Holly Moots 鈥�17 鈥�24PhD spent 13 years at UCF, fulfilling her dream to become a physician-scientist who can advance medical care for Floridians. Jemual Shaylor 鈥�21 is a U.S. Naval officer who will care for our nation鈥檚 heroes. Isabella Castellano 鈥�22 and Paxton Threatt met during medical school, got engaged and are now going onto Johns Hopkins 鈥� one of the nation鈥檚 top hospitals 鈥� for residency training.
All were among 109 College of Medicine graduates who became Physician Knights on May 15 and promised to become what their dean calls one of 鈥渢he Good Doctors 鈥� a UCF tradition.鈥�
This year鈥檚 M.D. program commencement was the medical school鈥檚 14th and the last for Vice President for Health Affairs and founding Dean Deborah German, who announced earlier this year she will transition from the role she has held for 20 years.
鈥淕raduates, today you become alumni of an innovative medical school committed to improving health for all,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hrough your time here, you learned, you grew, and you cared for patients with courage, dedication, and grace. I couldn鈥檛 be prouder of the work you have done.鈥�
With this year鈥檚 commencement, UCF鈥檚 young medical school, which opened in 2009, has prepared 1,421 physicians to care for Floridians and the nation at large.
Inspired by Her Research Mentor
Moots is the third M.D./Ph.D. graduate in UCF鈥檚 history. She enrolled at the university in 2013 to pursue her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biomedical sciences and began her combined doctoral degree in 2018. Now she will go to Lakeland Regional Hospital for internal medicine training 鈥� her first choice for residency because of the hospital鈥檚 focus on innovation, research and clinical trials.
鈥淚鈥檝e spent almost half my life at UCF,鈥� she says. 鈥淕raduating is incredibly exciting, but it feels strange to close such a long and meaningful chapter.鈥�
She said her medical training at UCF was most shaped by her research mentor, Otto Phanstiel, a College of Medicine cancer researcher. 鈥淗e exemplifies the qualities I aspire to carry into medicine through the way he communicates, collaborates, and approaches every interaction with humility, curiosity, and a drive for excellence,鈥� she says. 鈥淗is influence has shaped how I hope to approach research, teamwork, and patient care throughout my career.鈥�
鈥淢ost Monumental Moment of My Life鈥�
Shaylor will do his . He hopes to become a hand surgeon. Medical school military officers are promoted when they receive their M.D. degree, and UCF鈥檚 tradition is to honor that promotion at commencement. After receiving their diplomas, military officers are pinned with their new rank by a faculty member of their choosing.
Shaylor was inspired to enter military service by Jose Borrero, a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon during Vietnam before becoming a founding faculty member at the College of Medicine. Now retired, Borrero continues to serve as a mentor to UCF medical students. He returned to commencement May 15, pinned Shaylor and proudly saluted the young military physician. Shaylor describes the pinning as 鈥渢he most monumental moment of my life.鈥�
Connecting with Others
Castellano and Threatt met playing volleyball during their first year of medical school, then started a band with other M.D. students. They went through the fear of 鈥渃ouples matching鈥� into residency 鈥� unsure if they would be selected to train at the same hospital or even city.
Today they鈥檙e simultaneously planning their move to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and their wedding. He鈥檒l practice anesthesiology because it combines his love of chemistry and connecting with people.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a small window that you have to talk to patients before surgery, but it is one of their most vulnerable moments in which you really have an ability to make this individual feel comfortable,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat is a very special relationship to me.鈥�
She鈥檚 training to be a pediatrician.
鈥淢y biggest dream and aspiration is to be an advocate for children and for families,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think that through Johns Hopkins there will be a lot of opportunities to do so and go into communities to be helping and educating children.鈥�
