Match Day 2020

On March 20th, fourth year medical students from all over the country learned where they were matched for residency. The anticipation and excitement was still at an all-time high even though many Match Day celebrations were done virtually instead of in-person due to COVID-19. A brand new journey awaits for these eager future doctors.

Emory’s Department of Pediatrics (DOP) Residency Training Program is proud to announce the match of 25 Core Program residents, 3 Child Neurology residents, and 1 Pediatrics/Medical Genetics resident. Nine residents are from Georgia medical schools including Emory, Morehouse and Medical College of Georgia. One resident is a MD/PhD who has done research about neuroblastoma and will be the first trainee to enter a new research track at Emory’s DOP.

We caught up with a couple of our future residents who share a bit more about themselves!

The Department of Pediatrics is proud to welcome our 2020-2021 first year residents!

Bayley Bennett

Bayley Bennett is from Augusta, GA. For undergraduate school, she attended the University of Georgia and studied biology and psychology. Bayley attended the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University for medical school. In her free time, Bayley enjoys traveling, hiking, riding her bike, listening to podcasts, watching Netflix, and exploring new restaurants and foods.

“Emory stood out to me while on the interview trail for several reasons. I love that Atlanta is a thriving, diverse city and offers plenty of outdoor activities. I also have many loved ones and friends who live in the area, and I knew having a support system nearby would be very important for me during residency. When I visited on my interview day, the faculty, residents, and staff were all very welcoming and I knew that Emory was a place where I wanted to be.”

Why did you want to become a doctor? I’ve wanted to become a doctor, more specifically a pediatrician for as long as I can remember. Apparently when I was younger, I told my mother I wanted to sing to my patients and draw them pictures. Teaching and mentoring have been passions of mine throughout my life, and when I fell in love with biology and anatomy, pediatrics was the perfect combination.

What are you hoping to learn as a resident? As a resident, I hope to learn how to best serve my patients and their families. I want to be able to help them navigate the healthcare system and provide them with the tools to become happy and healthy members of society. I also want to learn how to work effectively as part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team. Medicine is a group effort, and I am only one of many team members.

“As a native Georgian, I cannot wait to start giving back to my community as a healthcare professional. I am excited to have this opportunity and cannot wait to get started!”

Zachary West

Zachary West is from Seattle, Washington. He majored in biochemistry at Saint Mary’s College of California during undergraduate school and attended Emory University School of Medicine for medical school. His hobbies include going on walks and hikes with his golden retriever, playing board games, cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, and volunteering in the community.

Why did you choose Emory for residency? Having worked and learned from many of them, Emory trains well-rounded, compassionate, and successful residents who are equipped to handle all aspects of pediatric care. I have found excellent mentors in many of the pediatric attendings who have inspired me with their commitment to patients and their families. Emory offers exposure to a wide patient population with routine and complex clinical presentations. I know that the high volume of patient care will make me an outstanding physician one day. I am happy to have matched at Emory with my fiancé who will be going into dermatology and I have a great support system of family members in the Atlanta area.

“I first knew that I wanted to become a doctor after my mother suffered a severe burn and I saw the power of the doctor-patient relationship. I later knew I wanted to be a pediatrician because of the joy of working with children and being able to provide comfort to patients and their families during challenging times. I look forward to going to work every day when working at the children’s hospital and I hope to make a positive impact on my patients’ lives.”

What are you hoping to learn as a resident? I am looking forward to learning every day from my attendings, colleagues and patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta so I can be a well-trained general pediatrician by the end of residency. While improving my clinical skills, I hope to further explore the art of medicine and my own interpretation of the physician’s duty to humanity.

What are your future goals? While I am keeping my options open, I have had a great experience researching with the pediatric oncology group at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. I would like to be a clinician educator in academic medicine as teaching is a passion of mine.