2026 Peach State Students

Anna Scott Brown of Claxton, Georgia, is pursuing a career in Internal Medicine with a strong commitment to returning to Southeast Georgia to provide rural and underserved communities with compassionate and excellent care. Anna graduated from the University of Georgia in 2023 with a degree in psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience. Anna fell in love with medicine after shadowing a primary care physician in her hometown. She was drawn to the intersection of biomedical science and problem-solving, combined with the deep human aspects of caring for patients. After experiencing firsthand the struggles of living in a medically underserved area, she is looking forward to being a part of the solution to this issue. 

Ryan Brownlee of Flowery Branch, GA is pursuing a career in Internal Medicine. He graduated from Mercer University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology before beginning medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. Ryan’s interest in Internal Medicine grew from his desire to build strong relationships with adult patients while thinking deeply through the management of their medical conditions. Throughout medical school, he has been especially drawn to patient cases that require broad clinical reasoning, careful decision-making, and the ability to connect symptoms, diagnoses, comorbidities, and treatment plans. These experiences helped him recognize how much he values a field that uses the full breadth of medical knowledge while still keeping the patient’s story at the center of care. Ryan hopes to become an internist who is compassionate, thoughtful, and deeply committed to helping patients feel heard, understood, and supported throughout their care. He also hopes to continue serving communities across Georgia through mentorship, medical education, and clinical research.

Thien Duy Chen is an aspiring Family Medicine physician. Born and raised in Savannah to Vietnamese parents, Thien Duy has remained deeply rooted to his hometown community. A 2022 graduate of Georgia Tech, Thien Duy spent 2 post-grad years in Atlanta before returning home to Savannah to attend the newly created MCG Savannah campus. His motivation stems from the lack of Vietnamese physicians in his area and the difficulties with access to healthcare. He hopes to give back to the community which has poured love and time into him in the only way he knows how: through service. His vision is rooted in becoming a true servant leader for his community and embracing the role of being a representative. While in Savannah, he lived out these values by being the Vice President for the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement at his church, an organization he has been with since he was a child. Thien Duy chose Family Medicine because he believes it is the best way to be intertwined with his patients and the community. Through Family Medicine, he hopes to build lasting connections and to serve not only the Vietnamese community, but all who feel their voices are not heard.

Heidi Hicks of Acworth, Georgia is pursuing a career in Internal Medicine. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2023 with three Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology, Psychology, and Biomedical Physiology. Her academic training strengthened her interest in understanding complex biological systems and translating that knowledge into clear, accessible patient education to help individuals better understand their disease processes and care. Through her clinical and community experiences, she has witnessed how underserved populations are negatively impacted by barriers such as limited access to primary care, transportation challenges, and resource shortages, which often lead to delayed diagnoses and poorer health outcomes. As a lifelong Georgia native, she is committed to improving access to care in rural and underserved communities in Georgia, where physician shortages and limited resources create significant gaps in healthcare delivery. She is particularly interested in internal medicine for its emphasis on diagnostic reasoning, the management of complex medical conditions, and the collaborative, team-based approach to patient care. She hopes to use patient education as a central tool in practice to empower patients, improve health literacy, and support better long-term outcomes across the communities she serves.

Dakota Vern Phillips is an aspiring physician pursuing a career in Internal Medicine. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Dakota has proudly called Georgia home since beginning his undergraduate education at the University of Georgia in 2018, where he graduated in 2022 with a degree in Biology. Through his medical training in Savannah, Georgia, Dakota has developed a deep appreciation for the city’s close-knit community and the relationships he built with faculty, professors, and physicians throughout the region. Their mentorship, dedication to teaching, and commitment to serving patients have profoundly influenced his decision to pursue Internal Medicine. Dakota hopes to serve the community that has become his home. He is passionate about building lasting relationships with patients, improving access to quality healthcare, and contributing to the health and well-being of communities throughout coastal Georgia.

Peace Abhieyighan is an aspiring Emergency Medicine for patients with limited access to care. She graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN in 2024. Although Peace always had an interest in healthcare, her passion for addressing health disparities was sparked by her experience working at a not-for-profit clinic system in Memphis, TN, dedicated to serving the uninsured and others with limited access to care. This interest was further solidified during her gap year in Walton County GA, where she worked at a pediatric clinic that served more than three neighboring counties. She worked with parents and families who drove long distances to keep their appointments with their PCP, even when transportation was not easily accessible to them. Beyond the fast pace of the Emergency department, Peace’s interest in Emergency Medicine was solidified when she realized how frequently rural and underserved patients rely on the ED for both chronic care and high-acuity visits. As an Emergency Medicine physician, she aims to provide first-line support in bridging these healthcare gaps across communities in Georgia.   

Tagwa Ali of Grovetown, GA is passionate about providing culturally responsive and equitable healthcare to underserved communities. She graduated from Augusta University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Physics. Although she was born in New York, she has called Dublin, Georgia home for much of her life. Growing up in a rural and medically underserved community, Tagwa witnessed firsthand how healthcare disparities disproportionately affect individuals from minority and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. These experiences shaped her commitment to medicine and inspired her to pursue a career dedicated to improving access to quality healthcare. Tagwa believes that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that patients deserve to be treated as whole individuals rather than a collection of symptoms or diagnoses. Her interest in Internal Medicine stems from its comprehensive approach to patient care and the opportunity to build meaningful, long-term relationships with patients. Tagwa chose Internal Medicine because it allows her to care for patients across a broad spectrum of health needs while serving as an advocate for their well-being. As a future physician, she hopes to provide compassionate, culturally aware care and help ensure that every patient feels seen, heard, and valued. 

Joyabhishek (Joy) Charles is an aspiring pediatrician and a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a B.S. in Biology, with a minor in Health and Medical Sciences. Raised in Americus, Georgia, a medically underserved rural community, Joy developed an early appreciation for the healthcare challenges faced by many families across the state. His experiences as an anatomy and pathology teaching assistant, undergraduate researcher, and EMT have deepened his passion for medicine and reinforced his commitment to service. Drawn to both the science of human biology and the privilege of caring for others, Joy hopes to build a career centered on compassionate, evidence-based pediatric care. At MCG, Joy serves on the executive boards for the Savannah Campus Class of 2029 and the Pediatrics Interest Group. Inspired by his upbringing and personal experiences, Joy is dedicated to improving healthcare access and outcomes for underserved children and families across Georgia.

Jeremiah M. Clemmons of Martinez, Georgia is committed to pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine. He graduated from Augusta University in 2025 with a BS in Nursing.  His commitment to emergency medicine and caring for underserved communities first developed while serving with the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department and deepened throughout his decade-long career as a firefighter and paramedic. Seeing the profound impact compassionate healthcare can make in people’s lives inspired him to commit to pursuing a career as a physician. Jeremiah hopes to continue this tradition of service in the rural communities of Georgia.

Esther Kim of Sugar Hill, GA is an aspiring Pediatric physician with a commitment to serving underserved communities across the state of Georgia. Stories drive Esther’s desire to pursue medicine. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2024 with a degree in Public Relations. She has listened to the stories of those experiencing homelessness as executive director of The Backpack Project of Athens as well as helped others tell their story as head curator of TEDxUGA. Her academic and service experiences shaped her understanding of healthcare as both a clinical and deeply relational field. Esther’s future is in serving kids. She has a deep desire to provide opportunities for new stories to be told. She believes that unequal access to healthcare should not limit a child’s story to bloom. If each of the stories of her patients is a budding flower, Esther is committed to watering every seed that comes her way.

Taryn Lykes of Ludowici, Georgia is an aspiring physician pursuing a career in Obstetrics & Gynecology. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology and a Master of Science in Medical Physiology from Augusta University. Growing up in a rural community, Taryn witnessed the challenges many families face when access to healthcare is limited by geography, transportation, and financial barriers. These experiences inspired her commitment to improving healthcare access for underserved populations throughout Georgia. Through years of volunteering in community and mobile health clinics, Taryn has worked alongside healthcare professionals serving patients who might otherwise go without care. These experiences reinforced her belief that quality healthcare should not depend on where a person lives or their ability to afford treatment. As a future Obstetrician-Gynecologist, she hopes to advocate for preventative care and health education, while building lasting relationships with patients across every stage of life. Taryn is dedicated to creating a future where all women have access to compassionate high-quality care close to home and where healthcare serves as a source of empowerment, dignity, and opportunity for every patient.

Anna-Racquel Perez of Alpharetta, GA, is an aspiring physician with a long-held desire to work in Pediatrics. Anna-Racquel graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2025 with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. While there, she spent countless hours shadowing and volunteering in Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and fell deeply in love with all that a career in pediatrics entails. Her passion did not begin there, however. Since Anna-Racquel was a mere three years old, she has brazenly declared she not only wanted to be a doctor, but a Pediatrician. As a part of her work in Atlanta, Anna-Racquel met many patients who were in need of interpreters. She witnessed firsthand the intense relief that patients felt when an in-person interpreter was provided, and even more so when the physician themself was Spanish-speaking. Having grown up in a Spanish-speaking household, a new commitment in Anna-Racquel blossomed to offer care to those underserved in Georgia in the language they were most comfortable speaking. Anna-Racquel's work at Clínica Latina as the Interpreter Coordinator has only fanned the flames of this new passion, offering Spanish interpretation every week to the uninsured Hispanic community of Augusta. With a deep commitment to closing the language gap in healthcare, Anna-Racquel intends to become an advocate for her patients, ensuring that they not only understand but feel understood.

Fernando R. Vale-Enriquez of Tampa, FL is an aspiring physician in Emergency Medicine. His commitment to service started with his undergraduate education, where he graduated in 2018 from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He served for seven years in the United States Marine Corps before receiving an honorable discharge while stationed at Fort Eisenhower to pursue medical education at MCG. Fernando is drawn to Emergency Medicine for its role in critical, life-saving care, diverse range of experiences, and for being the first point of contact for many patients within the medical system. Fernando looks forward to compassionate community-centered emergency care and improving healthcare access and equity across Georgia.

Chaston Weaver of Augusta, GA is interested in pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine. He graduated from Augusta University in 2019 with a degree in respiratory therapy. He worked as a respiratory therapist for 6 years in various settings. He gained a passion for rural medicine while working at Burke Health in Waynesboro, GA and seeing the impact that he could have in underserved communities. Mr. Weaver’s interest in Emergency Medicine began while working in the emergency department during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an emergency medicine physician, Mr. Weaver hopes that his previous healthcare experience and leadership will allow him to serve rural areas and deliver care to those who need it the most.

Alexander (Xander) C. Yeager of Grantville, GA is pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine. He graduated from University of West Georgia in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs, with minors in Philosophy of Religion and in Spanish. He is a husband, father, and former business owner. His interest in Emergency Medicine developed after a life-changing injury that ended his time in the Navy SEAL training pipeline. During this time, he interacted with and was treated by several physicians, who demonstrated compassion and expertise that he found inspiring. After recovering, he worked in his rural hometown ED for three years as a scribe and tech, further solidifying his love of medicine and desire to be a part of the Emergency Medicine community.  By working in the ED, Xander’s hope is to aid others through the same kinds of life-altering events he experienced and provide the same level of care that inspired him to find a new passion in life.