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VCOM Campus

Daniel Hollander

Daniel Allen Hollander Jr.
Graduates: Class of 2024
Campus: Louisiana
Prior School: University of Louisiana at Monroe
Hometown: Mandeville, LA

The VCOM mission has also reinforced that I want to reach out beyond the country and help others in extreme poverty. There is so much to be done in third-world countries. We must assist them, and they must humble us as physicians and remind us of why we became physicians.

Who or what has inspired you while at VCOM?
My friends and classmates have been what has inspired me the most here at VCOM. This is a testament to the Admissions process that VCOM uses. They have recruited and brought in the best students and the best people with the highest of character. There is strength in numbers, and that could not be more true in a medical school. I would not have had the success I have had so far without my classmates and my friends. We are all striving toward the same goal to become a doctor, don the white coat, and impact people's lives. Since we are all striving for the same thing and have a common purpose, we push ourselves and others to be the best they can be. When I struggle during the countless hours of work, I think that I have over one hundred friends going through the same thing. Oddly enough, that gives me the comfort that everything will work out. The luxury of having 150 other students and friends going through the same struggles as you and understanding the challenges is something I would not want to be without. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another," Proverbs 27:17

How has the VCOM mission-inspired you as a medical student?
When I first began my studies at VCOM, I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to live. The big city, beautiful hospitals, and fancy clinics are attractive to all of us, and most of us would do anything to practice medicine in this way. Still, as I have begun to learn more and more, I have realized that many people forget about underserved families. We forget that some people must drive over an hour to even get to the big city clinic. That they must take a day off from work that they can't afford, hire a nanny that they can't afford to get to a much-needed physician. These things drive me to live the VCOM mission of making people aware of the forgotten people. They are not "out of sight, out of mind." They are very real, and they very much need us more than anyone. The VCOM mission has also reinforced that I want to reach out beyond the country and help others in extreme poverty. There is so much to be done in third-world countries. We must assist them, and they must humble us as physicians and remind us of why we became physicians.

Who or what inspired you to study medicine?
My dad inspired me to become a doctor. However, he is not a doctor. He is a nurse, and a nurse is just as important, if not more important, to a patient—someone who sees the patient day in and day out and someone who the patient trusts. I watched my dad be a caretaker not only in his profession but also in family life, the one who our family looks toward in times of need. He always has an answer for their needs. Like him, I want to be the one people rely on to get them through things. I want to be the caretaker in my profession and personal life. If I have half the amount of care he shows people, I believe my patients would be lucky. He is also the person who has inspired me to live a healthy lifestyle. He is what you call a "health nut," and that has rubbed off on me as well. I think it is important if we are going to advocate for people to be healthy; we must also practice what we preach.

Why did you choose VCOM?
VCOM came into my life at the perfect time, and it only seemed fitting that I am here at VCOM Louisiana. I graduated from ULM in 2019, and I did not have direction in where I wanted to be. I thought that I had stayed in Louisiana too long and needed to live out of state for medical school and experience a different place. I had VCOM low on my list until I had my interview. The way they treated me in my interview had won me over completely. They made me feel wanted, and I could tell they were excited that I was there. I was immediately relaxed, which I had not felt at any other medical school interview. They made me excited to accept the challenge of being the inaugural class at VCOM-Louisiana and made me excited to represent the state of Louisiana and give back to the community.

What do you enjoy most about living in the area around your campus?
The reason is the same reason that I chose to go to ULM. The campus is built around a bayou, and it is absolutely gorgeous (on most days). The ULM staff always keeps up with the landscaping. There are flowers always planted, and it is always lovely to sit outside and relax. I have lived in Monroe for five years, and there is a reason I decided to come back to the campus here. It is not an overwhelming campus, and there is everything you need here in the area. I also enjoy the fact that Monroe is not the most exciting town. There are great places to eat and just enough places to go out and have a good time, but it is not enough for there to be distractions away from my true purpose here.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I am addicted to the gym and exercise. If I don't work out for more than two days, I get anxiety, and for everyone in medical school, you know any extra stress on top of what we already have is not good. School makes it hard for me to always find the time to do what I love, but you will make the time if you love it. It is important to find time for free time even if it means you can't finish that last lecture of the day. Besides working out, I enjoy cooking and playing any type of sports: basketball, soccer, and golf.

Are you interested in a particular practice or specialty once you graduate? What has inspired your interest in this specialty?
I am currently interested in Internal Medicine, Emergency medicine, and sports medicine. As a sports fan, it is hard not to be interested. I formerly played football at ULM and suffered one too many injures. I saw firsthand what a sports medicine career looks like, and I would love to work with athletes of any kind. Internal medicine and Emergency medicine interest me because they are sort of the "renaissance man," or "jack of all trades," type of doctors. There is so much variety you can do, and there is a large scope of practice, so you must know a little about a lot. Personally, that is something I would enjoy more than learning something very specific and specializing in just one thing.