Medical Student Contributing Writer
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
I was born and raised in Long Island, New York. I began volunteering in EMS in 2013 and attained my paramedic certification in 2016. I received my Bachelor's degree in Health Science from Stony Brook University in 2019. Since then, I have been studying at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine with an anticipated graduation of 2023.
Health care providers face what seem to be insurmountable challenges on a daily basis; none more sobering than the inhumanities and tragedies that often occur when on the clock. Medical student Nicholas Czelatka gives his perspective on what quality health care truly means.
Medical student Sidney Adenya recollects a particularly momentous patient experience, which exemplified how words can be a strikingly powerful therapeutic tool of a physician. Read more to find out how this helped him reaffirm his passion for medicine through this reflective piece.
Imposter syndrome is a well-known phenomenon that healthcare providers can easily relate to at some point in their training. Future physician CJ Hornback dives into her struggles with this commonly-faced mental hurdle and how she ultimately overcame it.
Mohana is a medical student that brings to light the uphill battle against female objectification women face in the struggle to be taken seriously in medicine.
Medical student Ritha Mera reviews responses to reproductive health care accesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mera writes as an advocate for women of color and highlights health disparities in vulnerable populations. Through drawing comparisons to past natural disasters and tracking the current pandemic’s harmful impacts on reproductive health care, Mera makes an argument for contraception and family planning to be included in emergency protocols for future disruptions.
As a storyteller, the author vowed to lead with the person’s name in an effort to uplift the subject of the story. This all changed when the author began anatomy lab during medical school.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the author fondly reflects on the start of her unlikely friendship with Mr. R. This friendship ultimately became a safe haven for the author as she navigates her identity as a Chinese-American and learns about Mr. R’s cancer diagnosis.
Medical student Dawit Ayalew reflects on his own experience of life “constantly moving him forward,” how it inevitably compelled him to look backwards and ultimately how these ideas have influenced how he cares for patients.
Medical student Vidya Lala vividly describes her interpretation of the often cited terms black body and black lives. Read more to find out what these terms mean to her.
Searching for our identity and the discovery process behind it are quintessential human processes that almost all of us experience. Medical student Alesia Voice explores, through verse, her evolving identity-journey and how that strongly influences her road to physicianship.
Unhealthy relationship exist in the world of health care and beyond. Medical student Alesia Voice explores, through this poem, how to operate within a significant imbalance in relationships.
The year 2020 has already redefined the social landscape through a pandemic and massive progressive social movements. Mosaic in Medicine’s mission and purpose rings as true as when it was started, bolstered by a renewed vigor.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Albany Medical College
A current Internal Medicine/Pediatrics resident at Stony Brook University Hospital. I was born and raised in Southern California. Being a 1st generation Mexican-American and a 1st generation medical student has provided me the opportunity to be thrusted into the culture of medicine but also left me feeling like an outsider. I believe Mosaic in Medicine has the potential to expand and strengthen medical culture and education by illuminating the stories, adversities and passions that encompass experiences that stretch far beyond race or creed. I want Mosaic in Medicine to be a platform in which we can relate to, inspire, and educate one another by showing that no one is truly an outsider in the medical community; we are all just pieces of different shapes and colors that add to the same whole.
