Dr. Aquayo Talks with Dr. Cheryl O'Malley at the Graduation Ceremony
Dr. Aquayo Talks with Dr. Cheryl O'Malley at the Graduation Ceremony

Residency Graduation Profile: Izayadeth Aguayo, MD

Teresa Joseph
Teresa Joseph
Dr. Aquayo Talks with Dr. Cheryl O'Malley at the Graduation Ceremony
Dr. Aquayo Talks with Dr. Cheryl O'Malley at the Graduation Ceremony
Inspired and Compassionate Physician to Practice at Banner Gateway

Izayadeth Aguayo, MD, decided to become a physician at the age of nine after reading the book “Gifted Hands” by Ben Carlson, MD. She felt inspired by his story and the opportunities he had to impact the lives of his patients while showing compassion for those he cared for. From that moment on, Dr. Aguayo knew she wanted to be a physician.

Dr. Aguayo — an alumna from the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Class of 2016 — recently graduated from the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the college, where she has been a resident for three years. She will begin the next step of her medical career as a hospitalist at Banner Gateway Medical Center.

“I am so excited,” Dr. Aguayo said. “I feel prepared to practice on my own and could not have asked for a better residency experience. However, I will miss all of my colleagues and attendings here at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix. Residency has been a wonderful three years that has provided me with a great foundation of medical knowledge and principles for independent practice.”

Residency Experience

“My overall resident experience was incredible,” she said. “As I am getting ready to close this chapter of my life and start a new one, I look back at this part of my life with fondness. It is amazing to see how much I have grown as an individual, physician and health care provider. What I appreciate about my program is that they not only helped me grow as a physician, but they encouraged me to grow in other areas of my life — physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I got married my intern year, and I felt supported in doing so. Being a doctor is a calling, but you still need to have other parts outside of residency that you enjoy.”  

Favorite Memory from Residency

“One memory of residency was being called ‘doctor’ for the first time,” Dr. Aguayo said. “Transitioning from medical student to a physician was such an incredible experience. The huge responsibility that you get entrusted with on that first day is a little overwhelming. I remember always feeling supported by my attendings and senior residents. I tried my best to impart that feeling to my interns when I became a resident.”

How Has Residency Prepared You for Your Next Steps?

“Being able to train at a tertiary care center allowed for a lot of exposure to unique and complex pathology that perhaps other residents at other programs do not get the opportunity to see,” she said. “I also felt like I was given appropriate autonomy in order to build my confidence in my medical decision making. By the end of my third year, I felt ready to practice on my own. Our program is blessed with amazing faculty that are both smart and compassionate. I have learned a great deal from them, and I am grateful to have had them as teachers. They have unique practice styles and different skills, which helped me shape my own practice toward patient care.”

About the College

Founded in 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix inspires and trains exemplary physicians, scientists and leaders to advance its core missions in education, research, clinical care and service to communities across Arizona. The college’s strength lies in our collaborations and partnerships with clinical affiliates, community organizations and industry sponsors. With our primary affiliate, Banner Health, we are recognized as the premier academic medical center in Phoenix. As an anchor institution of the Phoenix Bioscience Core, the college is home to signature research programs in neurosciences, cardiopulmonary diseases, immunology, informatics and metabolism. These focus areas uniquely position us to drive biomedical research and bolster economic development in the region.

As an urban institution with strong roots in rural and tribal health, the college has graduated more than 1,000 physicians and matriculates 130 students each year. Greater than 60% of matriculating students are from Arizona and many continue training at our GME sponsored residency programs, ultimately pursuing local academic and community-based opportunities. While our traditional four-year program continues to thrive, we will launch our recently approved accelerated three-year medical student curriculum with exclusive focus on primary care. This program is designed to further enhance workforce retention needs across Arizona.

The college has embarked on our strategic plan for 2025 to 2030. Learn more.