What drew you to the field of medicine?

Growing up, I was always drawn towards the sciences and the functions of the human body. During my time in high school, I began to explore the medical field by volunteering at hospitals, shadowing physicians, and earning my CNA license after accumulating clinical hours at a post-acute care facility. While shadowing Dr. Surabhi Amar at Valleywise Health Hospital in Phoenix, AZ, I witnessed her break the news to a young male that he had stage 3 stomach cancer. The patient was devastated, as he knew that chemotherapy would make him infertile and he’d still have a 75% chance of death. But, although she couldn’t promise the man the life he had planned, Dr. Amar still led him to an answer. She brought up the option of saving his sperm and having children later down the road if he was able to beat the odds now. This experience solidified for me that I wanted to go into medicine. I knew that I wanted to give patients answers. In the future, I hope to not only fight for them, but to also fight indifference in the medical field and prioritize holistic, value-based patient care. 

What are your plans after attending medical school?

Through my time shadowing at a local OB/GYN clinic and learning about health issues that women face in my high school medical professions class, I’ve become heavily interested in women’s reproductive health. While I’m open to the wide array of specialties that I’ll become more familiar with in medical school, I’m currently planning to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. I hope to also conduct gynecologic cancer research, combining my interest in gynecology and my prior applied cancer research experience.