Christiana Daniel works with vulnerable populations

Editor’s note: Christiana Daniel matched with UNC Hospitals on Match Day.

The days of the COVID-19 pandemic affected people in countless ways, and for medical student Christiana Daniel, it marked her first experience serving on the front lines as a health care worker.

“The pandemic happened spring of my freshman year of college at North Carolina State University, and I started helping with volunteering,” Daniel said. “I helped at a nonprofit where we were swabbing and testing for COVID. I also volunteered at vaccine clinics at homeless shelters in Durham and that’s when I found everything that I had been looking for. You get that human connection. You get to work one on one. You get to reach populations that are in need and help them in ways that you didn’t even realize they needed sometimes.”

Daniel discovered her love for medicine right then. She valued working closely with vulnerable populations — fulfilling her desire to serve others during their most challenging moments. These early patient interactions helped her build the foundation of trust that would later guide her approach to care.

“One of the patients that I had at one of the homeless shelters had a lot of questions about the vaccines,” she said. “I did a lot of one-on-one with patients and trying to figure out what were their hesitations about the vaccine. I remember speaking to this gentleman, and he really trusted me with the information I was giving him. He even told me it helped a lot that I looked like him and that he trusted me. The thing that he said to me that really solidified medicine for me was ‘We need more people like you doing this kind of work.’”

Those words fueled Daniel’s desire to pursue rural medicine. From Gastonia, North Carolina, she knew she wanted to stay in the state long term. After completing her undergraduate degree at NC State, she selected Carolina to begin the rural health track. Joining the Community Health Training Program was the next step in planting her roots as a future pediatrician.

“UNC Pediatrics has such a great family and community vibe,” said Daniel. “I felt like I would be well supported in my training and be able to reach those populations that you aren’t able to with all residencies.”

She also witnessed firsthand the unique challenges faced by children in rural areas. One experience that stays with her involves a child with autism whose family struggled to access resources.

“Being able to take the time to find ways to access those resources for him and for his family, who were stretched really thin, told me everything I needed to know — there are people in rural areas who really need help. They need access, and I was happy to help provide that.”

These clinical experiences strengthened Daniel’s skills in working with vulnerable communities and reinforced her commitment to building authentic relationships in rural settings. As she prepares for Match Day, she is ready to celebrate her journey and her dedication to serving North Carolina.

“I’m truly thankful to the people of North Carolina for getting me to this point. I look forward to spending my career here, giving back, and hopefully leaving the state better for future generations.”