Megan Panico

3rd Year, Internal Medicine

From the moment you come here, you feel a sense of history at Yale New Haven Hospital. You quickly understand all the important things that have happened here over the years, and you're excited about being a part of what's happening at Yale New Haven now.

I began my career in health care after earning an undergraduate and a Masters degree in physical therapy at the University of Connecticut. Ironically, I was working as a physical therapist at Yale New Haven Hospital when I decided I wanted to go to medical school.

I'm a third year resident in the internal medicine program and I'm going to stay at Yale New Haven for at least another year as the Chief Resident in General Medicine. The chief role includes administrative duties, such as running educational conferences and scheduling residents. I'll also be an attending physician three months of the year. Everyone at Yale New Haven Hospital has been very good and supportive to me, so this will be an opportunity for me to give back.

My husband is a physical therapist and runs a local home-care agency. We bought one of the charming older homes in the Westville section of New Haven. It's a close-knit neighborhood where a lot of other physicians live. We're only a few minutes from downtown, so we can walk to restaurants or to the campus for cultural events at Yale Rep, the School of Music and other venues — or just to get a coffee at Starbucks.

We're going to have our first baby this summer, so we've been exploring child-care options. I spoke with another resident who lives on our street, and she told us about a local nanny service. And I know other residents who have told us about excellent daycare centers in the area.

That sense of family is part of the fabric of Yale New Haven.