Medicine is Political and Interdisciplinary

Before college I thought that my education would take me down a path of immigration law and politics. Coming from an undocumented family, I wanted nothing more than to dismantle systems that kept those like us marginalized and impoverished. My experiences show medicine will allow me to do this.

My Family and Our Health

As I prepare to apply to medical school this upcoming cycle, I have had plenty of time to reflect on my underlying motivations. They all stem from witnessing and caring for members of my family that have in one way or another been denied a healthy life. Undocumented, my grandmother faced exploitation in her workplace. When she was injured, the combination of not having citizenship or health insurance while fearing her employer led to her developing chronic pain - something that could've been prevented if she had received the care she needed right away. I grew up caring for her and accompanying her to all her visits, interpreting for the provider and advocating for her needs. I didn't know medicine was the right path for me, but who else would care for our communities if not us.

When I returned home for spring break of freshman year, a mental health crisis with my brother solidified my need to become a physician. It was clear he was unwell, yet, needing to make ends meet my mom, grandma, and I left that night for our janitorial job. We got a call from my other brother, I heard my other brother struggling for air as he suffered a severe panic attack. We rushed home, he was taken to the hospital, and all was well. When I asked what happened and why he didn't call for help, his response broke my heart. He was worried our financial status would be a barrier to receiving care and that his life would be put in jeopardy if 911 was called. Like him, the stressors of our socioeconomic status was a major source of anxiety for me. We need physicians that'll address these aspects of health.

Patient Experiences that Stuck with Me

While rounding with a physician in Harborview, I met a houseless patient. The scene itself was disturbing, he was handcuffed to the hospital bed. I understand they feared that he would unexpectedly leave but to me, the use of handcuffs felt like an indirect way of criminalizing homelessness and substance abuse. Volunteering at the Auburn Emergency Department taught me the importance that emergency medicine plays for homeless populations as it is often their only source of healthcare. I didn't know this, but I learned that emergency medicine is technically the only specialty that is obligated to see anyone who walks through the doors, yet, that hasn't always been the case from my observations. The scene at Harborview remains with me and highlights the need for accessible care.

Through Healthcare Alternative Spring Break I was given the privileged opportunity to shadow in rural Washington. I remember a woman that came in asking for accommodations for her citizenship test - her psychiatric disorders didn't allow her to memorize information. Her provider, a PA, declined to sign her waiver but not out of malice. Not only could she not since she didn't have an MD but it placed her license in jeopardy. I want to be the one taking that risk.

A refugee family that spoke a distinct Mexican-Indigenous language also came. Traumatized by violence on their homeland and the treatment they endured at the hands of the border patrol was evident. Although only shadowing, I felt the need to contribute to their care by interpreting to the best of my ability. When I went home that day, I bawled. I want to be a doctor that understands the intersection between political violence, immigration, and health.

Learning in the Classroom and Through Service

Dr. Aziz's Self Defense and Autobiography was a class seemingly unrelated to medicine, but to me it further underscored the need for physicians willing to reimagine our societal structures. I gained a greater understanding of how systems of oppression disproportionately stress those from marginalized groups and how historical actors such as George Jackson have used different methods of self defense in response to this. By approaching this framework from a Black studies and trans studies perspective I gained a deeper understanding as to who is afforded the right of self defense - a discussion that mirrors my understanding of healthcare access and SDOH.

I would like to preface this by saying that 'Math that Lies' was one of the most frustratingly difficult honors class. This made me worried about the heavy topic I chose to tackle for my final project - overdiagnosis of psychotic disorders in Black patients. Although not her field of study, Dr. Wang was the perfect person to talk through this project with. I was familiar with some of the ways in which the psychiatric field and medicine in general has and continue to harm Black populations from conversations with my SHPEP friends. However, this class allowed me to further my understanding by recognizing the role that historic logical fallacies and modern machine learning algorithms continue to perpetuate this harm. At the end, this paper was my best written of the quarter.

Mother Earth Farm will always have a special place in my heart. Food security is obviously crucial for individual and community health. Physically working alongside members of my community to ensure that this need of our neighborhood was met added further emphasis to that fact. Medicine is not just about biochemistry, it is about understanding the experiences of others, the communities we serve, and working to address their basic and social needs.

Where Do We Go From Here?

In my opinion, to see positive change be made in the healthcare field we need physicians, public heath professionals, and other health providers that come from communities with the most to gain - those from underserved identities. It is important that we have professionals with different ethnicities, genders, sexualities, urban and rural backgrounds, income statuses, etc. Will a diverse healthcare team fix everything wrong with the U.S healthcare system? No, the problem is much more systemic than that. But again, I believe that those most motivated to usher in change are those that have had or witnessed health disparities directly. I have benefitted greatly from Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and pipeline programs, it hurts me to see the ongoing attacks against such initiatives. Data shows that those from marginalized communities receive better care when seen by a provider that shares their identity and I know for a fact that all the beautiful people I've met through SHPEP, CCM, NSSSP, and PREP are not only deserving of their spot but will excel as the future of medicine - I look forward to protecting the progress we have made as a community and to fight to ensure that all people are taken care of.