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Student Profile: Mariah Presbery

When recent LKSOM grad Mariah Presbery, MD ’18 was 10, her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She was inspired to become a physician after noticing the paucity of both female doctors and physicians who viewed her mother as a complete person, rather than just a collection of symptoms.

“Temple really appealed to me because of the underserved population that it serves,” adds the Delaware County, Pennsylvania, native. “As an African-American, I felt I could connect to patients in a more meaningful way.”

At the School of Medicine, the Rutgers University graduate was a founding member and lead teacher of the Pre-Matriculation (PREP) Program—which better prepares incoming underrepresented minorities and nontraditional students—and was a student orientation leader. With the Student National Medical Association, she organized a local elementary school health fair. Also, as part of the school’s reaccreditation process, she authored an independent student analysis of the school, and served as a student voting member on the school’s admissions committee.

“Temple creates good medical students and residents because we see and manage, in a really hands-on way, the sickest patients,” says the Internal Medicine resident at Temple University Hospital. “The students are supportive, not competitive, and the faculty and administration are extremely helpful. There’s always someone you can talk to if you ever have a problem or a concern.”