Adam and Rommi Kashlan are 22 and entering their second year at Emory University School of Medicine. For the brothers, pursuing medicine together feels like a natural step. Breaking academic ground is one thing; doing it alongside your triplet brothers is another.
Alongside their brother Zane, Adam and Rommi graduated as co-valedictorians from West Forsyth High School before enrolling at Georgia Tech at the age of 16. While many of their peers were still preparing for college, the triplets were already pursuing neuroscience degrees. By 18, all three had graduated and begun research opportunities.
Now, Adam and Rommi have reunited at Emory to continue their journey in medicine, while Zane begins his first year at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Choosing Emory
Adam and Rommi, both from the Atlanta area, saw Emory as a way to stay connected to home and give back. 
“Having your brother in the same class makes a huge difference,” Adam says. “When things get hard, and they do, it helps to have someone right there who knows exactly what you’re going through.”
Both brothers were drawn to Emory for its strong clinical training and opportunities to balance research with community service.
“I've lived in Atlanta for a while, and I knew I wanted to stay rooted here and serve the people in my community with their medical needs,” Rommi says. “With training at Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory University Hospital, and Emory University Hospital Midtown, I get to work with a wide range of patients. That kind of diversity is exactly what I was looking for in my medical education.”
For Adam, Emory offered a chance to continue what he started in undergrad.
“I had a lab at Emory,” Adam says. “I used to drive to the medical school and did my research there. Continuing that work in a familiar place was something that I really wanted."
Different interests, same drive
Despite sharing a classroom, Adam and Rommi have carved their own distinctive paths within medicine. Rommi is interested in neurosurgery and is engaged in brain tumor immunotherapy research to bring basic science to the clinical setting. Adam is passionate about innovation and aims to combine research and technology to expand what’s possible in medicine. He’s especially interested in dermatology and developing scalable solutions for underserved populations.
One of Adam’s projects is a startup that improves the detection of skin cancers in patients with darker skin tones, an area often overlooked in training and diagnosis.
“Emory really supports the idea of combining medicine and technology,” Adam says. “You learn how to be a great clinician while also using research and innovation to push the boundaries of what we know.”
Rommi, meanwhile, is motivated to give back to his community and better understand what meaningful care looks like. He is a student coordinator at Emory’s student-run Good Samaritan Clinic, which provides care to unhoused and uninsured patients in Atlanta. He also mentors local middle school students as part of Emory’s Community Learning and Social Medicine program.
While most might assume they spend all their time together in school, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The brothers sit in different lecture rows, have their own small groups, and rotate through different research or clinical sites. Still, they find time to check in with one another in small but meaningful ways, whether by sharing study materials, recommending research opportunities, or simply talking about a difficult day.
“I call him when I’m angry, when I’m sad, when times are tough, which they often are in medical school,” Rommi says. “That’s the biggest advantage to having your brother in the same medical school. Adam can relate to me because he's going through the same struggle.”
Purpose in practice
Often the youngest in their class, the Kashlans see their age as an asset. While adjusting to medical school has come with its share of challenges, both brothers think it has also given them the chance to grow and evolve.
“I had the opportunity to sit down with a patient who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and I spoke to her for three to four hours,” Rommi recalls. “It reaffirmed a core belief that I’ve always felt. I want to care for people and be in that setting. Every time I get the chance to be involved in patient care, I fall back in love with it all over again.”
For Adam, it’s the realization that he gets to apply what he’s learning to one day help save lives.
“Everything that I study, even the tough parts, is going to help real people,” Adam says. “Medical school is so special because what you learn in class directly translates to your future career and benefits the community around you."
As they progress through medical school, it’s clear that the Kashlan brothers have each other’s backs. The healthy sibling competition that they once knew has turned into a unifying effort to one day become doctors.
“We’re in the trenches together,” Rommi says. “Highest highs, lowest lows. That’s what it means to have your brother by your side.”
From co-valedictorians in high school to second-year medical students at Emory, Rommi and Adam continue to learn, grow and serve together.