Wright State resident, medical student land competitive ENT placements, reflecting strength of Premier Health partnership

Wright State medical resident Mac Kenzie Reece will serve as a head and neck endocrine surgery fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Mass Eye and Ear center, part of Harvard Medical School.

Two trainees from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine are advancing to highly competitive ear, nose and throat (ENT) programs, reflecting both individual achievement and the strength of the school’s longstanding partnership with Premier Health.

Mac Kenzie Reece, D.O., a general surgery resident, matched into a head and neck endocrine surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Mass Eye and Ear center, part of Harvard Medical School.

Omar Zayed, M.D., a Wright State medical student who graduated this spring, matched into an otolaryngology, or ENT, residency at Case Western Reserve University.

The placements are among the most competitive in medicine. There are only four head and neck endocrine surgery fellowship programs in the country, each offering a single position. ENT residency slots are similarly scarce, drawing large pools of applicants for a limited number of spots each year.

That a Wright State resident and medical student both landed placements speaks to something more than individual achievement.

“I believe this reflects outstanding mentorship,” said Priti Parikh, Ph.D., professor of surgery and vice chair for research education and professional development.

She credited two Premier Health ENT surgeons — Kazim Alwani, M.D., and Sameep Kadakia, M.D. — whose commitment to teaching and research extended well beyond the clinic.

Wright State’s Boonshoft School of Medicine trains students and residents through a community-based medical education model through the Premier Health system. Rather than training at a single hospital, learners train across a network of Premier Health clinical sites, working directly with practicing physicians who also serve as clinical faculty.

“This combination of access, mentorship and real-world clinical exposure helps prepare residents and students to compete successfully for highly selective opportunities,” Parikh said.

Randy Woods, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, said these outcomes illustrate the strength of Wright State’s medical education program and partnership with Premier Health.

Unlike training in a traditional university hospital, he noted, students and residents gain broad clinical exposure across multiple sites, while also building relationships with physicians who are actively engaged in both patient care, teaching and research.

“The Wright State–Premier Health partnership provides a highly personalized support system for students and residents,” Woods said. “Because training is embedded in a close-knit community of physicians, mentors are often able to provide direct, individual support when students face challenges.

Wright State is ranked No. 1 in Ohio for graduating primary care physicians — a distinction rooted in the same community-based model now producing placements at Harvard and Case Western.

“Our program’s strength is its ability to prepare students and residents to compete successfully in both primary care and highly competitive specialty pathways,” Parikh said.

For Reece and Zayed, the unique structure of the Wright State–Premier Health partnership made all the difference.

For Reece, the relationships he built during his residency opened doors to research, publication and international conference presentations that most residents never reach.

His Premier Health mentors were truly instrumental in his development.

“They played a major role in preparing me for fellowship and ultimately shaping my approach to patient care,” he said.

Through their long-standing partnership, Premier Health and Wright State have trained many successful surgical residents, and those like Reece excel when they pair personal ambition with strong mentorship and institutional support, said Sameep Kadakia, director of head and neck surgical oncology and reconstructive surgery at Miami Valley Hospital.

“First, the resident must possess the internal drive, work ethic and commitment to continually push toward the next level,” Kadakia said. “Second, mentorship from dedicated faculty helps create opportunities and pathways for growth. Finally, strong administrative support from both the hospital system and the medical school helps align these efforts into an environment where residents can truly thrive. Our trainees benefit from a uniquely supportive training environment with abundant resources and faculty who are deeply invested in encouraging academic, professional and personal growth.”

Reece also credits Wright State’s General Surgery Residency program for offering a strong culture defined by teaching, flexibility to pursue individual goals and genuine teamwork.

“I feel very well prepared for the next step,” he said, “and deeply appreciative of the support I received along the way.”

Reece, who earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, will begin his Harvard fellowship in July, focusing on patients with complex thyroid and parathyroid disease.

Omar Zayed, who graduated from the Boonshoft School of Medicine this spring, matched into an otolaryngology residency at Case Western Reserve University.

Zayed’s path into ENT started with a guest lecture by Alwani. It piqued Zayed’s interest, and he began shadowing Alwani and Kadakia but still wasn’t sure it was the right fit. ENT is one of the most competitive specialties in medicine, and Zayed had come to it late in medical school.

“I still remember Dr. Alwani taking the time to sit down with me for hours,” Zayed said, “helping me think through what pursuing this specialty would actually require and what my path could look like. That conversation was a turning point for me.”

Kazim Alwani, a head and neck surgical oncology and reconstructive surgeon with Premier Health ENT Associates, described the placements as a reflection of what the Wright State–Premier Health partnership tries to build every day.

“Mac and Omar’s success reflects what we try to build every day at Wright State and Premier Health: early access, meaningful mentorship and opportunities that help trainees grow beyond what they may have thought possible,” Alwani said. “Whether it is a medical student exploring ENT for the first time or a resident developing into a future subspecialist, our goal is to give learners real clinical exposure, involve them in impactful research and support them as individuals. Seeing trainees present our work nationally and internationally, publish, match into competitive specialties and secure elite fellowship opportunities is incredibly rewarding. Their achievements belong to them, but they also reflect the strength of a training environment where faculty are deeply invested in helping students and residents succeed.”

From there, Zayed was fully committed. He completed a month-long rotation with Alwani and Kadakia, who helped him prepare for away rotations, guided him into research, connected him with others in the field and advocated for him throughout the process.

Matching into competitive specialties, such as ENT, requires quality research opportunities and mentoring.

“Dr. Parikh played a pivotal role in my journey. She helped me find research opportunities, provided invaluable guidance throughout the process and invested in my growth by connecting me with other physicians and mentors,” Zayed said.

Shelby Kitchin, M.D., a plastic surgery resident at Wright State, also collaborated with him on several research projects and supported him in moving those forward.

“Reaching this point would not have been possible without them,” Zayed said, “and I will always be deeply grateful for their guidance.”

He begins his ENT residency at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals this summer.