The American Muslim Medical Student Association: Intersecting Faith and Medicine to Build Spirituality, Community and Representation
Medical student leaders reflect on the intersectionality of faith and medicine.
Racism and Discrimination
This category contains reflections on forms of discrimination, related to racism and sexism, students have faced on their healthcare journeys.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
University of Michigan School Medical School
Bassel is a fourth year medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. He aspires to synthesize the technical skills he developed as an engineer with the clinical skills he's learned as a medical student to improve patient outcomes.
PSA: Tokenism is Not Diversity
In this piece, Afua Ofori-Darko discusses how medical education has focused on tokenism on a way to achieve diversity. Specifically, Afua discusses her journey as the token Black girl and how tokenism harms URiM students and the institutions to which they belong.
Learning Confidence
Dr. Max Hawkins reflects on the expectation of medical students on the wards and the racial bias implicit in the operations tested on certain patients.
The Blue Collar Underneath
Entering the field of medicine can be daunting, especially if you are the first physician in the family. Current intern Dr. Ervin Anies discusses the emotions associated with assimilating into the culture of medicine and how we as providers can use our diversity to foster better relationships between providers and our patients.
I am the Face of Medicine—Representation of Color: A Narrative Reflection
Dr. Erin Saner reflects on the importance of underrepresented minorities and representation in clinical care and education.
This Shouldn’t Be Happening
Medical student Rebekah Russell reflects on her experience with the healthcare system during a miscarriage.
First Times in Medicine as an Asian American
Medical student Alyssa Guo shares excerpts of her diary with reflections of her first times in medicine as an Asian American.
A Journey to Obstetrics & Gynecology Through Structural Racism in Maternal Outcomes
Medical student Sara Phillips writes a personal reflection, grounded in scholarly literature, that details her exploration of racism as a mechanism for perpetuating disparities in maternal health outcomes. The piece traces discriminatory policies and actions undertaken by physicians and leaders in the field of obstetrics and gynecology to portray a historical origin for contemporary health inequities. Interacting with these grim stories and statistics, she reflects on what it means for her to seek out a career in OB/GYN to confront this prejudicial history and create a more just path forward.
The Ring On My Hand
This creative piece explores the internal dialogue that a gay patient has with himself when his provider fails to use inclusive language and offers a question that probes disclosure.
You Good?
Read more to find out how three seemingly straightforward words, for medical student Charna Kinard, represented a spectrum of emotions, feelings and connotations in the setting of national news regarding policing and the Black Lives Matter movement and how this has shaped her path towards physicianship.
Hustle and Heart
Medical student Navjot Singh teaches us how to surmount racism with composure, grace, and courage.
What Is In a Name?
Medical student Nkiruka Aniagolu explores how understanding someone’s name or title can foster deeper trust with patients and those around us, as our names are ‘pieces of our personal mosaics’ that give glimpses to who we are.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences
Nkiruka is a clinical medical student attending the University of Toledo. A deep passion for primary care and public health she is passionate about pursuing a career vested in the unique interests of her patients while being an active participant in garnering equity and access to healthcare for all.