I am a native of New York, where I attended the State University of New York at Binghamton and received my BS in 2004. At Binghamton, I was fortunate to explore one of my many passions, namely community service through leadership, and was greatly involved in a number of student organizations such as the African Student Organization and the InterCultural Awareness Committee. For roughly three years after, I worked primarily for Solgar Vitamin and Herb as a Regulatory Affairs Associate. In 2007, I attended the MEDPREP program at Southern Illinois University where I was able to enhance my basic science and clinical skills. While at SIU, I developed an interest in primary care and health care policy. However, I am still hoping to incorporate neurology— perhaps through clinical research—into my future career.
The Generalist Scholars Program provides great insight into what it means to develop a longitudinal relationship between physicians and patients. In the few weeks that I have been here, I have seen the various faces of health care in the small, yet tremendously diverse, city of Charlottesville. From the moving but hopeful faces of migrant workers to the bright smiles of the children at the Boys and Girls Club, I have experienced some of the joys in medicine, while witnessing the harsh reality of limited, and at times, the lack of access to care. The unparalleled opportunity of being a GSP scholar brings me that much closer to actualizing my dream of mitigating the disconnect that exist between patients and physicians.