When Simone Martin, Class of ’23, opened her Match Day email to see she matched into her top choice residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) at George Washington University, she knew she was on the right path to making a difference for women’s health.
“OB/GYN was truly enjoyable to study because it applied to who I am beyond sports,” Martin said. “As a Black female, being able to directly relate with my patients, help minority communities, and tie that to advocacy for women’s health became the greatest motivation for my journey.”
When she initially enrolled at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), she had done so with a plan to pursue a career in sports medicine. Originally from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Martin grew up as a track and field sprinter. Her abilities on the track earned her opportunities to compete for the Canadian youth national team and a full scholarship to attend Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Academically, Martin merged her athletic abilities with an innate interest in learning about the human body that dates back to high school. “I always enjoyed learning about the body in science classes because it was something I could apply to myself as an athlete. I started looking further into what job tracks I could start on to apply science, sport, and anatomy all in one,” she recalled. At Rice, she majored in kinesiology and added pre-medical coursework along with her primary program curriculum. As becoming a physician started coming into focus in the classroom, the commitment and motivation to realize her dream started coming as naturally as her abilities on the track.
Once she was enrolled at AUC, Martin’s path to OB/GYN didn’t begin until her fourth clinical rotation. Her interest was still in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery, but she ultimately wanted something more out of being able to interact and relate to patients outside the operating room. Her anatomy labs affirmed that she liked having a hands-on approach to patient care, and OB/GYN was the field she felt best intersected hands-on surgery opportunities with clinical primary care and women’s health. It was a departure from sports being one of her drivers to the medical field, but her experience at AUC introduced a new inspiration in patient connections.
“I want to be able to make a difference in any community I serve,” she shared. “Babies are delivered every day everywhere around the world, so OB/GYN services are a global need that could allow me to take my talents anywhere, helping anyone who needs it.”
MATCH DAY 2023
As her journey transitions from AUC to George Washington University’s OB/GYN residency program, Martin looks back fondly on what it took to reach the moment celebrating Match Day with her family. Her parents relocated to Canada from their native Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago and sacrificed a lot for Martin to follow her dreams, both academically and athletically.
Remembering those sacrifices made the week of Match even more rewarding. In preparation for her next chapter, Martin’s mother was by her side when her first Match email arrived on Monday, March 13. The rest of her family was ready to celebrate with her on Friday when she learned of her Match being George Washington, but not without first making Martin wait an extra minute for a moment she had waited for most of her life.
“The Friday email comes in at noon and right when it hit my inbox, they took my phone from me because they weren’t ready to record,” Martin shared with a laugh. “My future was right there waiting for me!”
When she was able to finally open her email, everything that led to her future came to fruition. Realizing she matched to her top choice initially brought about a sense of shock, but in a good way as she describes.
“I'm excited finally to be settled somewhere and be in Washington, DC where I'll enjoy learning so much. There will be a learning curve starting a new chapter, but I'm really excited about being able to take what I'm passionate about and apply it to my career and patients. I can finally say I'm officially a doctor.”
Start your own journey to Match Day at AUC here.
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