Contributing Writer
University of California Riverside School of Medicine
Secilia Salem is a first year medical student at University of California, Riverside School of Medicine in Riverside, California class of 2023. In 2018, she graduated from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in physiology & neuroscience and public health. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and being outdoors. After graduating medical school, Secilia would like to pursue a career in family medicine.
This year, a new threat has emerged. Across the border in Iran, COVID-19 has killed scores of people and infected many more, including a deputy health minister, prompting the Iraqi government to close the frontier. Iraq reported its first cases in recent weeks, with 1,415 current case numbers, as of April 15, 2020.
The room is unassuming from the outside. It’s a tiny space not much larger than a storage closet tucked into an office in the school of public health. I do my usual clinic routine in reverse: notebook pulled out of pocket and white coat slipped off and left outside.
Writer-in-Training
Emory University School of Medicine
Zaynah Alam is a member of the Class of 2021 at Emory University School of Medicine. She grew up in Chapel Hill, NC and has a BS in Neuroscience from Duke University. Her interests include science fiction, health as a human right, and eating at every pho restaurant in the city of Atlanta.
