I am so incredibly excited to begin writing my first-ever blog. Full disclosure: I have zero writing experience. In fact, I am totally a left-brained kind of person. Right now, I'm just finishing up my first year of medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. So why, might you ask, am I blogging?
This summer is the so-called "last summer" for us med students, since from the fall on I will have school and work straight through for the next, oh, 60 years of my life. Being at an academia-focused medical center like CUMC (Columbia University Medical Center), the majority of students decided to spend their precious last summer months doing research. To be candid, our med school completely pushed us in this direction. I, however, couldn't stand the thought of being cooped up in a lab all summer, when I don't even know what area of medicine I'm interested in yet. I decided to apply for a fellowship through the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism in Medicine. For reasons I'll save for a future post, I have an intense passion for education and social justice, and I designed a project where I will be teaching health literacy at Project Samaritan in the Bronx. Project Samaritan is a residential treatment center in the Bronx, where people living with AIDS and substance addictions live and rehabilitate. They offer a holistic treatment program, including health care, substance abuse treatment, and educational classes. I had shadowed there for one of my med school classes this past year, and I knew I wanted to somehow get involved there during the summer.
By some miracle, I was awarded a Gold Fellowship, and I landed my dream summer job! Part of the requirement for my fellowship is that I write a blog about my experience. I was looking for an excuse to start a blog, so I was thrilled to hear about this. I can't wait to share my journey through this summer, and beyond, with you. I have a meeting with the folks at Project Samaritan tomorrow to plan how my health literacy class will be structured. I'll keep you updated!
I'll look forward to hearing about your wonderful efforts. The tradition of physicians who write is a rich one...thanks so much,
ReplyDeleteJody
Ohhhhh I get it, MD (your initials), and M.D. like doctor to be. It legit took me five minutes to figure that out, I kept thinking it was a typo. Pretty clever.
ReplyDeleteJody, thanks for your comment. Looking forward to reading your blog as well!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great project and a wonderful way to spend your summer! I ended up taking the research route for my final summer, but I'm still squeezing in four weeks of travel and it's more an office than a lab so I'm enjoying the new non-basic science experience of it all.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy blogging! :)
- Aba
Michael, thank you for the encouragement :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks really exciting. I'm sure you'll have some great stories to share!
ReplyDeleteAba, I'm so impressed you squeezed job + travel into the summer, enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteCollin, I certainly hope that I will :)
Your mother must be very proud. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jean!
ReplyDeleteHuh, I actually misinterpreted the title compared to "Michael." I didn't recognize that it was your initials. I thought you were mocking the Hamlet "To be, or not to be, that is the question," because, unlike Hamlet, there is no hesitancy, you're going full speed ahead! I can read WAY too much into things...
ReplyDelete-RMJ
Huh, I actually misinterpreted the title compared to "Michael." I didn't recognize that it was your initials. I thought you were mocking the Hamlet "To be, or not to be, that is the question," because, unlike Hamlet, there is no hesitancy, you're going full speed ahead! I can read WAY too much into things...
ReplyDelete-RMJ
You didn't earn this "by some miracle," as you say. Not unless the grades to get into HC were also a miracle, and the grades earned at HC, and your emotional maturity, and your friendliness, and your professionalism, and your teaching career...
ReplyDeleteOne would have to believe your life consists of nothing but miracles...or one could say that you have made something of yourself. Many people are given the same raw opportunities as others in life, and do not follow through to make more and better opportunities. You do.
Dancing_Scientist you are too kind!
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