What year are you and where are you from?
I am a second-year student in the PSTP, so I will graduate in the Class of 2029. I am from Philadelphia and I went to Boston College.
What motivates you to become a doctor?
I have wanted to become a doctor for as long as I can remember. I have no doctors in my family, but I grew up loving to learn about science, anatomy, and health, and I love people, so the idea of uniting these interests appealed to me early on. As I grew up, a few experiences including having a family member get sick, and then subsequent clinical experiences affirmed to me beyond any doubt that I wanted to dedicate myself to a career in medicine. Throughout undergrad and in my gap years, I also did basic and translational research which lit a fire in me and led me to apply to the PSTP. Additionally, I worked with underserved patients in free clinics in Boston as an undergraduate and then back in Philadelphia during my gap years, and these experiences really highlighted to me the crucial need to bring care to underserved patients and try to level inequities in quality of care. I am motivated to unify my passion for research and my desire to serve patients who face undue barriers to accessing care. I hope to find a way to become a doctor to incorporate research and service throughout my career in medicine.
What do you like most about Pitt Med?
There are so many things I love about Pitt Med. First and foremost are the people. My classmates and professors are some of the most extraordinary people I have ever met in my life. I learn so much from my peers, many of whom have accomplished incredible things already in their lives. Pitt Med not only draws a select group of brilliant, passionate, and unique people, but also has a team-based curriculum structure where I get to work with and become very close to my classmates. Additionally, I love the incredible resources that we have access to as medical students. I have been able to explore some of the endless UPMC clinical opportunities, cutting edge research at Pitt, UPMC, and CMU, many great student and faculty projects, and incredible community service organizations so far as a Pitt Med student. I feel like I am getting a medical education that is truly robust. Lastly, I love the environment. As someone from Philadelphia, I was caught off guard by how friendly people are in Pittsburgh. Theres a sense of community here which is really impressive. I feel like I am already part of the fold. Also, I have loved exploring the beautiful and unique nature around here, with all the hills and lovely parks. These are just some of the things I enjoy about being a student at Pitt Med.
Do you have any areas of interest? What are your career aspirations?
Currently, I am still in the process of discovering what field of medicine I want to pursue. Through the PSTP, I am working towards a career as an academic physician-scientist, where I hope to have a funded lab where I can take a bench-to-bedside approach to decipher some intractable diseases. But other than incorporating research, really enjoying patient-facing clinical care, and working with vulnerable patient populations, I have not yet clarified the exact field for me. I hope to get some more insight during my PSTP research year and my clinical rotations.
What is something you enjoyed about the reunion tour?
The reunion tour was a really fun experience for me. I loved being able to show the new med school building to our alumni tour group and to tell them about the new curriculum. It seems that Pitt Med has undergone a fair bit of growth and change over the past few years, so it was cool for me to be able to walk our group through that. I also loved meeting former Pitt Med students, learning about their careers, and hearing stories about what medical school was like here across the years.
Fun facts:
One fun fact is that, before I applied to med school, I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon and really fell in love with the city. Running through all the neighborhoods (including on 5th Ave, right beneath Presby) introduced me to Pittsburgh and made me realize how much I would love to live here. When I applied to medical school shortly after, Pitt was vaulted to the top of my list.