Humanizing Geisel: The Podcast

Specialty Spotlight: Path to General Surgery Residency - Student Perspective

In this episode, we sit down with a group of 4th-year medical students at Geisel - Christina Sierra, Connor Bridges, Evan Watkins -  who share with is their experiences navigating an interesting journey of applying to general surgery residency. They share valuable insights into what it’s really like to pursue a career in surgery, from the challenges of the application process to the rewarding moments that reaffirm their passion for the field. Whether you’re a pre-med student contemplating surgery as a career or a medical student gearing up for your own residency applications, this episode offers practical advice, personal experiences, and tips for success.
Additional resources:
DHMC General Surgery Program: https://gme.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/general-surgery
https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/education/programs/so-you-want-to-be-a-surgeon/
https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/education/programs/so-you-want-to-be-a-surgeon/section-ii-how-to-find-a-surgery-residency/
https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/explore-options/specialty-profiles/general-surgery
 
Contact information:
Christina Sierra: Christina.Sierra.MED@dartmouth.edu
Connor Bridges: Connor.J.Bridges.MED@dartmouth.edu
Evan Watkins: Evan.D.Watkins.MED@dartmouth.edu

Specialty Spotlight: Path to Family Medicine Residency - Student Perspective

What does road to family medicine residency look like?
Hear from current 4th year medical students at Geisel, Micah Trautwein and Mary Harris as they discusse their journey to Family Medicine, application process, and everything in-between!
Contact info:
Micah Trautwein: Micah.L.Trautwein.MED@dartmouth.edu
Mary Harris: Mary.E.Harris.MED@dartmouth.edu 
 
Additional Resources: 
Career options in Family Medicine: https://www.aafp.org/students-residents/medical-students/explore-career-in-family-medicine/career-practice-options.html
https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/explore-options/specialty-profiles/family-medicine/family-practice
 

Specialty Spotlight: Path to Vascular Surgery Residency - Student Perspective

What is vascular surgery: in short, vascular surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on the treatment of disorders and diseases affecting the blood vessels, including arteries, veins, and lymphatic system. 
Hear from current 4th year medical student at Geisel, Oraya Vesvoranan as she discusses her journey to vascular surgery, application process, and everything in-between!
Contact info: oraya.vesvoranan.med@dartmouth.edu
Resources From Oraya: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WSsZNkN-X4jlXgozh_f-A7tj2Bcs2ZjJ?usp=share_link 
 
Additional resources:
https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/explore-options/specialty-profiles/vascular-surgery
https://vascular.org/join/medical-student-membership
https://vesurgery.org/vess-special-programs/
Podcasts: https://www.audiblebleeding.com/
Educational Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@DeBakeyCVEdu 

Specialty Spotlight: Path to Pathology - Student Perspective

 
Hear from current 4th year medical students at Geisel, John Emery and Francesco Emiliani, as they discuss their path to Pathology! 
Contact info:
John Emery: John.F.Emery.MED@dartmouth.edu
Francesco Emiliani: Francesco.E.Emiliani.MED@dartmouth.edu
 
 
To learn more:
- https://careersinmedicine.aamc.org/explore-options/specialty-profiles/pathology
- https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/pathology 
 

Student Spotlight: Conversation with Titilayo Mabogunje, Class of 2026

Name (pronouns): Titilayo Mabogunje
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Year at Geisel: M3
Career interest: Pediatric gastroenterology
The best thing about Geisel is: the PEOPLE!
Favorite spot in the Upper Valley: Putnam’s vineyard
Favorite activity in the Upper Valley: summer hikes
Favorite book/poem: *I’m too undecisive to answer this question and the next; is it okay to skip?”
Favorite song/piece of music:
Favorite quote: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” – African proverb
Most treasured travel: Family cycling trip to Ikogosi springs in Ekiti, Nigeria
Guilty pleasure: I am a chocaholic!! (I love chocolate)
Unknown fact about you: I used to run a poetry summer camp for teenagers
Anything else: (feel free not to include) Overheard medical pun alert: What did medullary thyroid carcinoma say to pheochromocytoma? We’re MEN 2B!
 
Short Bio:
Titilayo Mabogunje is a M.D. candidate at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She lived in England, Nigeria, and South Africa, before moving to the United States where she completed degrees in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology and Theatre Studies at Yale University. She is interested in global health work and most recently, her research interests have taken her to Tanzania where she worked on a study looking at the differences in hearing test performance between people living with and without HIV/AIDS. In her free time, if she’s not working on her next baking challenge, telling punny dad jokes, or making plans to explore a new place, you’ll probably find her traversing the intersection of medicine and the performing arts.
 
 
 

Student Spotlight: Conversation with Steve Antwi-Boasiako, Class of 2025

 
 
 
Name (pronouns): Steve Kwaku Antwi-Boasiako he/himHometown: Edweso, Ghana and Columbus, OhioYear at Geisel: MS4Career interest: Plastic SurgeryThe best thing about Geisel is: Many diverse opportunities/rotations outside the Upper Valley. This gives students exposure to how different systems of care for their patient population and can be informative for specialty planning and patient population selection.Favorite spot in the Upper Valley: Four Aces DinerFavorite activity in the Upper Valley: Soccer at CCBAFavorite book/poem: The Wretched of the Earth – Frantz FanonFavorite song/piece of music: Obaa Ben Ni – Daasebre GyamenahFavorite quote: “Do not be too mesmerized by the beauty of your flowers that you forget your roots” -Steve Antwi-Boasiako, White Coat Ceremony circa 2021Most treasured travel: Ghana December 2019, IYKYK!Guilty pleasure: My Instagram reel algorithm at 4am in the morning. Probably the funniest thing in the world.Unknown fact about you: I am a GREAT dancer. Unmatched and unchallenged on the dance floor.
Anything else: Nope, Stay hydrated!
 
Short Bio: Steve Antwi-Boasiako is an MS4 at Geisel School of Medicine. He was born and raised in Edweso in the Ashanti region of Ghana. He is a part of the Asanteman tribe, a tribe of the Akan people. Interestingly, his fourth great grandmother fought in the Anglo-Ashanti wars in the early 1900s. He immigrated to Columbus, Ohio in 2007. Steve did his Undergrad at Vanderbilt University where he majored in Neuroscience and Medicine, health & society. The bulk of his research has been in exploring novel genetic causes of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Due to his curiosity for innovation and passion for serving his community, steve is pursuing a career in Plastic Surgery where he hopes to offer sustainable surgical care to  his communities both near and far.

Student Spotlight: Conversation with Liah D'sa, Class of 2026

Name (pronouns):  Liah D'sa (she/her/hers)
Hometown: Gilbert, AZ
Year at Geisel: MS3
Career interest: Don't know yet!
The best thing about Geisel is: The community
Favorite spot in the Upper Valley: To eat—Turmeric Kitchen. To get away for a minute—Mink Brook Nature Preserve.
Favorite activity in the Upper Valley: Finding new walking trails
Favorite book/poem: This is so silly but I loved "The Phantom Tollbooth" growing up, and it holds a special place in my heart
Favorite song/piece of music: "Time" by Hans Zimmer 
Favorite quote: "Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion" - Rumi
Most treasured travel: Nicaragua with college friends
Guilty pleasure: Reading fantasy novels 
 
Short Bio: Liah is from a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. She went to Santa Clara University for college, where she studied psychology and political science. Prior to starting med school, she spent time working in the nonprofit world, in hospital administration, and as a 4th grade teacher.

Student Spotlight: Conversation with Ian Lichtenstein, Class of 2025

Name (pronouns): Ian Lichtenstein (he/him)
Hometown: Portsmouth, NH
Year at Geisel: M4
Career interest: Emergency Medicine
The best thing about Geisel is: The Community
Favorite spot in the Upper Valley: The Norwich Inn’s Porch
Favorite activity in the Upper Valley: Skiing (uphill/downhill)
Favorite book/poem: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Favorite song/piece of music: Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen
Most treasured travel: Monhegan Island
Guilty pleasure: Scream singing just about anything in the car
 
Short Bio: Ian Lichtenstein is originally from Portsmouth, NH and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of New Hampshire majoring in Microbiology. While at UNH he worked as an EMT, developed a passion for global health completing research abroad in the Ashanti region of Ghana studying transfusion transmitted malaria, and was a leader in the New Hampshire Outing Club. Upon graduating from UNH, he moved to Boston to work in an infectious disease lab at Boston Children’s Hospital researching invasive Group A Streptococcal infections. He has now been at Geisel since 2021 and is a fourth-year medical student applying into an Emergency Medicine residency. Looking towards residency he hopes to continue pursuing his passions in Global Health and Infectious Diseases while also exploring new interests such as those in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Student Spotlight: Conversation with Abby Marshall

 
Name (pronouns): Abby Marshall (She/Her)
Hometown: Williston, VT
Year at Geisel: 6th year
Career interest: Probably oncology
The best thing about Geisel is: The people
Favorite spot in the Upper Valley: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Park
Favorite activity in the Upper Valley: Running
Favorite book/poem: “Hope” is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson
Favorite song/piece of music: This is too hard! I have too many favorites and it also depends on my mood/the vibe of the day
Favorite quote: Live in the present (which has been said in many ways by many people so it’s not an exact quote)
Most treasured travel: Acadia National Park with my husband for our honeymoon
Guilty pleasure: Chocolate
Unknown fact about you: I have an extra vertebra (an L6 or lumbosacral transitional body) but it doesn’t make me any taller
 
Short Bio:Abby was born and raised in Williston, VT. She attended Endicott College on the North Shore of Boston, where she double majored in Biology and Psychology. Outside of classes, she ran varsity Cross Country and Track and Field. After graduating in 2019, she joined the MD-PhD program at Dartmouth and started medical school at Geisel. Abby is currently working towards her PhD in Dr. Aaron McKenna’s lab in the Molecular and Cellular Biology program. Her thesis work focuses on creating genomic tools to trace cellular lineages in various cancer models. While she still has diverse interests, she’s leaning towards a future career in oncology (either radiation or medical) where she can intertwine research and clinical medicine. She enjoys exploring the Upper Valley with her husband (Zach), daughter (Everly), and their two dogs (Sadie and Chase).

Special Episode: Student to Student: Tips from your Peers

In this episode, we take you back to some of our conversations with current medical students at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. We asked them to share a piece of advice and wisdom, as they reflect on their experience. Listen to: 
1. Rob Sandhu
2. Michael Nguyen
3. John Emery
4. Nicholas Fuller
5. Matthew Goff