UNIVERSITY TRACK RESIDENT
Hello!!! My name is Malina, and I am originally from Twinsburg Ohio (home of Twinsday Festival)! After graduating high school, I went to the University of Maryland, College Park (Go Terps!!) where I studied Kinesiology and was a member of the women’s basketball team. I was not only able to play the sport I loved but I also gained an amazing education and realized my interests in medicine! While applying to medical school, I stuck around College Park and worked in the athletic department for two years running life skills development for the student-athletes, where I developed a passion for mentorship. I also took time to work with a local pregnancy aid center focused on providing care to an underserved population.
For medical school I attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. There I was a member of our student government where I continued to learn about the mentee/mentor relationship in professional settings and developed a strong interest in the medical student educational experience. From a clinical perspective, pregnancy and reproductive health remained high on my radar. I also began to gain interests in maternal-child health, social determinants of health, community health, preventative medicine, and serving underrepresented minorities. It became apparent during my family medicine rotation that this was a specialty where I could combine all these interests together!
So why UNC? During my 4th year I had the privileged to do an AI here at UNC. I was thoroughly impressed by the full scope community medicine I was exposed to and the opportunity for strong outpatient patient centered care along with strong inpatient and maternal child health training. But what really confirmed this was where I wanted to be was the people and professional family atmosphere I experienced each day. On my last day I remember walking through the Hillsborough parking lot almost in tears because I did not want to leave the amazing people I had worked alongside, and UNC truly felt like home!! I was thrilled on match day to be afforded the opportunity to officially join the UNC Family Medicine family!!
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my partner, most often we are cooking something new or on the golf course!! I love to workout, especially trying new workout classes (right now cycling is my favorite). I also enjoy spending time with friends, watching tv, traveling, cooking, and trying new restaurants. If you have any questions about the program, the area, or anything please do not hesitate to reach out, I would be more than happy to help in any way I can!!
