[Pittsburgh] is much more than an old rust belt city. It has a cool food scene with a lot of unique little restaurants that I'm continually discovering, awesome parks in the city limits that provide a great escape into some green space, and it is surprisingly affordable for anyone coming from a coastal city. It also has a ton of young people between all the colleges, hospitals, tech companies, etc.
- Simon Ostrowski, MD
About Me
Hometown: Plymouth, MA (America's Hometown)
College/University: Boston University
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
College/University: Boston University
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
What are your career goals?
Academic EM, public health/policy, maybe disaster preparedness/emergency management, and have enough buy-down time to hang with my partner, dog, and be outside!
What did you do the summer before internship?
Survived a pandemic! Did contact tracing with the Massachusetts Dept of Public Health and spent 12 days backcountry camping and ski touring in the Grand Tetons
What do you like to do outside of medicine?
Farmer's markets with my soon-to-be wife, hanging with my dog Millie, trail running, hiking, eating Mediterranean food.
Reflections on the Pitt EM Program
What were you looking for in a residency program?
Lots of volume with a good mix of academic and seeing underserved patients, diverse opportunities for someone who hasn't made their mind up for what to do next! Also a manageable-sized city with outdoor access
What are the strengths of the Pitt EM program?
Well-established program in the UPMC system with tons of connections, large alumni network, many fellowships and academic opportunities; variety of clinical sites give you diverse experiences and perspectives; all other services are strong at UPMC which makes your off-service time quite good usually
Tell us about your residency classmates! How long did it take to connect?
Brothers and Sisters-in-Arms! We may have missed out on some intern-year socializing because of COVID, but my co-residents have my back and are super easy to hang with. Very grateful.
What has surprised you most about Pitt?
The pre-hospital experience is more valuable than I realized (coming from someone not particularly interested in EMS). Also, the quality of other clinical specialties/services makes all our off-service rotations very solid.
About Pitt EM and Pittsburgh
What do you like best about living in Pittsburgh/Western PA?
GREAT parks in the city, very affordable, not much traffic, plenty of outdoor activities and things to do in the city
Where did you choose to live, and why?
Shadyside! It's super safe, pretty (tree-lined streets galore), walkable to a bunch of restaurants and bars, and centrally located for all our clinical sites
What advice would you give to incoming residents about moving to the 'Burgh?
It is much more than an old rust belt city. It has a cool food scene with a lot of unique little restaurants that I'm continually discovering, awesome parks in the city limits that provide a great escape into some green space, and it is surprisingly affordable for anyone coming from a coastal city. It also has a ton of young people between all the colleges, hospitals, tech companies, etc.