Medicine

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My fundamental drive behind a career in medicine and pediatrics is to help bring more equitable healthcare to neglected communities. I am drawn to the potential of primary care to engage in effective outreach; to heal long-standing distrust in the medical system; to connect families with resources that can improve social determinants of health; to provide longitudinal and personal care; to provide a safe, trusted space for victims of trauma, abuse, or marginalization to tell their stories and begin the process of healing.

My ultimate goal is to work with humanitarian aid organizations to provide care for refugees fleeing the unending conflicts around the world. To this end I have sought to augment my multicultural, multilingual background with further studies in Spanish, French, and Swahili, as well as with experiences in community hospitals in South Korea, Kenya, and Nicaragua.   

I have worked on several projects as a medical student to provide care to local Pittsburgh communities and to educate myself on the subtleties of caring and advocating for underserved populations: 

• I led the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Refugee Health Advocacy Project, coordinating a medical school elective on the unique medical, social, legal considerations for providing healthcare to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as collaborating with a local FQHC to educate the community. 
• I was one of the founders of the University of Pittsburgh Asylum Clinic, a joint initiative between the School of Medicine and the School of Law to provide pro bono medical assessments for those seeking asylum in the United States. Such medical assessments lend credibility to asylum seekers' cases and significantly raise the likelihood that they will be approved. 
• I was also one of the founders of the Medical Student Interpreter Corps, a group of multilingual medical students who are trained to provide interpretation services for patients with low English proficiency at various free clinics in Pittsburgh. 
• I am currently coordinating the Panther Clinic, a collaboration between the School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh to provide longitudinal care for uninsured patients at the Birmingham Free Clinic. 
• I am enrolled in the first cohort of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Point of Care Ultrasound Certificate Program, to gain competency in a quick and low-cost mode of imaging for use in low-resource clinical settings.