The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
What is your hometown?
Durban, South Africa
How or when did you become interested in science and medicine?
I’ve been interested in science for longer than I can remember. I used to read the science books of my Childcraft encyclopedia over and over, and I was an avid dinosaur enthusiast when I was younger (now my dinosaur interests are confined to guilty-pleasure viewings of Discovery Channel and Animal Planet specials). I enjoy working and interacting with people, and medicine is the perfect place to combine that with my enthusiasm for science. Both my parents are physicians, and they’ve also been excellent medical role models.
How or why did you choose the Carver College of Medicine?
It feels more like the Carver College of Medicine ‘chose’ me! The thing that impressed me most about CCOM when I first came here was the dedication of the faculty and staff, and the emphasis placed on building a physician-patient relationship, which I think is one of the most important aspects of medicine, and is often overlooked. The Humanities program, offering everything from writing classes to a community garden, also really interested me, and is a unique asset that encourages CCOM students to maintain an interest in a variety of things.
Is there a teacher, mentor or Carver College of Medicine faculty member who has helped shape your education?
Dr. Carol Scott-Conner http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/surgery/scott-conner.html was one of my CBL facilitators during my first semester of medical school, and her patience in teaching our medically-naïve minds how to approach patient cases was inspiring. Lois Albrecht, in the Department of Family Medicine, stressed to me the importance of maintaining a balance in life, for which I am grateful. Ginnie Woodard, the Bean curriculum and community coordinator, is always supportive and encouraging, and can usually be relied on for a smile and a funny anecdote.
What opportunities or advantages does being a medical student at Iowa provide? What about challenges?
Medical students at Iowa are offered a wide range of opportunities depending on their interests, but the biggest advantage to being a student here is the strong involvement with the Iowa City community. The close relationships that the Learning Communities and other CCOM groups maintain with various community organizations allow medical students to be involved and contribute to their community.
The challenges we face are the same as those facing other medical students around the world: maintaining a balanced life, having interests outside of medical school, and focusing on interpersonal relationships.
What are your professional goals and interests?
I’m interested in a career in ob-gyn, in particular one that would allow me to do international work. Women’s health is an essential and neglected part of healthcare in many places, and I’d like to work to change that.
What are some of your outside interests?
I like to read a lot, and will read almost anything. I enjoy running, theater, and I love to travel. I’m an avid Sooner sports fan (I did my undergraduate degrees at the University of Oklahoma), and I enjoy spending time with my younger brother, who is a sophomore undergraduate at UI. One of my new interests is exploring Iowa, and I am trying to find all the interesting, different, and quirky things to do and see around the state – I have quite a list so far!
What community service/outreach projects do you participate in? What have your experiences been?
I tutor elementary school children from Pheasant Ridge, and life from the perspective of an 11-year old is always interesting! The most rewarding part of this is the ‘aha’ moment, when the entire concept of fractions or apostrophes or decimals finally comes together. I am also a Running Buddy for one of the girls I tutor with Girls on the Run of Johnson County. I volunteer with the Shelter House through the Bean Community, and the best part of this is simply serving dinner to Shelter House clients and being able to interact with a diverse group of people.
What philosophy guides you in your work?
I try to focus on balance and perspective. I try to stay balanced by setting small goals, like working out every day and reading 10 pages of a non-medical school-related book a night. I rely on my non-medical school family and friends to help me keep my life in perspective. My best friend is probably the most helpful, because he says things like, “So what if you’re ‘only’ average in medical school? You’re already in the smartest 0.5 percent of the population!”
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
I would improve communication. Not the cellphone, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter kind of communication, but person-to-person, face-to-face communication. Actually listening to other people and trying to understand their perspectives is invaluable, in medicine or in politics.
What advice do you have for students interested in applying to medical school?
Make sure you know why you want to go to medical school before you apply. Don’t do it for the money or the prestige, or because ‘all your smart friends are doing it’. Talk to medical students about the challenges they face, and then seriously ask yourself if you’d be prepared to go through those too. If you still want to do it after all that, definitely apply.
What is the future of medicine?
Hopefully, medicine is moving towards a purer focus on the patient and the patient’s health without the distraction of insurance, or an ability to pay for healthcare. I’m an avid supporter of universal healthcare, although I recognize the immense challenges that this poses. I also hope that preventive medicine will come to play a much larger role in healthcare.