Medical Student Contributing Writer
Harvard Medical School
Jean Adomfeh, MBA, is a third-year MD Candidate at Harvard Medical School. Her current interests include media, global health, policy, and business. She plans to pursue a career in ophthalmology in the future.
Jean Anne Adomfeh unravels a common gender bias, contained in diagnosing chest pain, that has existed in medicine for decades and how through a few simple yet profound words of a teacher, combined with experiences along the way, she is inspired to help change the narrative.
Katherine Panushka asks readers to reflect and acknowledge that our patients’ stories extend beyond their final moments in her poem, “The Pause.”
Medical student Joaquin Zetina details a poignant example, illustrating the often overlooked and nuanced barriers and adversities faced by immigrant students that can shape their perspectives of themselves as well as society.
Medical student Scott Jamieson dissects the delicate balance of wanting to carry the burden of all of society’s health problems with necessary personal down-time and how students often struggle with these aspects of their lives.
Lindsey Nae Wright reflects on mourning the losses that come with being a medical student.
Dekoiya Burton reflects on how he often feels like a prop in a “diversity” scheme when academic medicine doesn’t follow through with messages of diversity and inclusion beyond pamphlets and brochures.
Future surgeon Kayla Flewelling describes, in scrupulous detail, the psyche of a medical student as they traverses the learning pipeline, all the while trying to maintain a semblance of sanity, perseverance and perspective.
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.
Medical student Allen Betts writes a letter to a former patient reflecting on the importance of treating a patient as a person rather than a disease.
Medical student Alicia Pugh describes a conspicuous encounter with a patient that typified the lingering undercurrent of microaggresions against professionals of color. Read more to see how she responded to this experience.
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.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
Egerton University Faculty of Health Sciences, Kenya
Sydney is a final year medical student at Egerton University Faculty of Health Sciences in Kenya, class of 2021. He believes narrative medicine not only offers an avenue for embracing diversity in the medical field through shared experiences, but also helps to bridge the relational gap between doctors and patients. He is passionate about promoting equitable and compassionate healthcare. In his free time, he enjoys taking nature walks, listening to music and reading novels. After graduating from medical school, Sydney would like to pursue a career in either Cardiology or Oncology.
