The New Doctors

Meet Veronica Tirado, MD ’09
Chicago Campus

The first in her family to attend college, Veronica Tirado, MD ’09, worked as a hospital research assistant while a psychology undergraduate at the University of Chicago. Finding she loved interviewing and interacting with patients convinced her to pursue medical school.

UIC’s Hispanic Center of Excellence helped her with the application and interview process. “They worked with me on my personal statement, coached me for my interview and connected me to a summer fellowship after my first year,” Tirado says. This support inspired her to give back: Tirado spent up to six hours a week tutoring a group of three M2 students preparing for the STEP1 exam.

Tirado discovered a love of surgery during her clinical clerkship and now is a general surgery resident at UIC. “I’m excited by the hands-on experience and the chance to problem-solve in a fast-moving environment,” she says.