Commencement Profile: Tiana Blank

Fourth-year medical student Tiana Blank was selected by her peers as the student speaker at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Class of 2018 commencement ceremony on May 7.

“Being selected by my classmates is a tremendous honor, and I am very grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “I will do my best to distill our collective experience and the essence of our wonderful and compassionate class.”

According to classmate Michelle McQuilkin, Blank was chosen because she embodies the qualities of a remarkable medical student.

“Tiana was an obvious choice to represent our class at commencement,” McQuilkin said. “She is the kindest person I have ever had the honor of meeting and I know her patients and their families will feel the same way.”

Only a few years ago, Blank was touring the campus and in awe of what the College of Medicine – Phoenix had to offer.

“Feeling the energy on campus, hearing the college’s leaders discuss the culture, vision and mission of the school and talking with the current students was incredibly empowering,” she said. “Their enthusiasm, sense of camaraderie and support were palpable. I felt at home immediately and knew that this was a community and academic culture that I would thrive in. I was sold.”

Four years later, Blank will enter a new phase in her journey as a physician. After graduation, she will head to Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles for pediatric residency training.

“I love working with children and their families,” she said. “Treating pediatric pathophysiology is where I want to dedicate my life of learning. Children are robust and adaptable, even in the most challenging situations. Their resiliency and potential instill me with tremendous hope and inspiration.”

Blank looks back with so many favorite medical school memories, including her Global Health trip to the Dominican Republic.

“It was a wonderful experience to meet and care for the local community, who were so welcoming and kind,” Blank said. “I was able to apply the doctoring skills I had learned in my first year, and it was the first time I felt like I was really becoming a doctor. It was also fun to spend so much time with a group of my classmates and share that experience.”

Blank always planned on pursuing a career that involved helping people. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder and completed a double major in psychology and neuroscience and integrative physiology.

“In college, my upper-division courses ignited an interest in human physiology, which then sparked an investigation into career paths that would marry caring for others with this newfound intrigue,” she said. “Medicine quickly came onto my radar. After graduation, I worked as a caregiver for a young girl with a chronic illness and then became a medical scribe in an emergency department. These experiences solidified my resolve to pursue medicine as my profession.”

During Blank’s time in medical school, she was involved in student government, and was a class representative for a majority of the time. She served as vice president of Medical Student Government during her second year.

Throughout the four years, Blank has had the support of her family, boyfriend, classmates and friends.

“I cannot begin to express the depth of my gratitude for the team of people that have supported me along the way,” she said. “It is truly overwhelming. Medical school is challenging and requires a great deal of focus, sacrifice and time. My success of reaching where I am today is attributable to the privilege of having each of these people in my life. I stand on their shoulders of love and support.”

This year’s commencement will begin at 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 7 at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. In keeping with the tradition of the college, faculty and graduating medical students will be led by a bagpipe band as they process in full regalia from the Phoenix Biomedical Campus to Symphony Hall.

One third of this year’s class of 81 will stay in Arizona for their residency training, while 53 students will train outside of the state at prestigious programs such as UCLA Medical Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Twenty-eight students will pursue primary care fields, the most critical shortage facing Arizona.