Skip to main content
Home

Main Navigation

  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers
  • MD Program
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security
  • About
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Utility Navigation

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Secondary Navigation

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

RUSM Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Explore Admissions

    Are you a strong candidate?

    Take an Admissions Assessment
    Take the Admissions Assessment
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers

    Information For...

    Admitted Students

    Parents

    Premed Advisors

    MERP

  • MD Program

    Explore MD Program

    Do you have a question?

    student asking question
    Speak to Admissions
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information

    Related Links...

    MCAT Information

    Why Ross Med?

    Match Day

  • Student Life

    Student Life

    img for new Mega Menu
    Overview
    new Mega menu Square 5
    Housing
    New Mega Menu Image 6
    Campus Tour
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security

    Related Links...

    Merchandise Store

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Mission & History

  • About

    About RUSM

    Start Your Road to Residency

    medical students
    Request More Information
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials

    Related Links...

    Contact Us

    Campus Location

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. News
  4. Dr Mounir Contreras Cejin triumphs against the odds to become a physician
Residency Match

Dr. Mounir Contreras Cejin triumphs against the odds to become a physician

Tue, 05 Jul 2022
Get Started Today

You'll submit your completed Ross Med application online in our application portal.

Apply Now
Intro Image
Mounir Contrera Studying
His calling is to care for the disadvantaged.

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) grad Mounir Contreras Cejin, MD, ’22 could hardly believe it when he learned he’d matched at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It was the culmination of a dream that took courage, stamina, and resilience. Growing up in a foreign country as an uninsured, marginalized, undocumented, and underrepresented individual allowed him to understand people with similar struggles.

Committed to patient care for the underrepresented

He arrived in the U.S. from Mexico at age 13 with his father, hoping for a better future. Settling in inner-city Dallas, Texas, his father found work as a butcher for a local meat market. “I had to learn a new language and adapt to a new country. It was far from easy, but my father, and later, my mother and sister, were determined to work hard to improve our situation,” says Cejin. He remembers a tragic work-related injury where his father was rushed to the emergency room. “The nurse and the doctor gave us the reassurance and comfort we needed. I was only 15 years old, but that day I made a promise to myself that I would emulate the same grace and thoughtfulness that the doctor and nurse showed us and that wherever life took me I would always extend my hand to aid marginalized and vulnerable groups.” The experience inspired Cejin to find a way to serve.

Working as a butcher and carpet cleaner, he graduated from an at-risk high school. While holding multiple jobs, Cejin attended community college, then transferred to the University of Texas at Dallas to complete a biology degree. Life got even busier when he got married, became a U.S. citizen in 2016, and had a child. Still, Cejin had medical school in his plans. “I was nervous about getting into med school; feeling like I had a lot to prove can be intimidating. But once I got into RUSM, I received a lot of support from my family, and I was determined to make the best of it. I was lucky to find a roommate who became a great friend; we tackled medical school together. We would cover lecture notes, filled up whiteboards, and quizzed ourselves daily. Working together, we both got on the Dean’s Honor Roll in the first semester. In fact, I was able to do that for all the semesters I attended. I became a peer tutor and an anatomy teaching assistant, which gave me more confidence as I progressed through the curriculum. RUSM gave me everything I needed to succeed.”

A love for emergency medicine

After completing his core clinical rotations at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in New York City, Cejin traveled to multiple sites including Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California, and Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan to earn his Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOE). “Emergency medicine is a competitive specialty requiring a well-rounded application. My rotations in emergency medicine further solidified my choice and I was able to perform exceptionally well in them,” says Cejin “I had my sights on the University of Texas Southwestern for residency, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy for an International Medical Graduate (IMG) to match there. I was able to prove that it can be done through discipline, determination, and a deep desire in pursuit of your goals.”

Working in emergency medicine was a continual theme in Cejin’s life and his paramount goal. “It has a special appeal to me because, in the emergency room, no one is neglected, and no one is turned away. We see anything and everything. You have to solve problems on the fly and be ready for anyone who walks through the doors. You see many patients without insurance who have advanced disease. My job is to provide compassionate care to whoever comes to us.”

During one of his emergency medicine rotations, he encountered a man who had just arrived from Mexico and had fallen off a ladder at a construction job. “I recognized the hesitancy and fear in his voice when answering my questions. It was the same feeling my father and I experienced years earlier. I asked where he was from, and, to my surprise, I learned we were from the same town. It did not take long for me to build rapport. As we reminisced about our childhood home, I could see he trusted me and felt at ease. Emergency medicine is more than the rush of adrenaline that comes with trying to solve complex problems, it’s also about serving people with compassion, understanding, and reassurance.”

Returning home to help others like himself

Cejin was thrilled to match at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, because he feels Dallas is home. “I love this city. There is a large Hispanic population here. I am excited to be the doctor I never imagined I could be, in the city that I love and for those who need me the most. I can speak in their language, know their culture, and understand their struggles.”

Now beginning his residency, Cejin is excited to serve at a hospital which serves a region with over two million people, with thousands of patients from diverse backgrounds coming through their doors yearly.

Cejin says he was never meant to walk a traditional path. “Today I look back and wear my journey like a badge of honor. I know that my true success is not in what I have accomplished but the distance I have traveled. I love medical education and I want to be at an academic center, continuing to do emergency medicine and maybe critical care. I’m excited to begin my medical career and know that my training will make a positive difference in the lives of patients.”

Share This Article

  • facebook
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. Ross Med is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.

Related News

RoxAnne Digney
Residency Match
Match Day 2023: RoxAnne Digney Earns the Chance to Return Home
elizabeth Gero
Residency Match
Match Day '23: For Elizabeth Gero, There’s No Place for Residency Like Home
Muller Pierre-Louis
Residency Match
Match Day '23: Muller Pierre-Louis Finds His Community, Calling
Ross University School of Medicine
Apply Now
Contact Admissions

Campus Address:

Two Mile Hill St. Michael
BB11093
Barbados

 

Admissions Address:

10315 USA Today Way,
Miramar, Florida, 33025
Phone: +1 754.707.5547
Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

RUSM Footer Sub menu

  • Information For
    • Admitted Students
    • Career Seekers
    • Current Students
  • Navigate
    • About RUSM
    • MD Program
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Student Life
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Blog
    • News & Press
    • Events & Webinars
    • On-demand Webinars
    • Academic Calendar
Branded Element

© 2025 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Hands-on From the Start®

Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement | Office of Nondiscrimination and Access | Cost of Attendance | Privacy Policy

 

Policy on Non-discrimination

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is committed to providing an education conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual and to maintaining an academic environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law in the admission to, access to, or treatment, or employment in any of its programs or activities. RUSM will not tolerate, condone, or allow discrimination or harassment, whether engaged in by fellow students, faculty members or non-faculty colleagues.

Connect with Ross Medical School

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

 

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

CAAM-HP logo - transparent

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply