MSS Shadowing Program
The Muriel Steele Society (MSS) Shadowing Program offers UCSF medical students a unique opportunity to observe and engage with practicing surgeons across a variety of specialties. Organized by the Muriel Steele Society—an inclusive community dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and promoting surgeons at all stages of their careers—this program connects students with mentors in both the operating room and clinical settings, allowing participants to gain firsthand insight into surgical practice, team dynamics, and patient care. Through these immersive experiences, students deepen their understanding of surgical fields, refine their career interests, and build meaningful professional relationships.
Please read below the highlights of 5 experiences as described by the students:
Testomonial:
"Dr. Peng reaffirmed my interest in pursuing a surgical specialty. Within the operating room, I appreciated her step-by-step approach to each procedure, which helped me understand both the clinical and pathophysiological contexts behind each cut, cauterization, and stitch. Furthermore, outside the operating room, I witnessed her positive energy and transparency cultivate an immense level of trust with patients both pre- and post-operation--a goal I strive to achieve in my future practice."
—Andre (Andy) Fabian, MS1 (JMP)
Testimonial:
"I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Stas Amato in the Surgical ICU at ZSFGH.
Listening in on rounds, I was amazed by how thoughtfully each treatment plan was tailored to the individual patient. The discussions felt like a new language—full of unfamiliar terms, complex conditions, and intricate clinical decisions. Still, I was thrilled to recognize a few words like femoral artery, aneurysm, hemothorax, and basilar stroke.
What made the experience even more meaningful was seeing how the hands-on skills we’ve started learning at the Kanbar Center—like IV placement and ultrasound-guided catheter insertion—are applied in real clinical care.
I'm deeply grateful to the Muriel Steele Society and the MSS Shadowing Program for making this experience possible. Being able to shadow a physician in a specialty I’m genuinely interested in felt both grounding and inspiring. Experiences like this are a tremendous help to first-year medical students (including me) as they explore and refine their interests and start to develop an idea of what kind of physician they want to become."
—Janey Lee, MS1
Dr. Emily Miraflor
Nickie Yang, MS2 (SJV PRIME)
Testimonial:
"Prior to shadowing with Muriel Steele Society, I have never shadowed in the OR before. I was very nervous of being in the OR and didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately, I was paired with a very kind and supportive surgeon, Dr. Emily Miraflor. I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Miraflor for giving me this opportunity to shadow and learn from her. She made sure that I was able to observe and learn as much as possible throughout the experience.
One memorable moment that I took away from this experience was being able to see the workflow and dynamic of the team in the OR. It was so amazing to see how everyone had a specific role/responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our patient. This has made me less afraid of being in the OR and I look forward to being in the OR more and witnessing different types of surgical procedures."
—Nickie Yang, MS2 (SJV PRIME)
Dr. Alseidi
Isabella LeKander, MS1
Testimonial:
"During my shadowing experience with Dr. Alseidi, I had the opportunity to observe both tumor board discussions and clinic visits, which gave me valuable insight into the complexity of surgical oncology. At tumor board, we reviewed several challenging cases. Witnessing how multidisciplinary teams weigh surgical feasibility, oncologic control, and patient prognosis highlighted the precision and collaboration essential to surgical decision-making.
In clinic, Dr. Alseidi allowed me to try to do my own patient intakes/histories with post-operative patients - this was such a nerve-wracking but wonderful experience! The clinic day highlighted that the patient population of ZSFG is mainly uninsured or underinsured, low-health literacy patients, since it is a safety-net hospital. Observing how Dr. Alseidi balanced technical expertise with compassion reinforced my passion for surgery—not only as a field of procedural skill but also as one deeply rooted in patient advocacy and interdisciplinary teamwork.
Some advice - say yes to any opportunity given to you! Whether you are asked to scrub in during surgery or to take the lead on a patient history, you should be willing to try something new during this experience, even if it scares you! I'm so grateful to Dr. Alseidi for allowing me to shadow him and for all the lessons he taught me. "
—Isabella LeKander, MS1
Dr. Clara Gomez-Sanchez
Raven Foster, MS1
Testimonial:
"I was able to observe the excision and placement of AV fistulas in patients who undergo dialysis. It was my first time scrubbing in on a surgery and the team was so kind in teaching me about the dos and don'ts. The team explained what was going on in the OR in a really accessible way and made the OR feel like a super supportive environment. This experience has definitely increased my interest in surgery. I am so thankful to Dr. Gomez-Sanchez for allowing me to observe. For future shadowing students I would encourage to always introduce yourself, tell them if you don't know how to do something, and approach the experience with an open mind!"
—Raven Foster, MS1