A Family Legacy Leads Talia Kabolowsky to the Miller School
Inspired by generations of physicians, service to young patients and her family’s response to tragedy, Talia Kabolowsky is beginning her own path at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Key Takeaways
- For Talia Kabolowsky, beginning medical school continues a family connection to the Miller School that spans generations.
- The response of a physician in her family to the Parkland tragedy helped shape her understanding of medicine, community service and emotional well-being.
- Her work with Streetlight strengthened her passion for medicine and reinforced the importance of seeing the person behind the illness.
- She begins her medical education with an interest in psychiatry and a commitment to caring for the whole person.
For Talia Kabolowsky, an M.D. candidate in the Class of 2030, arriving at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine felt both like the beginning of something new and a homecoming of sorts. Medicine and the Miller School have been part of her family story for decades.
That connection took on special meaning at the White Coat and Pinning Ceremony on August 21, when her uncle, Mark Lieberman, M.D. ’86, had the honor of pinning her.
“It was very special to share that moment with Uncle Mark,” said Kabolowsky.
How Medicine Became a Family Legacy
Dr. Lieberman was the first in his family to become a physician and the first to graduate from the Miller School. He would not be the last.
His daughter, Monica Lieberman-Ulm, M.D. ’19, is a triple ’Cane who graduated from the Miller School in 2019 and completing her residency and fellowship at Jackson Health System. She is now an endocrinologist with the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.
Kabolowsky and Dr. Lieberman-Ulm are first cousins and they both have two brothers. The families lived just two miles apart in Parkland, Florida.
“Though we are 10 years apart in age, we are very close,” said Dr. Lieberman-Ulm. “I always felt like I had a little sister.”
Of the four male cousins, two also pursued medicine. One is a fourth-year anesthesiology resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center, the other a foot and ankle surgery fellow at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Growing up surrounded by family members in medicine provided Kabolowsky plenty of inspiration. But it was her uncle and oldest cousin who had the biggest influence.
“We all grew up ’Canes fans, thanks to Dad, and the whole family celebrated when we found out Talia was accepted to UM for med school,” said Dr. Lieberman-Ulm.
How the Parkland Tragedy Shaped Her Path
One of the pivotal moments in Kabolowsky’s path toward medicine came during her freshman year of high school.
On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. Dr. Lieberman lived just three houses from the school and responded to the scene, providing emergency medical assistance to injured students.
For Kabolowsky, seeing a physician she knew and admired step forward in a moment of extraordinary need left a lasting impression. The tragedy also shaped her understanding of another critical need, caring for the mental and emotional well-being of individuals and communities following traumatic events. That awareness would contribute to her growing interest in psychiatry.
Finding Purpose Through Patient Support
Kabolowsky’s interest in caring for others continued to grow during her undergraduate years at the University of Florida, where she majored in psychology and minored in innovation.
Like her cousin before her, Kabolowsky joined Streetlight, a specialized adolescent and young adult palliative care support program in Gainesville staffed, in part, by trained undergraduate volunteers.
“Being part of Streetlight was such a meaningful experience, and it furthered my passion for medicine,” said Kabolowsky.
She took on increasing leadership responsibilities within the organization, serving first as a shift captain and then transplant team captain. Through her work with organ transplant patients, she developed longitudinal connections with patients throughout their journeys, from diagnosis and waitlisting to post-transplantation.
The experience reinforced for Kabolowsky the importance of seeing the person behind the illness.
Beginning Her Own Miller School Legacy
She hopes to carry that perspective with her throughout her medical career.
“I was so impressed with how Talia took on bigger leadership roles at Streetlight and really took it to the next level,” added Dr. Lieberman-Ulm. “She really demonstrates the empathy, compassion and resilience it takes to be a physician.”
Dr. Lieberman is also impressed by his niece’s determination and focus.
“I’m so proud of Talia and all that she has achieved,” he said.
As Kabolowsky begins her first year at the Miller School, she carries with her the example of the physicians who came before her. But she is also beginning to define what that legacy will mean in her own career. With an interest in psychiatry and a commitment to caring for the whole person, she is finding her own place in a family story that began at the Miller School four decades ago.
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