2022 Subspecialties Match | Emory School of Medicine

We matched almost 100% of our open fellowship positions in 2022! This is a true testament to our remarkable training programs backed by unparalleled clinical and research opportunities. 27 subspecialties, 60 positions offered, 58 matched!

We caught up with a few of our future fellows in this Q&A!

Nina Bence

What led you to your specialty?

I have always been interested in medicine and anatomy. I grew up riding horses and used to shadow small and large animal vets when I was younger. I ultimately pursued a career in human medicine, and as a medical student I rotated on a pediatric surgery service and fell in love. I am drawn to the patient population, disease processes, and ability to perform a broad range of operative procedures that a career in pediatric surgery affords.

What were some of the key factors you looked at when selecting your top choices for your fellowship?

I wanted a busy program that would give me a great breadth of experience including trauma, critical care/ECMO, and minimally invasive operative techniques. I was also looking for a program that "felt right" with a supportive environment between faculty and fellows.

Why Emory and Children’s?

All the factors listed above - the Emory/CHOA pediatric surgery group had all that and more! I wrote down at the top of my paper the day of the interview "#1 feel!"

What are you most excited about as you look to start your fellowship and move (if applicable) to Atlanta?

Coming from Wisconsin I am looking forward to some warmer weather and to experience a different part of the country. I have heard great things about the food scene in Atlanta which my fiance and I are very excited about. I also can't wait to finally get started on the last part of my journey to becoming a pediatric surgeon!

Is there a specific area of research that particularly interests you?

Most of my research in residency was focused on clinical outcomes in common pediatric surgical disease processes such as gastroschisis, tracheoesophageal fistula, and appendicitis. That is the type of research I hope to continue to focus on in my career. I am especially interested in multi-institutional collaborations that provide larger sample sizes and can therefore yield more robust results and lead to changes in clinical practice.

Taylor Montminy

What led you to your specialty?

I was exposed to both nutritional and metabolic aspects of GI growing up- my mom is a pediatrician who focuses on neonatal nutrition and breastmilk research, while my father is a researcher who runs a metabolics lab looking at obesity and type 2 diabetes. That’s kind of where the idea of going into GI first started.

Once I became a pediatric resident- I think I just loved how many different ways I could be involved in a patient’s care in GI. My GI rotation during my intern year was by far one of my most transformative months. I saw such a breadth of pathology and acuity- intestinal failure, IBD, liver transplant, pancreatitis. The way we were able to support these patients as part of the GI team really felt like we could improve their quality of life. I also gravitated towards the procedural aspect, almost being able to function as a detective and really hunt down the pathology that was causing a patients’ symptoms.

What were some of the key factors you looked at when selecting your top choices for your fellowship?

One of the big factors was that my husband and I needed to both match in the same city for our respective fellowships – without the advantage of having a “couples match”. In that vein, finding programs that supported us in both matching somewhere was really important. We were looking for a city that would have a great adult pulm/critical care program and pediatric GI program at a big academic center. I also knew that I wanted a fellowship program that would not only see a lot of patient volume and diversity, but would also support me as a clinician researcher in the field.

Why Emory and Children’s?

Emory was a place that my husband and I gravitated towards during our couples match for residency, so we were ecstatic when our respective fellowships exceeded our expectations. On our interview days, we both left our home “interview office” with big smiles on our faces. I felt so at ease talking to my interviewers about their research, their personal and professional growth at CHOA. Even though I didn’t have the luxury of meeting everyone in person, I was confident that it was a great fit for my personality and my goals as a future peds GI doctor.

What are you most excited about as you look to start your fellowship and move (if applicable) to Atlanta?

I’m so excited to move to Atlanta! We are looking forward to being first time home buyers and finally having a yard for our (entitled) goldendoodle Cheese. I can’t wait to meet my co-fellows, learn more about my future specialty, and find a research project that I am passionate about.

Is there a specific area of research that particularly interests you?

Currently the front runner is inflammatory bowel disease. I have a background in immunology and genetics research, so with that I’m hoping to learn more about bench research projects in the field of IBD.

Christian Oliveros

What led you to your specialty?

I love telling this story! Simply put, I fell into this specialty by complete luck.

I took a rheumatology elective at the beginning of my second year of residency just to become a better overall pediatrician. During this rotation, I absolutely fell in love with the field. What really drew me to rheumatology was the incredible pathology/pathophysiology, complex medical diagnoses, unique physical examination, and critical thinking that is so crucial to the field. Most importantly, I loved how rheumatologists shared a longitudinal relationship with their patients/families that is unlike so many specialties – and it is something that I want to share with every patient I work with in the future.

What were some of the key factors you looked at when selecting your top choices for your fellowship?

Personally, I was looking for the right program culture, diversity of patient population (especially for a field like rheumatology), a great city to explore while out of work, and most importantly happy fellows!

Why Emory and Children’s?

I personally chose Emory and CHOA for all of the aforementioned reasons! (to the above question)

During my (virtual) interview day, every faculty member I interviewed with was so incredibly kind, intelligent, and supportive. I knew that, without a doubt, I would be challenged and molded to become the best rheumatologist I can be - yet supported every single step of the way. Additionally, the fellows I met were among the happiest along the interview trail, which made me feel reassured that Emory and CHOA is an amazing place to train.

The city of Atlanta has incredible diversity which matters so much in a field like rheumatology. Whether it be juvenile idiopathic arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus, Emory and CHOA has it all.

What are you most excited about as you look to start your fellowship and move (if applicable) to Atlanta?

This might sound silly, but what immediately comes to my mind is having access back to the greatest supermarket in the world – Publix. My first meal upon arrival will be a whole chicken tender sub, and no one can tell me otherwise.

I am so excited to explore the city as a whole! Most notably, I am a huge soccer fan and am very excited to go to an Atlanta United game! My allegiance lies with Sporting Kansas City, but I am happy to have an MLS Eastern Conference team I can support (haha!) behind SKC!

Is there a specific area of research that particularly interests you?

I definitely want to take time during my first year to explore what I want to focus on during my research months. I am very interested in clinical research regarding systemic autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders such as systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, CRMO, TINU, and systemic lupus erythematosus. I would love to focus on appropriate wean schedules (when appropriate) as I feel that this is a common question so many rheumatologists get asked in their practice.