Profiles

Causey

Groblewski

Miller

Minno

Paul

Rike

Watson

Jan Groblewski (MD '03)

Jan Groblewski was prepared to feel a lot of things during his first year out of medical school—eager, nervous, a little exhausted. But the emotion that took him most by surprise was confidence. "This is traditionally a very difficult year," said Jan, in between shifts of his general surgery internship at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. "But I feel confident compared to my peers from other institutions. I was trained appropriately and feel prepared to be the doctor I want to be."

Jan began training to be that doctor years ago as an undergraduate at Middlebury College in Vermont. When it came time to apply to medical schools, he added the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to his list upon a friend's recommendation. It wasn't until he started researching the school and its innovative problem-based learning curriculum that he seriously considered the school that was so far from his friends and family.

"I didn't know anybody in Pittsburgh when I came for my interview," recalls Jan. "But I absolutely adored the place. I felt right at home. I could tell there was something special about the community at Pitt."

Jan quickly became an integral part of that community. He belonged to Students Teaching AIDS To Students (STATS), an outreach program to educate high school and middle school students about AIDS, and served as its coordinator sophomore year. He was co-president of the local chapter of the American Medical Association and served on the editorial board of Pitt Med, the school's award-winning magazine.

He served as the Class of 2003's vice president his junior and senior years and helped solicit his class for gifts to create a class fund to support the students who will follow in their footsteps. As a scholarship recipient, he knows how critical financial assistance can be.

"I was awarded the Eugene F. O'Leary, MD, and Mary Lou O'Leary Scholarship, which was established by Mrs. O'Leary, who became a friend of mine during my last two years of school," he said. "Being awarded this scholarship was not only an honor, but also a huge help financially."

Now that he's graduated, Jan plans to play a different role in the Pitt community.