Working in a pediatric oncology lab as a teenager helped solidify Jessy Kline’s plan to pursue medicine. Now she moves to the next step in her journey: a residency focused on internal medicine and medical education at the University of Pittsburgh.
Joining the NIH meant Kline split her summers between poolside lifeguarding and coaching, and in learning about tumor micro-environments and immunotherapies in the lab.
She enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis, where she delved into topics such as philosophy, neuroscience and legal studies. She worked as a research assistant in a glioblastoma lab, helped run university blood drives and donned the university’s mascot costume. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, philosophy and neuroscience, she returned to the NIH before applying to Emory School of Medicine.
“I was nervous about moving to Atlanta without any connections,” remembers Kline, “but I quickly found my home in the Class of 2026.” She made fast friends during clinical rotations, where the school randomly pairs classmates. Because her peers were always shuffling during her more than 2,500 hours of clinical rotations, she learned to cultivate meaningful relationships quickly.
Kline was voted class president her first year at Emory and was re-elected every year. As the 2026 class president, she advocated for student needs and orchestrated several class events, including the annual Cadaver Ball and the inaugural Doc and Chomp, a chili cooking competition.
Pursuing internal medicine with a specialty in hematology and oncology appealed to Kline. As someone driven by people-oriented bonds, she felt at home with her extroverted peers in internal medicine.
“Internal medicine is for the navigators and talkers,” she says. “I have always been interested in oncology as the patient population allows for deep, meaningful connections. I want the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with my patients, and I want to sit with them through it all.”
While at Emory, Kline contributed to a research paper alongside faculty members Jennifer Kawwass and Audrey Marsidi. She also worked with Theresa Gillespie on research projects exploring adolescent-young-adult oncology and cervical cancer.
Patient interactions filled her with purpose: “When you have both the responsibility and opportunity to work with people going through one of the worst times of their lives, it touches you intimately,” she says.
Kline fondly reflects on the everyday encounters that made her time at Emory extra memorable.
“I lived with other medical students all four years and got to compare days in the kitchen,” she says, adding, “pre-clinically, I would pack my bag with meals and spend the days on campus, ambling from lectures to the library, the gym and outdoor breaks.”
The camaraderie boosted her confidence, too. “I took all my step exams with one of my best friends and shared a room the night before to ease our nerves.”
After earning her MD from the School of Medicine, Kline will expand her patient knowledge and circle of fellow learners during the next step of her journey: a residency at the University of Pittsburgh focused on internal medicine and medical education.