Driven by the Salvadorian civil war and dire economic conditions in Mexico, Pedro and Juana both left their respective countries at a young age in search of a better future in the United States. Growing up with parents who were immigrants completely shaped the person I would become, and it was not long before I realized that I was different from all the other kids in my kindergarten class. Despite not speaking any English the first day of school, my parents were determined to not let me get behind, and so my mom and I learned English together; instilling in me perseverance and a fascination with languages that would continue throughout my life.
The impetus for pursuing a career in medicine began in middle school, when my dad woke up in the …show more content…
In the fall of 2013, I became a research assistant at Children’s Hospital Oakland at the Family Information and Navigation Desk (FIND) where I investigated the relationship between social and environmental issues and children’s health. Alternating between the emergency room and primary care clinic, I interviewed diverse families, primarily in Spanish. If the occasion arose, I had the privilege of helping a family by connecting them to resources. During my time at FIND, I sometimes headed home with a heavy heart, when lack of resources limited what I could do to help a family. Language barriers, lack of housing, and immigration related-issues were but a few of the many obstacles that families living in Oakland faced. During my time there, I once again came face to face with the health care inequality I learned about previously. However through the FIND program, I saw for the first time how Public Health and Medicine can work in tandem; working in a coordinated continuum of care with physicians, social workers, nurses and hospital staff to improve patient’s quality of life. I began to understand how, by taking my medical school training to underserved communities, I could serve as an intermediary- addressing social determinants in a clinical
The impetus for pursuing a career in medicine began in middle school, when my dad woke up in the …show more content…
In the fall of 2013, I became a research assistant at Children’s Hospital Oakland at the Family Information and Navigation Desk (FIND) where I investigated the relationship between social and environmental issues and children’s health. Alternating between the emergency room and primary care clinic, I interviewed diverse families, primarily in Spanish. If the occasion arose, I had the privilege of helping a family by connecting them to resources. During my time at FIND, I sometimes headed home with a heavy heart, when lack of resources limited what I could do to help a family. Language barriers, lack of housing, and immigration related-issues were but a few of the many obstacles that families living in Oakland faced. During my time there, I once again came face to face with the health care inequality I learned about previously. However through the FIND program, I saw for the first time how Public Health and Medicine can work in tandem; working in a coordinated continuum of care with physicians, social workers, nurses and hospital staff to improve patient’s quality of life. I began to understand how, by taking my medical school training to underserved communities, I could serve as an intermediary- addressing social determinants in a clinical