S A R I N A M E I K L E , M D ’17 A D E L E M . G OT T S C H A L K S C H O L A R As far back as she can remember, Sarina Meikle, MD ’17, was good at science, especially biology and chemistry. Today, as a physician, she is quick to recognize those who fostered her innate abilities when she was young. “The encouragement of some of SARINA MEIKLE my elementary and middle school teachers is a big part of the reason I’m in medicine today,” says Meikle, who born in Binghamton, N.Y., and raised on Long Island. As an undergraduate at Princeton University, Meikle started out on a PhD track in molecular biology, but gradually realized that basic research was not her calling. “As a bench scientist, you mostly work by yourself and with a few other researchers. I missed the contact with people and realized that medicine was a better fit for me.” After graduating, Meikle worked for a year as a scientist, explored her options for attending medical school and gained acceptance to the postbaccalaureate program at UB.
Sponsored by New York State in partnership with the Associated Medical Schools of New York, the program—one of eight in the state—is designed to expand the pool of underrepresented, economically and educationally disadvantaged students in medical school. For Meikle, it was a chance to “gear up for medical school by taking more human-focused science courses.” Meikle thrived and was admitted to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, where she was an Adele M. Gottschalk Scholar. This spring, prior to graduation, she married Bilal Butt, MD, a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical School, whom she had met in the postbaccalaureate program. The couple matched for residency at the University of Michigan, where Meikle is training in internal medicine and Butt, in orthopedic surgery. Meikle is grateful for the scholarship support she received while in medical school, and says that its impact is more than monetary. “I really appreciate that the alumni did this for me. It means so much to know that others came together to help me achieve my goals and lessen the financial burden.”
The Howard R. Goldstein, MD ’74, Memorial Humanitarian Scholarship “Howard’s medical path began at UB medical school, and he never forgot or took for granted the training he received there. Throughout his career in urology, he was a mentor, teacher and friend who generously gave of his time, knowledge and compassion. We established this scholarship to honor my husband and his love for the UB medical school and to recognize the students who most embody the traits he represented.”
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Judy Goldstein, who established the scholarship with friends Laura and Wayne Glazier, MD ’74, and Bonnie and Elliott Schulman, MD ’74
SUMMER 2017
UB MEDICINE