Graduates of the VP&S Class of 2026 Reflect on Their Why, What, and What’s Next
This week, Columbia University Irving Medical Center celebrated the graduating Class of 2026 with commencement ceremonies for all four schools. We spoke to seven graduates from various programs at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons about why they chose their degree path, what educational moment made the deepest impression, and how their time at Columbia has prepared them for their next step. Read their stories below.
Juan Baltazar, MD
Why did you pursue an MD?
I decided to pursue an MD after witnessing how meaningful medical care could be for patients whose pain and circumstances were often overlooked. While volunteering as a Spanish interpreter in Kansas City, I worked closely with uninsured patients performing physically demanding jobs, who often delayed care because they could not afford to miss work. During our monthly orthopedic clinic, I saw how relieving chronic pain allowed patients to re-engage with their families, their health, and their daily lives. As an interpreter, I had the privilege of helping build trust between physician and patient and saw firsthand how medicine could restore not only function, but dignity and hope.
Those experiences resonated deeply with me because I could relate to many of the patients we served. Having worked roofing and warehouse jobs myself while growing up on Medicaid, I understood the physical toll that labor can take and the barriers many patients face in accessing care. Pursuing an MD became a way for me to combine my interest in orthopedic surgery with my desire to advocate for patients whose lived experiences mirror my own.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
Dr. Nana Sarpong is someone I consider a mentor within the orthopedics department at Columbia University, taking genuine interest in both my educational and personal goals. On the final day of my acting internship, he remembered it was my last day, congratulated me on my time on his service, and allowed me to assist, under his close supervision, with the tibial cuts during a total knee replacement. It felt like the culmination of a month of steadily increasing responsibility and trust. The day ended with a fist bump that solidified my feeling that Columbia was where I wanted to continue my training.
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
I am staying in Washington Heights to do my orthopedic surgery residency at NYP-Columbia. I want to provide high-quality care to those socioeconomically disadvantaged and face the unique challenges of their health care needs. I want exposure to their problems during my training, so I have my tools ready when I’m an attending. My years at Columbia have given me the privilege of caring for patients across an extraordinary breadth of experiences, from those pursuing complex, individualized care to those on the margins of the health care system, for whom medical attention may come only during moments of crisis. Caring for those with vastly different cultures, values, and resources showed me the importance of meeting the patient where they’re at and helping them get to where they want to be.
Caitlin Coker, MS in genetic counseling
Why did you pursue a degree in genetic counseling?
I decided to pursue a degree in genetic counseling because this career allows me to meaningfully support individuals and families as they adapt to the realities of complex genetic diagnoses. In today’s world, patient’s face challenges accessing holistic health care and accurate information about their genetic health, due to systemic issues or misinformation. Training as a genetic counselor has equipped me with the skills to be able to meet people exactly where they are, spend time learning their priorities, and guide them towards a path that gets them closer to their goals. This career allows me lean into my love for genetics and draw upon my desire to compassionately support individuals and families no matter where they are on their genetics journey.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
Reflecting on my graduate training within Columbia’s Genetic Counseling Program, it is difficult to choose just one memorable educational moment. However, some of the most meaningful experiences that I will be sure to take with me were the “Lived Experience” workshops where we had several opportunities to meet with individuals and families with genetic diagnoses who had shared their experiences in documentary films. Each of these workshops provided an opportunity for me to remember why I want to be a genetic counselor and to recognize how resilient our patients are. I aim to take these experiences with me as I begin my own practice and ensure that the patient’s lived experience is at the center of all the work that I do.
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
Following graduation, I hope to take time to reflect on the personal and professional growth, meaningful relationships, and learning that I have experienced over the past 21 months. I plan on taking much needed time to relax and spend time with loved ones before beginning my work as a research genetic counselor within the Translational Neuroscience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. I am incredibly excited to join this fantastic team and apply all the important skills and lessons that I have learned during my time at Columbia. During this time, I will also be studying for the genetic counseling board certification exam in August!
Julia Davis-Porada, MD, PhD
Why did you pursue an MD and a PhD in the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Studies?
Since first learning the scientific method in middle school, I have always loved conducting experiments, and since starting my formal laboratory training as an undergraduate, I have been drawn to research questions at the intersection of clinical care and basic science. While studying systemic lupus erythematosus after college, I saw how the roles of physician and scientist can blend, and I was inspired by mentors who both treated patients and examined the basic science underlying their conditions, using those insights to develop improved therapeutic and diagnostic methods. I ultimately pursued the medical scientist training program to develop the skills to do the same.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
Every class, clinical clerkship, and patient encounter has shaped my practice, but one case was particularly memorable. I helped care for a patient with chronic disease who had a miraculous recovery after receiving the appropriate treatment, and I was able to get to know them as a person beyond their illness. Despite their improvement, the patient ultimately died from complications of their disease. In this case I witnessed both the magic and limitations of medicine. It reinforced how meaningful it is for me to build relationships with patients, the importance of humility, the need for research, and how clinicians, patients, and families can come together during both moments of health and times of crisis.
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
I will be starting my internal medicine residency in UCLA’s Physician Scientist Training Program with the goal of becoming a rheumatologist studying tissue immunology in autoimmune diseases. Columbia’s highly diverse patient population has enabled me to develop communication skills, and the extreme complexity of cases I observed has built my fund of knowledge. Additionally, my research training, along with the guidance of many clinical mentors, taught me how to approach challenging questions systematically and the reasoning skills needed to work through uncertainty. I anticipate these experiences will serve me well through residency and beyond.
Jennifer Gamarra, PhD
Why did you pursue a PhD in the Integrated Program for Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences?
I chose to pursue a PhD to improve human health through scientific research. Growing up in a small town, I was never exposed to scientific research. Because I enjoyed biology/science classes, I thought I should pursue medical school and become a physician. It wasn’t until college, while on a pre-med track at the University of Miami, that I was exposed to benchwork and found I really enjoyed it. I realized that what scientists do in labs can be translated into clinics to help a large range of people, from those with rare diseases to people with more common disorders. Choosing to come to Columbia meant I could pursue this translational research.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
My most memorable educational moment stemmed from my PhD program’s scientific retreat. A huge benefit to being in the umbrella PhD program was that our retreats had a broad range of topics from completely different fields. My thesis project focused on whole-body metabolism, and while presenting at a retreat I found a common interest with members from Anum Glasgow’s lab in the structural biology field that cultivated into a great collaboration that is still ongoing. Soon, I left my comfort zone of cell biology and was using biochemical techniques previously unfamiliar to me to isolate proteins from bacteria and analyzing protein structures.
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
After graduation I moved to Philadelphia to pursue a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in the lab of Joe Baur. Being in the lab of Becky Haeusler at Columbia taught me how to formulate challenging research questions that push the boundary of our field of knowledge. The Haeusler lab, the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, and the PhD program instilled the importance of collaboration in science and how bringing together scientists from diverse backgrounds makes the research stronger. I’m looking forward to continuing collaborative research in metabolism during my postdoc at Penn.
Katelyn Gonzalez, PT, DPT
Why did you pursue a degree in physical therapy?
I decided to pursue a degree in physical therapy because of my personal experience with the profession and desire to help patients regain function in creative ways. I have always had an interest in becoming a health care professional but struggled to find a discipline that aligned with the values I wanted to support in patient care. After a variety of clinical experiences as an undergraduate, both as a student and patient, I realized that physical therapy matched what I was looking for: increased interaction with patients, direct impact on their mobility and function, high importance on communication, holistic consideration of the patient, and ability to work in a variety of settings. Physical therapists serve as movement experts, leaders of conversations, and advocates for patients.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
My most memorable educational moment at VP&S was taking part in the Teaching Practicum Elective during my third year. The elective is highly selective and geared towards students with interested in teaching at DPT programs. My participation in this elective included teaching a gross anatomy lecture to first-year students and an orthopedics lecture to second-year students. Having the opportunity to learn teaching strategies from professors who have taught me the last three years was truly impactful. I not only learned how to teach content, but I learned how to be a more effective communicator and better understand my audience. I am increasingly passionate about teaching and grateful for the opportunity to have such a unique educational experience beyond entry level.
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
After graduation I plan to begin a sports residency at the University of Delaware. The residency will focus on the sports certification specialization curriculum offered to DPTs, in addition to event coverage of baseball and other sports at the university. My time at Columbia has adequately prepared me through my coursework and clinical experiences. Thanks to the amazing clinical education team, I was able to set up two clinical experiences in professional baseball that have given me the opportunity to develop clinical skills in my desired setting. I am a better person and clinician because of my time at Columbia.
Jenny Vo-Phamhi, MD
Why did you pursue an MD?
Several varied experiences led me to medical school. I double-majored in computer science and classics at Stanford and studied archaeology at Oxford, supported by the Ertegun Graduate Scholarship. I enjoyed applying computational methods to research in bioengineering, archaeology, and human rights and was seriously considering careers in engineering or archaeology, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was inspired by health care workers and drawn to medicine.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
I sometimes think back to one of my first days rotating in the hospital. I was reviewing my patient’s chart and saw a note written by a classmate who was with a different specialty team. I remember thinking about how nice it was to be caring for a patient alongside a friend, even though we were physically in different parts of the hospital. Since then, my attendings, residents, classmates, and other hospital team members have continued to show me how meaningful it is to develop good relationships, and how important this is for patient care. As we have been taught since the first day of medical school, medicine really is a team sport!
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
I will spend one year as an intern at Sutter Health in Oakland and four years as a radiology resident at Stanford. I will then pursue a fellowship and subsequently an attending position at an academic medical center. I hope to spend my career caring for patients, teaching, and using my computer science and humanities backgrounds to help improve health care for vulnerable populations. I have learned so much from my VP&S teachers and classmates about how to serve compassionately and lead wisely for the benefit of our patients, our communities, and each other.
Tania Wathington Thomas, MS in occupational therapy
Why did you pursue a degree in occupational therapy?
I knew occupational therapy was for me through meaningful encounters throughout my life. Therapy influenced me as a student, dancer, instructor, and through relationships with family members. Being a dancer, I learned early on the importance of holistic well-being—dance is about the whole person. Teaching dance taught me that guiding students goes beyond skill-building; it’s about adapting movement into something valuable and enjoyable. This experience helped me appreciate OT’s significance.
Occupational therapy combines my peak interests: science and creativity, holistic perspective, advocacy, quality of life, and meaningful activities. I have also witnessed family members impacted by chronic illness or disability. Their everyday lives were affected, with basic activities and hobbies left behind, impacting their well-being. Once I discovered OT, I was amazed by how the profession addresses these critical aspects. Life is about living, and that holds different importance for every person. Occupational therapy helps people gain independence and confidence in their abilities and well-being, which is life-changing. I don’t think I chose OT; I think OT chose me.
What was your most memorable educational moment at VP&S?
My most memorable educational moment was our Advocacy Day trip to the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York. My class had the opportunity to advocate for five state-level health and occupational therapy-related bills, focusing on expanding access to maternal and youth mental health services, early intervention, and community-based care models. It helped me understand what goes into policy, legislation, and advocacy at the state level. It was exciting to see how many different universities and organizations came out to advocate for their causes to support statewide needs and issues. This trip had a significant impact on my experience, giving me the skills and confidence to advocate and showing me how we can all make a difference if we come together and put in the work.
What’s next after graduation, and how has your time at Columbia prepared you?
I look forward to becoming a well-rounded clinician, to advancing health care, and to serving the community. Columbia’s Occupational Therapy Program has equipped me to explore many OT specialties and clinical settings. The program provided a strong scientific and humanistic foundation, along with a mindset for analysis and innovation. Wherever my career leads, I am confident this program has provided me with the skills to embrace new challenges and remain an engaged learner.