First match from OUWB Class of 2025 is headed to Texas medical center

The first person from the OUWB Class of 2025 to learn where she will initially be a doctor has successfully matched at a Texas hospital.

2^nd Lt. Nikita Lee, M4, matched at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas.

Lee was part of the nationwide military match on Dec. 8, 2024. The military match is one of several that are held early and not affiliated with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), which annually holds its Match Day the third Friday in March (on March 21 this year). Urology and ophthalmology programs also have early matches.

Lee, who serves in the U.S. Air Force, will specialize in pediatrics and says she considers it a "privilege" to have matched at Brooke Army Medical Center.

"Overall, I am really relieved, excited, and happy," says Lee with a big smile. "I feel like it's a blessing and where I'm meant to be going."

Privilege to serve

Lee grew up in Los Angeles.

As a youngster, a pastor who had U.S. Air Force experience instilled in her a strong belief to "aim high" in her pursuits.

"That helped me to understand the importance of always trying my hardest in everything I set out to do," she says.

Lee moved to New York as an undergraduate to attend Cornell University. She earned a bachelor's degree in general biology.

While there, she sought a profession that would combine her interests of science, community service, and building connections "amongst people from all walks of life." Lee found the answer: She would become a health professional - specifically, a doctor.

Around the same time, Lee also was part of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) where she not only gained mentors, but came to appreciate the importance of discipline, loyalty, camaraderie, and more.

"There was never any doubt in my mind that if I needed anything I could go to my fellow airmen at any time and ask for help…and they would always be there," says Lee. "And we always pushed each other in very health ways."

Further, she has always had a strong appreciation for the freedom afforded by the military.

"Coming to America as a child of immigrants, I grew up with the idea that this is the land of opportunities," says Lee.

"It's a privilege for me to be able to serve those people who protect this country and the freedom that we have."

Lee was accepted into the U.S. Dept. of Defense's Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). Through the program, students like Lee receive a full scholarship to medical school (HPSP covers civilian medical school tuition, pays for fees, provides a monthly living stipend, and includes a signing bonus under certain conditions).

HPSP is offered by the Army, Navy and Air Force, and the benefits are the same across all three services. Per the U.S. Dept. of Defense, selection boards tend to look at all aspects of a person's application - leadership, extracurricular activities, fitness, grades and scores - so they can determine who will succeed in both medical school and the military.

In return, Lee must commit to at least four years of service in the military as a licensed physician.

'Great support'

Lee cast a wide net when applying to medical school, but OUWB set itself apart.

That's due in large part to the acceptance phone call she received from Dan Kallenberger, former assistant dean for Admissions and Financial Services.

"I felt like the call was very welcoming and encouraging and like I was really wanted by OUWB," she says.

She says she also appreciated the school's emphasis on community service. (OUWB's mission statement is, "To develop compassionate physicians who are dedicated to improving the health of their communities, collaboration, and lifelong learning.)

"I felt like OUWB was the place where I should be…it was just one of those feelings," says Lee.

Lee found success at OUWB. She volunteered with Street Medicine Oakland, served as a peer tutor as part of the Academic Success Team, as a teaching assistant with military medic training sessions, and was a mentor with the Hispanic Newcomer Organization (HNO) mentoring program.

She also was involved with several student organizations: Know Your Foods, Wilderness Medical Society, and Docapella and Spinal Chords.

Lee says she's grateful for her experiences at OUWB - and especially for the people she's met at the school. That includes her "great set of roommates" and the faculty who were especially supportive.

"The biggest thing that stood out for me was the great support I felt from the beginning, starting with (Malli Barremkala, M.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies) and (Jickssa Gemechu, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies)," she says. "I feel like they really guided me for most of the way…I still keep in contact with them both."

Looking ahead, Lee is set to start at BAMC on June 1.

She'll be promoted to captain at the OUWB Honors Convocation on May 8, one day before she graduates with the rest of her class.

She did an away rotation at BAMC and says she is looking forward to being there for the next four years.

"I got along with everyone and really like the culture," she says. "I know that I'm going to come out of there being the best pediatrician I can be."

For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior marketing specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].

To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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