Check Out Daniel Kaganov’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Kaganov.

Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’m a current third-year medical student interested in Aerospace Medicine. I’ve gotten to where I am today through hard work, consistency, and luck. I have a couple of hobbies I am super passionate about outside of medical school that keep me sane as I go through this journey. Before medical school, I was a videographer during my gap year and worked on many client projects. When I started medical school, I decided to use these skills to share my life on YouTube and social media. This has been such a fun way to document memories and explore my creativity. Filmmaking and editing are how I express myself and escape the daily grind of school. It is important to have this balance as a student because otherwise, your studies will consume you.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
It has not been a smooth road. For the first time last year, I started to experience signs of burnout. I’ve always been a top student, and my grades were never an issue. However, the time demands of clinical clerkships and studying were starting to take a toll on my mental health. I barely had time to explore my hobbies outside of medical school during the day. Last year in July, I decided to take a leave of absence and pause from school, which had dominated the past 25 years of my life. It was possibly the best decision I could have made because it provided the much-needed respite, but ironically, it reignited my reason for pursuing medicine. I have since resumed my third year of medical school this past February and am currently on my surgery rotation. I’ve come back to school wiser, more skilled, and most importantly, well-rested.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most proud of the videography work that I share on YouTube and other social media platforms. I’ve always loved movies and watching other creators because I would be hyper-focused on the little details like lighting, camera movement, color grading, and composition, things most people are probably not too focused on when watching something. I try and elevate my everyday medical school vlogs in such a manner, and I think this sets me apart from other creators in my niche. I want to show that doctors and medical students are multifaceted and can have talents apart from medicine. It is funny, though, because I think this meticulous nature I’ve adopted when composing shots for videos helps me in my medical studies. Creating a video takes a lot of hard work, planning, and attention to detail. All these skills I have applied to my studies and clerkships as well.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I like that Winston Salem is a fairly small/quiet town, and I can drive anywhere I need to be in less than 10 minutes. This is different from Baltimore (where I went to Hopkins for undergrad) or St. Louis (where I’m from), where traffic and driving can eat up 45 minutes any day. Along the same lines, having lived in bigger cities like Baltimore, the food options, especially the international cuisine, were things I took for granted because Winston Salem offers nothing in terms of decent food. Most of it is American / Southern-based, considering where we are geographical.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://danielkaganov.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themedweeb
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielKaganov
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@themedweeb