interviewed in family medicine, OB/GYN, and internal medicine,” she recalls. “I believed whatever was meant for me would happen—and I matched in one of my top choices, in Texas, where I had family. It all worked out.”
Dr. Hassan also mentors a wide range of students including MD, PA, and NP at her clinic. “If I hadn’t gone into medicine, I think I would have gone into teaching,” she says. “But in a way I get to do both now. I want students to be prepared for what real practice is like.”
When asked to sum up her best advice for students at AUC, she offers this. “Never give up,” she says. “You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll learn from them. Have grit. Be determined. And make sure you have a great support system on the island and at home.”
AUC recognized Dr. Hassan and other alumni award winners during the 2025 commencement ceremony, which was held this year on the campus of the University of Miami. This return to the University of Miami campus to accept her AUC award brought it full circle for Dr. Hassan, who had earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and religion at the University of Miami. “It was so emotional,” she says. “I stood there and thought, ‘Wow, I really went through all of this. Time goes by so fast.”
“You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll learn from them. Have grit. Be determined.”
The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. AUC is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.
