When Gianna Casini, 36, graduates from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, she will have her most staunch supporter at her side her 4-year-old daughter, Domenica. The Stewartsville resident came to medicine through a more circuitous route. Following her graduation from Marist College with a B.A. in Communications, Gianna spent five years in the telecom sector and earned her Masters Certificate in Project Management from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2001. But, for Gianna, the corporate world held no match for a career in which she could work in direct service of others. As a volunteer in the endoscopy unit at St. Peters University Hospital, Gianna solidified her interest in studying medicine, completed her post-baccalaureate course work at Rutgers University, and enrolled in UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2008 when Domenica was just 6-months-old.
Juggling medical school and motherhood is no easy task, and Gianna achieves her goal on May 23 with the help of a formidable network, including her husband and parents. This support has enabled her to be entirely focused and dedicated to her numerous hours of studying, clerkship responsibilities and extracurricular commitments.
With their support, Gianna was able to receive the honor of being elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS), being recognized as an exemplar of compassionate patient care, empathy, altruism and outstanding interpersonal interactions with peers, house staff, faculty, staff and members of the community. In addition to her excellent performance in the classroom and in her clerkships, Gianna has earned recognition for her research in multiple sclerosis. She was awarded Best Abstract in the radiology/imaging category by the American Medical Association (AMA) for its medical student research symposium, and was selected to give a podium presentation of her research at the AMA Medical Student Section interim meeting in San Diego, CA in 2010. She was also selected by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) to present her poster at the AANs 2010 annual meeting in Toronto, Canada.
After her transitional year at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania, Gianna will be returning to Robert Wood Johnson for her Anesthesia Residency in 2013.
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Stewartsville resident leaves corporate sector for medical school
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