Match Day 2026: Chelsea Caplan on Finding Her Path to Surgery Through Public Health and Service
Ahead of Match Day, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine student Chelsea Caplan reflects on her journey through public health, mentorship and a growing passion for surgery.
Chelsea Caplan never had a family roadmap into medicine. No parents in white coats, no dinner-table conversations about residency or rounds. What she had instead was a steady curiosity about science and a conviction, formed early, that medicine was ultimately about people.
“I always loved learning about medicine,” she said. “And what interested me most wasn’t just the science. It was the relationships.”
Caplan grew up in South Florida, in the Boca Raton area. She gravitated toward health care-related student groups in middle and high school. By the time she arrived at the University of Florida as an undergraduate, the direction felt natural. She studied public health sciences, a choice that reflected her growing interest in the forces shaping health beyond the exam room.
“Public health felt like a way to tap into the compassionate, humanitarian side of medicine,” she said. “It’s about meeting patients where they’re at.”
After graduating in 2021, Caplan worked for a year prior to starting medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She enrolled in the M.D./M.P.H. program, drawn by the chance to integrate clinical training with a deeper understanding of access, insurance and community resources.
“I wanted to learn how to help patients inside and outside the hospital,” she said. “Breaking down those barriers matter.”
A Calling Rooted in People, Not Pedigree
Caplan entered medical school without a fixed specialty in mind. She knew she wanted patient-facing work and a career grounded in service, but she allowed herself time to explore. As she moved through rotations, she found herself surprised by how much she enjoyed nearly every specialty.
“I loved all of it,” she said. “I remember thinking, I could do any specialty and be genuinely happy.”
General surgery, however, stood out. The field’s breadth of managing complex illness, mastering technical skill and working across organ systems appealed to her. Just as important were the people. Surgeons at the Miller School, she said, modeled both rigor and generosity.
“Finding mentors who are passionate about what they do is so inspiring,” she said, citing faculty members including Laurence Sands, M.D., M.B.A., and John Lew, M.D., from the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, and Dean Henri Ford. “Their support throughout medical school has been invaluable.”
Mentorship, Caplan believes, is essential in a profession with so many possible paths.
“Coming in, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do nor did I know many people established in their careers as physicians,” she said. “Having people with similar passions excited to teach makes such a difference.”
Now a fourth-year student, she has begun to repay that investment. She mentors younger students preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) exams, serves as a teaching assistant for anatomy and surgical bootcamps and works as an advisor for pre-med students. She takes pride in helping others navigate the less visible complexities of medical school.
“Creating a safe space where students can ask questions and feel like they can lean on me for support…that’s been one of my favorite parts,” she said.
Why Public Health Shaped Her Approach to Medicine
Caplan’s public health training shaped some of her most formative experiences. Through her M.P.H. work, she developed research skills focused on health disparities, clinical outcomes and surgical populations. But the most lasting lessons came outside traditional academic settings.
Early in medical school, she joined Miami Street Medicine, an outreach program that provides care to unhoused patients around Jackson Memorial Hospital. For four years, she worked alongside physicians, social workers and community activists, bringing supplies and medical attention directly to patients who might otherwise avoid the health care system.
“You learn how powerful it is to go to patients instead of waiting for them to come to you,” she said. “If you show people that care doesn’t have to be intimidating, that there’s a whole team ready to support them, it can really change their perspective.”
The experience reinforced her belief that quality care requires trust, and that trust often begins long before a hospital visit.
What Match Day Means After Four Years of Growth
As Match Day approaches, Caplan reflects less on outcomes than on the people who shaped her journey. She speaks with gratitude about classmates who grew into best friends, mentors who challenged and inspired her and a family that stood behind her from the beginning.
“My family is really excited for me,” she said. “They know how long I have wanted this and have seen how hard I worked to get to this point.”
Wherever residency takes her, Caplan feels ready.
“I know wherever I end up I’ll be trained to become a great surgeon,” she said. “And I’m eager to keep learning, push myself every day and make a tangible impact in the community I serve.”
More from Match Day 2026
Every student in the Unversity of Miami Miller School of Medicine graduating class matched with residencies during Match Day 2024.
How Alex Pedowitz’s early love of problem‑solving and public health led her to emergency medicine at the Miller School of Medicine.
University of Miami medical student Ceci Amaro shares how community service and mentorship shaped her path at the Miller School of Medicine.
A Miller School medical student transformed a passion for nutrition into a lasting curriculum that’s influencing medical education.
As Match Day approaches, Miller School medical student Simran Prakash reflects on her path to physical medicine and rehabilitation.
From health care investment banking to OB‑GYN, Miller School of Medicine student Claire Alcus reflects on service, leadership and Match Day.
Tags: community health, Match Day, Match Day 2026, medical students, Miami Street Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, Newsroom, student leadership