Quick pause, join the 2022 waitlist to be considered for the IMG ROADMAP live group coaching program that starts in Spring 2022. Click here to start now.  As a new year begins, IMGs all over the US continue to excel in their fields, inspiring thousands to do the same. Our guest today, 3rd year Cardiology fellow Dr. Marc Katz is no exception! Keep listening to find out more about his challenging yet rewarding journey. Dr. Katz attended Ross University and completed rotations in Brooklyn, New York. He completed Internal Medicine (IM) training at the Hahnemann University Hospital. He is currently a PGY6 in Cardiovascular Diseases, a subspecialty of IM. Here are some highlights of Dr. Katz’ Cardiology fellowship: He chose IM because of its wide range of subspecialty opportunities when compared to family medicine, for instance. He completed 4 years of medical school, 3 years of IM training, and 3 years of General Cardiology fellowship. While he is qualified as a general cardiologist, he appreciates the fact that he can still specialize in more specific fields such as cardiac oncology, and electrophysiology. Dr. Katz’ background also helped shape his medical success story: He attended SUNY Bingham for his undergraduate degree, as a first generation American born to South African immigrant parents. Initially, he didn’t know that he wanted to go into medicine, and so he earned a GPA of 3.4 and a just below average MCAT score. He didn’t immediately get into any of the US medical schools to which he applied, until he gained admission at Ross University. After medical school, he felt like he was fighting an uphill battle to match into residency as an IMG. While he found that Ivy League schools mainly only take people from “prestigious” schools, He advises IMGs not to be discouraged. However, he also advises people considering becoming IMGs to be aware of the potential challenges they may face. Here are Dr. Katz’ thoughts on the future of IMGs: Step 1 going pass/fail is estimated to be another hurdle since program directors will likely find another metric by which to filter out applicants. So, it is important to build a strong application otherwise. Networking is essential–Dr; Katz attributes some of his opportunities to his mentor having put in a good word for him with program directors. In day to day life, the stigma against IMGs isn’t as prevalent as we may think. Every year, while there are enough US grads to take up all of the available residency spots, they continue to take IMGs. Be encouraged by that fact! IMGs often fill underserved specialties and are invaluable in the US medical system. IMGs are here to stay! You can reach out to Dr. Katz on: Instagram: @kittykatzmd Tik Tok: @kittykatzmd Youtube: @kittykatzmd Twitter: @kittykatzmd And his website: mykittykatz.com And you can also follow his cat, Pepperoni @pepperoni.the.kat! Listen to the full episode on Google Podcasts, Apple & Spotify. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ninalum/support