Skin Deep
Future physician Yomna Amer broaches the topic of religion in the clinical environment and opines that, along with diversity, it can be used as a powerful therapeutic tool to connect with patients.
Patient Advocacy
This category contains a collection of moments students have had with their patients that helped renew their purpose in the field.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Yomna is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is involved in advocacy, social justice, and global health work, which have been the highlight of her higher education journey. She was originally born in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to wonderful Egyptian parents and lived in Alexandria, Egypt prior to moving to the United States in 2014. She started writing as a means of processing her thoughts on complex issues and better comprehending how her surroundings impact her.
Excellence in Health Care
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.
Healing Words
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.
Being
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.
When We Love
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 Art of Negotiation
Fourth-year medical student Bianca Nguyen likens one of her doctor-patient relationships to a blueprint on how to refine the skill of negotiation as a health care provider. Read more to find out the pearls she gleaned from these encounters.
Surviving a War: Lessons from Pediatric Refugees
Medical student Lewis Wong describes what he gleaned from a seemingly run-of-the-mill clinical encounter with a 14-year-old refugee in his pediatric rotation, and how this sparked introspection into the lessons learned along his medical school journey as well as the core values he hopes to imbue as a community physician.
Rudolph as My Patient
“Medicine is about so much more. Medicine includes teaching, caring and sharing empathy with others.” Read more to hear about how Negin Khosravi’s experience with one of her pediatric patients and her stuffed animal reignited her passion for medicine.
Running to the Garden
“After the surgery, I could, at last, bolt out the door to play with Andrew and those other boys. I could run wild. I could finally be a normal kid.” Medical student Varun Jain takes the reader into his past and dives into the associated challenges and emotions associated with living with and overcoming a heart condition.
A Gap in the Physician-Patient Relationship (2019)
This painting represents a growing “discontinuity” between patients and doctors, depicted by caduceus dividing the doctor and patient. Medical providers are burdened with paperwork, long hours, less time for relaxation, family, and to recharge.
When the “Noncompliant” Patient Leaves the Room
We are taught about the social determinants of health in the first week of medical school. That things like finances, job stress, education, safety, and environment, often have as much an impact on health as does pathophysiology.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
Albany Medical College
I am a member of the Class of 2020 at Albany Medical College. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY as a first generation American, the eldest of 6 kids. My interests include public and global health, youth mentoring, swimming, traveling, and cooking foods from different cuisines.