From the start, Sahara Peters, DO ’24, knew her passion lay in women’s health. During her undergraduate years and a subsequent gap year, she served as a medical assistant at Planned Parenthood, solidifying her interest.
“I fell in love with women's health! Soon, I realized I wanted to take care of women at a higher level, so I applied to medical school,” Peters said. “I wanted to be near family and friends, which made PCOM Georgia the perfect choice.”
Entering her third year of medical school, she anticipated her obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) clerkship. Two weeks into this rotation, she made her first surgical incision, an experience that left her smitten with the field.
“I am incredibly grateful to a receptive administration at PCOM Georgia and a motivated Dean [Andrea] Mann for believing in my ideas and always offering support,” Peters added. “It is my hope that PCOM Georgia will continue to be a good neighbor to Gwinnett County and continue to be a school that believes and encourages each student.”
The combination of clinical and surgical work in OBGYN, along with the opportunity to follow patients through different stages of their lives, resonated deeply with her.
“OBGYN is one of the rare surgical subspecialties that offers a balance of clinic and surgery,” said Peters. “We can deliver a baby that grows into a young woman that will come to my office for her first birth control counseling.”
Her journey reached a significant milestone when she and her partner, Dominick Ricci, DO ’24, successfully couples matched—she into an OBGYN position and he into General Surgery at Prisma Health Columbia at the University of South Carolina.
“I felt overwhelmed by gratitude for my friends and family who have supported me along the way,” Peters said.
Peters received PCOM Georgia’s Mason W. Pressly Award, the highest award presented to a PCOM student. “Dr. Mason Pressly was a physician that knew how to care for his patients, and he knew how to care for his community,” Peters said. “I am deeply complimented to have received the 2024 Mason Pressly Award, an award named in his honor.”
“At PCOM Georgia, we learned the nuts and bolts of medicine, but we also learned that medicine at its core is about caring for people and caring for each other,” Peters said. “Looking ahead, I’m eagerly anticipating the blend of clinic and surgery that OBGYN offers. I am dedicated to a lifetime of caring for women.”
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
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