Tag: medical student advocacy

Chase Mallory Chase Mallory (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Chase is a third-year medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, Florida class of 2022. In 2018 he graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Health Science and a minor study in Spanish. He enjoys hiking, rock climbing, playing the piano, and working on his chess game in his free time. After graduating medical school Chase plans to pursue a career in Urology.




Drivers of Disease, Hidden in Plain Sight

Published by Chase Mallory

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that what we, the medical providers, think is important may not necessarily be the priority of the patient. We want to know: why are your sugars uncontrolled? How is your diet? Have you been able to take your metformin? However, for the patient, these things are often trivial. The patient wants to know: how will I be able to afford these medications with my part-time job? How am I expected to see a specialist without insurance? Should I be going outside to exercise, or will I contract coronavirus?

Physicians’ Role in Addressing Racism

Published by Swetha Tummala

Mercedes drove two hours to the nearest healthcare clinic to get her first physical exam in ten years. I met Mercedes while shadowing a primary care physician, Dr. L. In the clinic, Mercedes divulged to me how nervous she had been driving in – she knew what the meeting held in store. Her fears were confirmed: just five minutes into her exam, Dr. L advised her, “Mercedes, you have to lose weight.”

To Stay Home You Need To Have One: Housing As Primary Prevention

Published by Rachel Lockard

Moreover, homelessness and COVID-19  both disproportionately burden marginalized populations — in particular, Black communities and Native Americans. When COVID-19 began spreading through the community, it came as no surprise that it would disproportionately impact those living in congregate homeless shelters. Overcrowded shelters, the inability to physically distance, and poor access to handwashing and hygiene facilities are coalescing for an unsafe environment that could accelerate disease transmission.

Keeping Promises: Care for the Homeless

Published by Daniel Gehlbach

It was a Saturday morning and there were close to fifty volunteers who gathered at a homeless shelter in Riverside, CA ready to give out hygiene care packages and offer free showers, haircuts, clothes, and food. Eager medical students and physician assistants provided free health care screening and visits. Efforts like these are fairly common — nothing groundbreaking.

Shut Up and Doctor?

Published by Pallavi Juneja

Now, I am a fourth-year medical student standing at the foot of a tall ladder. The hierarchy of medicine requires that I follow some unwritten rules in order to climb. Throughout my training, I have gotten the sense that one of those rules is: avoid trouble, good or bad. Of course, now, doctors are beginning to find their voices through movements like White Coats for Black Lives. But as a young trainee, I sometimes feel the sentiment directed at James in 2018: shut up and doctor.

Are Medical Schools Addressing All Dimensions of Health? A Perspective from Philadelphia Medical Students

Published by Genevieve Silva

So, what is planetary health? It refers to a burgeoning field focused on understanding the health impacts of human-caused disruptions of Earth’s natural systems, including climate change and environmental pollution. This also encompasses the immediate and downstream health threats from such disruptions, which have impacts on communities at the local level — Philadelphia is no exception.

How a Pandemic Has Shifted the Conversation Around Harm Reduction

Published by Katherine Termini

For a variety of reasons, the substance use population is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on data from previous financial crises, the emotional toll will increase rates of new substance use, escalate current use, and trigger relapse even among those with long-term abstinence. There may be a significant lag before these changes are detected and treated because health care resources are being funneled toward the pandemic.

Building a Sense of Ownership in My Medical Education Through Elective Curricular Development

Published by Connor Grant

When I began thinking of establishing an elective, I wished there had been a roadmap to follow to understand where to start and how to invest my time. Hopefully, by detailing my own process, which I’ve broken down into three phases, other students may feel that they too can take ownership of their education by developing something rooted in their passions for others to enjoy and learn from.

Structural Violence and Noncompliance: A 49-Year-Old Hispanic Woman with Metabolic Syndrome

Published by Philine Endres

Mrs. H’s story is just one of millions of Americans who have become victims of structural violence and suffered from the social determinants of health. With a clearer understanding of the complex factors that contribute to patients’ health outcomes, I now aim to reunite the erroneously separated domains of medicine and social sciences.

Philine Endres Philine Endres (2 Posts)

Contributing Writer

UC Riverside School of Medicine

Philine is a first-year medical student at UC Riverside School of Medicine in Riverside, CA, class of 2023. In 2018, she graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on health and medicine. She enjoys competing in triathlons, playing with dogs and drinking coffee in her free time. After graduating from medical school, Philine would like to pursue a career in emergency medicine or obstetrics/gynecology.