Dr. Sakarcan graduated from The Temple School of Podiatric Medicine in 2019. Before attending podiatry school she received her undergrad in Neuroscience and French from Temple.
Dr. Sakarcan comes from a line of doctors in her family, so working in the medicine field has always been an interest to her, but she was unsure of which path to take. Her father encouraged her to pursue podiatry after he met a podiatrist who graduated from TUSPM currently working at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Dr. Sakarcan was intrigued and decided to shadow the podiatrist her father met, Dr. Elliot Diamond class of 1980. She enjoyed her shadowing experience very much with Dr. Diamond and would encourage any student considering podiatry to shadow. Dr. Sakarcan was inspired by the way he has built his life around his career. She soon started her path with podiatry by applying to TUSPM.
A valuable memory from TUSPM that Dr. Sakarcan carries with her was the strong bond her classmates. “There were so many different personalities that just jelled well together and everyone helped each other out”. Dr. Sakarcan is proud to be part on the 2019 class.
Growing up Dr. Sakarcan was always involved with Student Council and different leadership roles. Her proudest accomplishment so far had been being president of the SGA during her time at TUSPM. This role in particular taught her a lot about herself in regards to foundation and time management. This role allowed her to travel to APMFA meetings in places like Nashville and Washington D.C., where she was able to make connections with other podiatrist.
Dr. Sakarcan encourages current and prospective students to put in has much work as they can and try not to become too stressed. “It’s all about figuring out what is right for you, everyone will end up where they are supposed to”, she says. It’s important to know has much as you can about podiatry and all the options this field has to offer for young physicians.
For students who are just starting to work with patients Dr. Sakarcan suggested to not be afraid. She found that speaking to the patient and telling them exactly what she is going to be doing puts them at ease. Also to value the experiences you have with patients because meet so many different people and can learn so much. Dr. Sakarcan is currently finishing up her first year of residency at Bridgeport Hospital in NewHaven Health.
With Covid-19 still being a major concern, Dr. Sakarcan is looking forward to getting back to some kind of normalcy and is hoping that her and her colleague’s residency remains intact. ACFAS and other podiatric organizations are constantly looking for ways to help their education by posting webinars online for free which she says is enjoyable because it allows her listen about podiatry from all over the country.
Dr. Sakarcan is excited to start her second year of residency in July. The more she is learning the more she is motivated to dive into her academics. After she graduates residency, Dr. Sakarcan would ideally like to work in Sports Medicine or go for a fellowship.