Connect with Ally

Hey Deacs! I am Ally, a 2016 Wake Forest graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. I was originally born and raised in the Washington, DC area and now live in San Antonio, Texas where I work as a surgical PA.

After graduating from Wake, I moved to Boston where I pursued clinical research and patient care roles while taking the required coursework for PA school. I then matriculated into a PA program in Rhode Island and later worked as an adjunct faculty member before moving to Texas for my husband’s residency training. I worked as a Vascular Surgery PA for two years and opted to pursue a more operative-focused position as a surgical PA in a Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery group which specializes in advanced breast reconstruction for breast cancer patients. Most of my work consists of perioperative care in the inpatient hospital setting, as well as work in the operating room assisting patient mastectomies and breast reconstruction using a specialized microvascular procedure involving a patient’s own natural tissue.

While at Wake, I thought there was one recipe for a career in medicine: take pre-med coursework, get a degree in science, and ace your entrance exam. Having worked on a PA admissions panel, I found that many schools embrace the alternative applicants. As someone who benefited from a non-linear path to medicine, I would encourage more students and professionals to consider it. There are a million different avenues out there–find the one that enriches your life and it will make you a better clinician and a better human.

Feel free to reach out to me to connect about the PA career path, building a network in a new city (have done this three times now!), volunteer opportunities, and exploring your personal identity outside of medicine.

Here’s the intake form for Ally. Once you submit your responses, the confirmation message will include Ally’s contact information. Please send her an email to request a conversation!