Session 10

A Dream Years in the Making

When Dr. Chris Gasparis opens up about matching into cardiothoracic surgery at Northwell Health, his humility is disarming. “I think it’s a lot of luck,” he said with a laugh. “People tell me I deserve it, but you can do everything right and still, so much of it is out of your hands.”

Yet anyone who listens to his story quickly realizes that “luck” had little to do with it. From high school to medical school, Chris built his path step by step, fusing his love for engineering, problem-solving, and human impact into one of medicine’s most technically demanding fields.

“I came into medical school wanting to be a CT surgeon,” he said. “I started out in biomedical engineering because I loved building things. I thought I’d design heart valves—until I realized I wanted to be the person using them.”

That realization came during a college internship at a startup in California that was developing a new mitral valve device. “I worked with a CT surgeon there, and every time I saw him in action, I thought, I want to be him,” Chris recalled. “That’s what pushed me to apply to medical school.”

Finding Beauty in the Beating Heart

Once in medical school at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra, Chris finally experienced cardiothoracic surgery from the inside. Watching a surgeon open a patient’s chest, stop the heart, perform a repair, and then restart it was transformative.

“The procedures were beautiful,” he said. “You see a patient who’s terrified, whose family is terrified—you stop their heart, repair it, and days later they’re awake, talking, laughing. That kind of transformation is incredible.”

It wasn’t just the science that drew him in—it was the humanity. “You’re not just fixing an organ,” Chris said. “You’re giving people their lives back. That’s what makes it worth every long hour.”

Living the Lifestyle—Before It Chose Him

For many medical students, the prestige of a surgical specialty can be alluring. But Chris made sure his decision was grounded in reality, not romance.

“CT surgery is intense,” he said. “Everyone tells you—PAs, nurses, other doctors—it’s a lot. So I wanted to live the lifestyle before committing to it.”

He spent his fourth year shadowing residents from start to finish, working their hours and experiencing the grind firsthand. “As a student, I used to go to a surgery at 7 a.m., leave at 1 p.m., and think, this is awesome—I’m home for lunch! But that’s not realistic. I needed to see what it felt like to be there from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., to live those hours and still love it.”

His takeaway was clear: “If you finish a month on service and you’re thinking, I can’t wait to come back, you’ve found your specialty.”

Engineering the Perfect Preparation

Before medical school, Chris earned his bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). That background, he said, gave him an edge.

“Engineering teaches you to problem-solve differently,” he explained. “If someone asks you to design a screwdriver, you don’t just build one—you ask, what problem are they trying to solve? You step back and think about all the possibilities before acting. That mindset translates perfectly to medicine.”

It also helped him excel in research. “In engineering, you might spend years on one project,” he said. “In medicine, you’re juggling 10 mini-projects at once. So I started small—two or three solid research projects—and built from there.”

Ultimately, he worked on up to five active studies at once, balancing case reports, abstracts, and collaborations with mentors. “You don’t need 30 publications,” he said. “You need meaningful projects and good mentors who believe in you.”

For medical students struggling to craft their research narrative for applications, services like Residency Essay Editing and Residency Mock Interviews can help refine your story and highlight what matters most.

Navigating the Match: Strategy Meets Serendipity

Matching into cardiothoracic surgery is notoriously difficult. With fewer than 50 spots nationwide—most programs accepting only one resident each—Chris applied to every single one.

“I also dual-applied to general surgery,” he explained. “You basically have to. But it’s tricky, because programs can view that negatively—like you’re not fully committed.”

To overcome that perception, Chris made transparency his strategy. “I didn’t try to hide it. I brought it up,” he said. “I’d tell interviewers, ‘I know my application looks CT-heavy, but I genuinely love both fields. I’m applying to both because I’d be happy in either.’”

His honesty paid off. Out of 80 total applications, he landed around 15 interviews, split evenly between general and cardiothoracic surgery.

Then came the waiting game. “Match Week was brutal,” he laughed. “On Monday, you find out if you matched, but not where. I knew I’d matched—but I didn’t know which specialty or what city. That was one of the longest weeks of my life.”

By Friday, relief finally came. “When I saw my match was Northwell—my home program—I was ecstatic,” he said. “It was where I wanted to be all along.”

For students preparing for residency season, he emphasized the value of mentorship and early preparation. “Start drafting your application months in advance,” he said. “Even if it’s just jotting down ideas in a Word doc, it’ll help.” For guidance on timing and strategy, you can book a 1:1 Residency Advising Session with Carlos Tapia.

Managing the Emotional Weight of Medicine

When asked about the toughest moment of medical school, Chris recalled the first time a patient under his care passed away.

“It hit me harder than I expected,” he said quietly. “You tell yourself you can compartmentalize—but when you’ve followed that patient’s story, it stays with you.”

What got him through was community. “My residents checked in. My program directors checked in. Even people who didn’t know me well went out of their way to make sure I was okay,” he said. “That’s what I love about medicine—you’re never really alone. There’s always someone who understands.”

He now believes that emotional resilience comes from connection. “You have to lean on your co-residents, your mentors, your family,” he said. “No one gets through this by themselves.”

Stepping Into the Future

As he prepares to begin his residency, Chris is ready to trade textbooks for the operating room. “I’m excited to finally get in there,” he said. “As a med student, you’re always watching from the sidelines. Now I get to be part of the team. Even if I’m just holding retractors—I’m in the room. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

And despite the years of studying, research, and sleepless nights, his advice to future physicians is surprisingly simple.

“Enjoy every step,” he said. “As premeds, we think once we get into med school, we’re set. Then we get there, and it’s all about residency. Then fellowship. Then the next thing. But if you don’t stop to enjoy where you are right now, you’ll miss the best parts.”

He paused, then added one more piece of wisdom—something that might surprise those dreading the grind ahead.

“There’s always time,” he said. “Time to relax, travel, see your friends. Even in med school. Even in residency. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”