Match Day Profile: Marcus Childs

Every third Friday in March, fourth-year medical students across the United States learn where the next chapter in their careers will be written. Match Day is the day when the National Resident Matching Program releases results to applicants in sealed envelopes, revealing where they will spend the next several years in residency, training in their chosen specialty. After years of preparation and study, it is a long-awaited and well-deserved day to celebrate. The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix is profiling several students for Match Day 2024.

Meet Marcus Childs

Marcus Childs takes pride in being a born and raised Arizonan. His primary interests are providing excellent patient care to underserved patients from all walks of life at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).

Childs credits his supporters as a whole village of people. Among them are his mom, his best friends, and his closest mentors who see his heart and passion and keep him motivated when he questions his own abilities.

Path Toward Medicine

What was the spark that led you to become a physician?

It is a long story, but essentially experiencing social disparities from a young age, especially medically, lit a fire in me to become some voice of change.

I was not sure how, but as I got older, I saw an opportunity to connect my fascination with medicine with my drive for change and here we are — at the medical school I watched get built as a kid. It is such a full circle moment.

Choosing a Specialty

Do you have a specialty? What is it and why did it interest you, or what led you to it?

I am going into Family Medicine because it is simply the best for me. It is the one specialty that allows me to do everything I want and need for my patients: procedures, full spectrum care, public health and policy change, FQHC work and political advocacy.

Family medicine is the backbone of the health care system, and it is where I can make the biggest change and impact the communities that need it the most.

What’s Next

Post-Match Day, what are your goals moving forward?

My goals are to graduate with my MD/MPH and go to a residency that will enable my passions, uplift my voice, and train me to the best of their abilities, so I can provide optimum care for people who need it most.

The College of Medicine – Phoenix Culture

What will you miss most about the College of Medicine – Phoenix? Any advice for incoming medical students?

My advice for any medical student is to always focus on your own reasons for being here. Do not be afraid to advocate for your needs, interests, training or future. Give yourself permission to be selfish, curious and to not fear making your own path through medical school.

Often, there are multiple ways to make changes to your path to maximize what you want from your education. Do not be afraid to ask and offer new solutions. I did, and I could not be happier with the opportunities I was able to find.

Wildcat Wonder

What does it mean to be considered a '*Wildcat Wonder'?

To me, it means to represent my state proudly. I was born and raised in the desert. I got my bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees and a doctorate from the University of Arizona. For a long time, Arizona has not been ‘on the map’ for places to go for opportunity.

That is changing, especially in the medical field. As someone who has received all their education here, I am so proud to be able to represent my state and home as a place that offers so much possibility. The desert is a land of true beauty and opportunity.

’Wildcat Wonder: A student who has attended the University of Arizona throughout their higher education journey, spanning from their bachelor’s degree and beyond.