Q: What is your hometown?
A: Mesa, Arizona
Q: How or when did you become interested in science and medicine?
A: It began as an option in freshmen year, but at the time I didn't take it very seriously. However, I thought, "Why not be a physician?" My thoughts were that I had enough curiosity and there really should be no reason to hold me back. I later found out about the MCAT, the application exam, and I thought it wasn't possible. The following semester I took psychology of death, as I was a psychology undergraduate, and I was thrilled by an emergency medicine physician's stories.
Q: What stories did he tell?
A: He talked about having to tell the families their loved one had died and some of the issues that surrounded the process. I knew I would miss out on so much if I did not at least try. I hit the review books for what seemed like several years and took little steps until I was able to be a decent applicant.
Q: What kind of opportunities or advantage does being a medical student at Iowa provide?
A: Exposure to cutting edge faculty and the opportunity to work with an organization that fits your social or political persuasion. Some of our professors, I have discovered, are known worldwide in their respective fields. They tell us about up- and- coming new technology and therapies that a few years ago were not available. In addition, I was able to get involved with student organizations that help underserved communities through philanthropy and hands-on experience.
Q: What kind of student organizations?
A: For example, Mobile Clinic allowed me to work with Spanish-speaking families in neighboring towns and the Student National Medical Association got me involved in raising awareness about health disparities between different communities.
Q: What kind of challenges does being a medical student at Iowa entail?
A: The coursework is not easy, but neither is being a physician. I would rather get "roughed up" now than when I am a practicing physician in front of my patients.
Q: Please describe your professional goals/interests.
A: Through health education programs, I would like to work with families that were like mine when I was growing up. I come from a working class blue-collar family that could not afford insurance. My parents are hardworking people who had enough to feed and shelter my two brothers and me, but not much more after that. In addition, my parents immigrated from the northern part of Mexico and had to deal with the difficult transition of adapting to a new country.
Q: What have you learned from your parents' experience?
A: Although I was born here in the U.S., I sometimes think I am some part immigrant because I witnessed my parents' experiences directly. My upbringing is what inspires me to help a similar community.
Q: What are some of your outside interests?
A: Traveling is my favorite thing to do. Although I haven't been to other continents, my first visits will be to South America and Europe. At the local level, I enjoy a good international party filled with different music, languages, and food.
Q: Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your work?
A: Do good for people so that they do good for other people. Many people learn from acts of kindness. The rewards are not only reciprocal from one person to another, but kindness is spread like a contagious and necessary infection.
Q: You recently received an "Above and Beyond" award. How did you win this award?
A: Medical students who don't mind being on call all night can gain a little extra cash by doing electrocardiograms, or EKGs. One night, I was doing an EKG on a patient in the cardiac intensive care unit where very sick patients are cared for around the clock. A nurse asked me if I happened to speak Spanish. I helped her interpret for a patient who was a man from El Salvador who did not speak any English and had suffered a massive myocardial infarction, or a "heart attack." He was very sad and was very afraid because he couldn't communicate his pain during some of the catheterization procedures. He did not feel it was his place to complain. The following morning I was allowed to go into the operating room with him while they surgically placed a pacemaker for his heart. He was still afraid, but at least he was able to utilize me as a venue to communicate his pain beyond just groans and moans. Unknown to me at the time, a nurse took notice and nominated me for the award. I was completely surprised by this.
Q: If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
A: I would increase medicine's accessibility and utilization by all people. It's like world peace I suppose, but little by little we can cast a growing net and include more and more human beings. Just like we have in our history; it takes courage, action, and reflection.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give to students who are interested in applying to medical school?
A: There is no one way to get into medical school. Attitude is 80% of the process. First, work on the philosophies and values that will get you through the challenges, and then hang on to them for dear life.
Q: What do you see as "the future" of medicine?
A: On the one hand, the increased cost of health care due to new technologies and the decreasing number of people who can afford it. On the other hand, a huge opportunity to help those who were considered 'helpless' not so long ago.