Doctors in Residence: UNC Hospitals Welcomes Its Newest MDs
For these newly minted physicians, it marks both the end of one demanding chapter and the beginning of careers that will touch the lives of thousands of patients.
For clinical departments, it brings an energizing infusion of new talent.
During four years at the UNC School of Medicine, students build a foundation in medical knowledge and clinical practice. At the end of medical school, they “match” with residency programs, where they continue training as resident physicians, learning from experienced clinicians as they apply what they have studied.
First Days, Fresh Starts
“When the residents arrive on campus, it’s an exciting time,” said Yara Park, MD, senior associate dean for graduate medical education at UNC School of Medicine, and chief graduate medical education officer and designated institutional officer at UNC Hospitals.
“It feels like a reset every summer: we changeover the academic year and at the same time there are all these new people who are so excited to be here. They have just become physicians, they are getting called ‘doctor’ for the first time and it’s really fun to have that energy.”
In 2026, 52 of the 209 UNC School of Medicine students who matched continued their training in Chapel Hill. UNC School of Medicine graduates represent 24% of the 211 new residents joining UNC Hospitals, while 72 North Carolina medical students in all, 34% of the incoming class, matched to UNC Hospitals, including graduates from Campbell, ECU, Wake Forest and Duke.
When they first arrive on campus in July, the new residents have several orientation sessions to help them settle into their new roles. For MDs who have spent their undergraduate or medical school years at UNC, this is a kind of homecoming, while for others it’s brand new. This year is the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that resident orientation is being held in person rather than through learning modules.
“Having orientation back in person has brought a different kind of energy,” Dr. Park said. “Seeing residents and fellows come into the room, many meeting one another for the first time, reminds us how important those early connections are. Watching people talk, connect and begin forming relationships was really fun.”
As residents prepare to begin work as hospital employees, orientation includes tasks such as enrolling in health insurance and retirement plans, a first formal onboarding experience for many physicians who have spent the past eight or more years focused on their education.
Part first day of school and part first day on the job, the first day of residency is on the most important new physicians nationwide as they train in their chosen specialties under the guidance of attending physicians.
Together, these new residents reflect the many paths that bring physicians to UNC, shaped by service, mentorship, curiosity and a shared commitment to patient-centered care. As they enter the next phase of training, we spoke to a few of them to learn more about their unique journeys.
Finding Purpose in People-Centered Care: Josh Hale
As an undergraduate, he knew he wanted medical school to be part of his future, seeking out experiences that would help him understand what that calling could look like.
He met UNC residents, became involved with MedServe, worked at Piedmont Health Services in Moncure and explored clinical informatics. These opportunities deepened his interest in caring for patients and communities.
“I fell with in love with every part of it; it was a lot of work with patients who are underserved and I was grateful for the opportunity to help,” he said
His first exposure to that “people side” of medicine came during undergrad, when he worked at the cancer hospital and saw how important it is to care for the person receiving treatment, not just the disease.
That same people-centered focus drew him to med-peds. The community he encountered when came to UNC was one of the major reasons he chose the specialty, one of the oldest med-peds programs in the country. After interacting with residents, he was struck by their energy, curiosity and commitment.
“I thought they were just the coolest people.”
During medical school, Dr. Hale also completed rotations beyond UNC, including time at WakeMed and Cone Health. Those experiences gave him a broader view of different care settings while reinforcing the values that first brought him to medicine: service, connection and a desire to help patients navigate complex systems.
In the early summer, when he was still looking ahead to his residency, Dr. Hale looked forward to stepping into the role he has spent a decade preparing for with hope, determination and readiness.
A few weeks into his residency experience, Josh is grateful for what he’s learned and for the skill the School of Medicine has helped him hone.
“Residency has been going well so far! I’ve really enjoyed being able to make connections with patients and families and help guide them towards the treatment that best fits their values and desires,” he said. “The experiences I had before medical school, developing relationships with patients and understanding their circumstances, are vital to what I’m doing now. I’m grateful for all of the time I spent before and during medical school developing the clinical and people skills that I’m using now.”
A Dream Job Takes Shape: Makayla Matthews
After exploring interests in physical therapy, she realized she wanted a career that would allow her to combine patient care, research, teaching and leadership.
Eventually she realized that becoming an MD was the path that had everything she was after.
“I love physical therapy,” she recalls, “but I always felt like I wanted to do more on the research and teaching side. Ultimately, I decided to be a physician because I knew that you could craft your career into any of those areas.”
Before medical school, Dr. Matthews worked with an otolaryngology group in Winston-Salem that helped her imagine ENT as a specialty that could be long-term fit for her.
At UNC, that interest deepened through her work with the department of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery and her research mentor, Trevor Hackman, MD, professor and division chief of head and neck surgical oncology.
During her third-year, she spent time at UNC’s Wilmington campus and, while there, had rotations with both community and academic ENT teams that confirmed her interest. She was drawn to the specialty’s patient population, the complexity of the cases and the way ENT physicians collaborate with colleagues in medical oncology, radiation oncology and other fields to help patients achieve the best possible outcomes.
Dr. Matthews also found a strong sense of mentorship and community at UNC. She has helped introduce first- and second-year medical students to ENT and has worked on medical education projects with Christie DeMason, MD, associate professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery and division chief for general otolaryngology. She sees teaching as a collaborative process built on curiosity and a willingness to be a learner at every stage.
Residency is the next step on that path: “It kind of feels like a light switch, you go from doing a lot of shadowing to being the one that getting to help to make decisions, talk to families, and helping them get the care they need.”
Through this transition, Dr. Matthews has been supported by the strong community of collaboration at UNC.
“Part of being in residency is that you’re not alone,” she said “There’s a big group of other residents who know exactly what it’s been like to be in your shoes on day one, and faculty who are excellent teachers. They know exactly where we are and they know how to coach us through some of those early days.”
Beyond all the changes she has experienced and the support that has helped her through the transition, this is her dream job and she is excited to be on this path: “I’m excited to become the surgeon that I have dreamed of being for a long time.”
As she settles into residency, Dr. Matthews is grateful for the mentorship of her senior residents and eager to continue learning from them.
“My first couple of months have been great!” she said. “There’s so much to learn, and I’ve been especially grateful for how supportive our team has been during the transition. Our incoming intern group was involved from day one and have such a great group of senior residents who are always willing to teach, answer questions, and help us grow. I’m looking forward to all that’s ahead!”
Finding Her Way Back to Medicine: Deepthi Gowrishankar
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, she began to reevaluate her career path. Looking back, she realized that all of her extracurricular activities, such as her involvement with the walk for life, were pointed toward healthcare. This realization led her to take a role in an emergency department and, ultimately, back to UNC for medical school.
When she first began her medical school journey, she imagined herself becoming a primary care physician, but she remained open to different specialties.
At UNC, she became involved with Community Health Training Program and the FIRST Program, which offer a 3-year accelerated curriculum with a directed pathway to affiliated residency programs and had just begun offering opportunities in med-peds when she became involved with the program.
“Finishing my 3rd year of medical school, graduating and moving into the peds program at UNC Hospitals: the transition feels really quick, but it also feels like a natural next step continue my training here,” Deepthi said.
Because she committed early to UNC’s med-peds residency program, Deepthi used her final year of medical school to confirm that she was on the right path.
“Knowing where I was going to be an intern early was a really big blessing. I got the chance to really get to know the program and the culture. And the residents, because they knew I was coming to UNC kind of took me under their wing.
Deepthi describes the weeks leading up to her transition to residency as both surreal and exciting. She made time for family, travel, friends, painting and photography, knowing that she won’t have as much time for these during her first year of internship, when she steps into her new identity as a med-peds.
Even so, she is ready to meet the challenges. “This is exactly where I see myself fitting in in the future,” she said.
Continuity, Mentorship and Finding the Right Fit at UNC: Yasine Mirmozaffari
“She’s been my mentor from day one,” he said, “and not just when it comes to medical school. Over time, she’s become someone I turn to for guidance in life as well. I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a wonderful person in my corner and as a mentor from the very beginning”
Having received a good first impression of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Dr. Mirmozaffari began to consider a surgical discipline as a career path that might be right for him.
That impression turned into certainty during surgical rotations at UNC Health sites during his third-year during his OBGYN rotation at UNC when he assisted a stat c-section on labor and delivery.
“It was my first time in an operating room but I’m thinking to myself ‘ok, this is what I’m meant to do. The operating room is where I’m meant to be.’”
He credits UNC’s culture of mentorship and support across departments with helping make those first clinical experiences meaningful. Because Dr. Mirmozaffari is staying at UNC, the faculty mentors who had supported his growth as a medical student are now his colleagues and co-workers and he is grateful for the continuity of mentorship and collaboration that provides.
“Our faculty and my mentors have spent the last five years cultivating and nurturing my skills as a doctor and they’re going to spend the next five years continuing to support me and see me grow and I’m really excited for that.
As residency begins, he is excited and appropriately aware of the responsibility that comes with serving as a physician alongside the UNC mentors who helped shape his training. That sense of continuity has made the transition especially meaningful, and his experiences at other hospitals and schools during clinical rotations and residency interviews only reinforced his commitment to UNC.
“In ENT, we typically rotate at different hospitals throughout our fourth year and have the opportunity to interview at programs across the country. Many of us had incredible experiences at other institutions, but despite seeing what other programs had to offer, we all came back with a similar sentiment: there is something truly special about what we have at UNC.”