A Family Affair

By: Julie Levin | September 03, 2024 | 9 min. read |

Nineteen members of the incoming Miller School of Medicine class follow friends and family members into the medical profession.

Abraham Garcia, Class of 2028 M.D. candidate, and his father, Jose Garcia, M.D.’87.

In addition to putting on their white coats for the first time at the recent White Coat Ceremony, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine medical students received Miller School pins from relatives and friends who once walked the same path into a career in medicine.

The 19 alumni legacies were joined on stage by family or friends, all of whom are Miller School alumni or resident alumni. Immediately after the students received their white coats, the alumni ceremonially welcomed them into the medical school by adding the Miller School pin to the lapel of their white coats.

Jose Garcia, M.D. ’87, had the honor of pinning his son, Abraham.

“Seeing my son grow up committed to helping others, committed to pursuing excellence all his life and also now as he enters medical school, has always been very fulfilling as a father,” said Dr. Garcia, who’s eldest son, Jose Pablo Garcia, M.D., is also a physician. “Putting the pin on him is a reminder of what a great person he has been to others.”

“My father still has a lot of fond memories of his time at UM and Jackson, and while I grew up hearing them, those places always felt so far away,” said Abraham, an M.D. candidate in the Class of 2028. “But now that I’m here, it is interesting to compare notes and piece together UM’s history between us.”

Rebecca Kaiser is an M.D./M.P.H. candidate iand the latest in a long line of family members to pursue a career as a physician.

“To say I’m proud of her is an understatement,” said her father, Charles Kaiser, M.D. ’90. “She is continuing a tradition dating back to the early-20th century when her great-grandfather, Harry Kaiser, M.D., practiced in Brooklyn. Her grandfather, Gerard Kaiser, M.D., had a long, illustrious career at UM/JMH as chief of cardiovascular surgery and deputy dean for clinical affairs. I am currently in my 30th year as an ophthalmologist and her cousin, Josh Kaiser, M.D., ’23, is a resident in emergency medicine in New York City.”

Charles J. Kaiser, M.D. ’90, pins daughter, Rebecca Kaiser, a Class of 2028 M.D./M.P.H. candidate. — Charles Kaiser, M.D. ’90, pins daughter, Rebecca Kaiser, a Class of 2028 M.D./M.P.H. candidate.

“This is a full-circle moment and a great honor for me,” said Rebecca. “With both my father and cousin graduating from the Miller School of Medicine, I’m thrilled to be the first woman in my family to follow their path and pursue a career as a physician.”