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Alumni Success Story: Rahel Gizaw '09

Deeply immersed in patient care, one Tallulah Falls School alum is living out her medical career dreams with a side of artistic expression. Rahel Gizaw specializes in emergency medicine at Emory, where she clinically sees patients, and teaches at the academic medical center to collaborate with residents and medical students, introducing and teaching them the practice of emergency medicine.

She credits her experience at TFS with sparking her early plans for attending college, starting at the University of Georgia, where she graduated in 2013 with a degree in biological sciences. After UGA, she graduated from the Morehouse School of Medicine in 2019 and completed her residency in 2021.

Although her primary focus is patient care, Gizaw has a creative side that graphically communicates clinical imagery. Graphic medicine uses visual illustrations in medical education, patient care, and other applications, Gizaw explained. As a med student, she started a platform on Instagram [@PhysicianDoodles] to help provide FOAM (Free Open-Access Medical Education)”  Since then, her platform has grown, and Atlanta Medicine Magazine has featured her illustrations as cover art.
https://indd.adobe.com/view/72fda671-3bb6-4de1-a46e-61a6f55873d2

Tallulah Falls School made a lasting impact on Gizaw’s life. "Going to boarding school is a rite of passage in my family. They chose TFS because of a family friend who attended and had many great things to say," Gizaw said. "TFS made me competitive enough to go to my No. 1 choice for college, which had a great pre-med track."

At TFS, Gizaw met people from across the globe and made lifelong friendships. "TFS provided an opportunity for one-of-a-kind education and experiences," she said. "I am still best friends with my old roommates/classmates."

For Gizaw, it is hard to fully recognize the positive impact of faculty and staff.

"Mrs. Harris is an absolute gem. No matter how terrible I was at math, she made it enjoyable," she said. "My dorm counselors, Susan Crater, Beth Meek, and Sarah Lowry were always there when I needed them. We still keep in touch to this day!"

Being a part of the TFS Centennial Class in 2009 was especially meaningful for Gizaw. While at TFS, she was captain of the cheerleading squad and editor of the yearbook, as well as a National Honor Society member and a TFS Ambassador.