Nicolle Castañeda
What is your current role and department at UM?
I currently work in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences on the medical campus as a senior residency coordinator. My area is the educational division working with our core residency program and six fellowships. In my role, I work closely with directors, administrators, residents, and fellows on all aspects of graduate medical training and program management.
What degree will you be receiving this coming graduation?
I will be graduating with a Master of Public Health.
How long have you been in service at UM?
4 years and 3 months
What were some highlights of your time as a student and employee?
As an eternal student, I truly loved learning new skills in class and applying them in practice during work meetings and conversations. It really brought my worlds together! I enjoyed meeting fellow students who would become colleagues and finding mentors who will be a part of my career for years to come!
What is a favorite UM memory?
Traveling to our annual training conferences with our education team are memories I will cherish forever. You really build a family with the people you work with and it makes you realize how strong your professional relationships have become in and out of the office.
Have you received any awards, honors, or special achievements?
I graduated from the Essentials of Leadership program at the university in 2019 and completed the Hiring Top Talent as well as Coach Leader programs, which are all incredible opportunities in professional development and leadership. This past year, I also completed a certification as a training administrator of graduate medical education. I have presented my scholarly work at two major annual meetings in New York City and San Diego. During my free time, I study Levantine Arabic and am a level 3 belly dancer.
Please share any advice that you might have for employees looking to go back to school.
If you're even mildly thinking about it, just do it! The years fly by and before you know it, you will have graduated. Also, talking to the benefits office was a huge help and really helped me understand the tuition remission portion of graduate school.
Learn about other 2020 graduating employees.
