I am earning an MPH at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Location: Boston, MA
Discuss your general career path since graduating from UT.
I worked full-time as a scribe for about 6 months before completing a one-year Masters in Medical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In fall of 2015, I began medical school at Texas A&M College of Medicine. I am now earning an MPH at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
How did your BDP experience influence your career path and interests?
I always knew I wanted to practice medicine in order to serve the underserved, but the courses I took under BDP allowed me to see the complexities of social and health inequities. I realized that simply wanting to make a change isn’t enough; you have to understand the context of the issues you want to address. My program encourages me to keep learning more about context and to never ignore the implications of my intentions.
What do you value most about your BDP experience?
The Connecting Experience research opportunities allowed me to broaden my interests within medicine. Both of my Connecting Experiences were with advertising professors, which allowed me to explore health literacy and communication. These opportunities provided a unique perspective on medicine, and I intend to incorporate them into my future practice by acknowledging the effectiveness of doctor-patient communication.
In what ways did an interdisciplinary education prepare you for what you are currently doing?
BDP provided me with a more holistic undergraduate experience. Prerequisites for medical school leave little room to allow students to learn about the context of healthcare. Undoubtedly, basic sciences are important and absolutely necessary when pursuing medicine, but equally important are concepts such as health literacy, access to healthcare, and potential for improvement of the healthcare system. Without these concepts, we further the unfortunate phenomenon of medical excellence without equity.