From the Wards

Christina Seto (2 Posts)

Writer-in-Training

UCF College of Medicine


Christina Seto is a member of the Class of 2021 at University of Central Florida College of Medicine. She received her undergraduate education at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York, where she majored in both English and Neuroscience & Behavior, and minored in Classics. She is originally from Los Angeles, CA. She is interested in medical humanities and does research in narrative medicine. In her spare time, she writes a food blog entitled Brunch with Bear, inspired by her severe food allergies.




The Anatomy Lesson

There were seven of us standing around the table as the attending surgeon debrided the infected fascia. The vascular surgeon came in the room and barked at us to identify the structures before us. “What’s that artery?” he interrogated us. “I’ll give you a hint,” he said, “there’s a deep and a superficial.” We named the sural nerve and iliotibialis band and the great saphenous vein. As we clamored around the table, I suddenly thought of the Rembrandt painting: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.

You’re Not a Bold, Knowledgeable Medical Student — You’re Just White

I knew I moved through these spaces easily for many reasons, but being White is a big one that needs to be said out loud. And when you look and feel more comfortable in a space, it is easier to perform “well,” or to sound confident. This is directly related to what academic medicine characterizes as “objective” evaluations of students, and there is data to support this.

Dust to Dust

“There’s a great neuro exam in room 5147,” my resident said as I dropped my bag in the call room. “Why don’t you go check it out?” I clutched my reflex hammer in one hand and googled the components of a neuro exam with the other as I headed towards the stairwell.

Reflections on My Medical Elective in South Africa

Doing my elective at Klerksdorp-Tshepong (K/T) Hospital Complex in my hometown of Klerksdorp gave me the opportunity to become familiar with the health system, the medical personnel and health-related issues that are prevalent in my community. It also allowed me to draw comparisons between my home country of South Africa and the United Kingdom, where I have undertaken the clinical years of my medical degree.

Neda Amirmokhtari Neda Amirmokhtari (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Northeast Ohio Medical University


Neda Amirmokhtari is a third year medical student at Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio class of 2021. In 2017, she graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in integrated life sciences. She enjoys painting, drawing, listening to music, and playing with her dog in her free time. In the future Neda would like to pursue a career in the field of Oncology.