On November 11th, 2019, UConn student Tanya Miller presented her documentary “#ILookLikeADoctor: A Film about Female Physicians” to students, faculty, family, and friends. The film was about six female physicians that Tanya interviewed. They shared their stories, how they came to be physicians, and what their experiences in the workplace are like. Each physician had a unique background, ethnicity, and field of specialty. The film did an excellent job of portraying the diversity of female physicians as well as their unity. The six physicians interviewed were Dr. Camelia Larence, Dr. Cynthia D’Alessandri-Silva, Dr. Leah Darak, Dr. Nita Ahuja, Dr. Nancy Yen Shipley, and Dr. Yvette Martas. Dr. Camelia Lawrence shared what it is like to be a woman of color and a breast surgeon. She emphasized the importance of representation in medicine and how patients appreciate seeing a doctor that looks like them. She also spoke on microaggressions during the Q&A that followed the film, and gave students advice on how to recognize biases in yourself and others. Dr. Cynthia D’Alessandri-Silva shared her advice on how to find your passion within medicine and the skills she has acquired in order to balance work and family life. She also attended the Q&A after the film, and shared insight into some of the struggles future doctors may face such as burnout, depression, perfectionism, and a requirement for a high work ethic. Dr. Leah Darak shared details on how she came to love obstetrics and gynecology, despite having to come to work at crazy hours to deliver babies. She tells viewers that she hopes women never feel like there are fields of medicine they cannot pursue because they are male-dominated, and that all doors may be opened for women to find their passion. The documentary was very successful at displaying the many complex and thought-provoking aspects of what it means to be a woman and a doctor. Dr. Nita Ahuja is the first female chief of surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital. She spoke about what it was like to be a female surgical resident and to get married and have children at the time. She said it is important to recognize that everyone has a different way of raising their children. Her mother helped her raise her children while she was in surgical training. She also spoke on the importance of good mentorship, sponsorship, and connections when seeking higher leadership positions.
Dr. Nancy Yen Shipley shared her experience of becoming an orthopedic surgeon years after being “weeded out” of pre-medicine courses during college and graduating with a degree in Psychology instead. She worked several different jobs outside of STEM before she realized that she still wanted to become a doctor. She worked hard to take night courses, study for the MCAT, and get accepted into medical school as a non-traditional applicant. She said she had no regrets about the path that she took and that she would tell her younger self to be less stressed about where her future was headed. Dr. Yvette Martas elaborated on her experience as a latina, and how she was the first in her family to attend college and the first to become a doctor. She described moments where she felt incapable of becoming a doctor while she was a pre-medical student at Yale University. She also told stories of sexual harassment from male professors and unfair treatment while being a female medical student competing with male students for awards and recognitions. The film is available for free on YouTube for all to watch and appreciate the depth of these six womens’ character and testimonies. The documentary was very successful at displaying the many complex and thought-provoking aspects of what it means to be a woman and a doctor. By Veolette Hanna
0 Comments
Center yourself...don’t be looking at what’s happening on your left and right, figure out your own path...your goal is to do your personal best, and your story is your story, not somebody else’s story. On Tuesday, March 26th, Dr. Mathew came to UConn to tell us her story of how she became a general pediatrician. It all started when she moved to Texas as an immigrant from India when she was young. She grew up in Texas with the unique experience of having parents who did not grow up in the United States. She attended the University of Texas and majored in Biochemistry with the pre-med track. Dr. Mathew mentioned that she had friends who majored in liberal arts while being on the pre-med track, and told us that as important as a science background is for medical school, your major should definitely be something that you enjoy, and it doesn’t have to be science. Dr. Mathew confessed that while she loved Biochemistry, she was not good at Physics and got a D in Physics the first time she took it. She told students not to get too discouraged about their GPA and to not be devastated if they have to retake a science course.
Dr. Mathew took her MCAT as a junior in college in 1989. She took it twice, in her spring semester of her junior year, and then again in the fall semester of her senior year. She didn’t let the MCAT stop her life, and she still traveled Europe between those two times. She applied to medical school in the beginning of her senior year and managed to start medical school after graduation without taking a gap year. In response to the idea that people don’t go to medical school because it’s too many years, she said, “that’s valid, but for me, I would do it all over again, because I love what I do and I want to keep doing it.” Dr. Mathew also told us about all the different paths that one could take when they pursue a career in medicine. She said, “the nice thing about medicine is that if you don’t like working with people, you don’t have to...there are opportunities based on what your personal interests are and your personality.” Dr. Mathew didn’t think she would become a pediatrician. She entered medical school at the University of Texas medical branch in Galveston thinking she would go into obstetrics and gynecology, which she had research experience in. In her third year, she realized after her rotations that she didn’t really like gynecology. She thought that she might enjoy internal medicine because she likes the thinking process, but after a cardiology rotation, she realized the patient population was not the right fit for her. Finally, she realized she loved pediatrics, especially the patient population: taking care of kids from birth to age 21. Today, Dr. Mathew has taught about 6 medical students throughout her career. Her students have all had different paths before starting medical school: one was in the military, others took gap years, and another worked as a book editor for a couple years before going back to school to pursue medicine. One of her medical students worked on the admissions committee at UConn in 2017, and she gave Dr. Mathew information about the admissions process. That year there were 3700 applicants, and after looking at GPAs and MCAT scores, the pool was narrowed down to 1500. GPAs of 3.6 or higher were considered. For MCAT scores, students had to be at or above the 69th percentile. Of the 1500 applicants that remained, 300 were interviewed, and then 100 students were accepted. Dr. Mathew told students a post-bac or gap year can help them improve their grades and scores, or improve other areas of their application such as their amount of research, volunteering, and shadowing experience. She told students not to get caught up in competing or comparing themselves with others: “Center yourself...don’t be looking at what’s happening on your left and right, figure out your own path...your goal is to do your personal best, and your story is your story, not somebody else’s story.” Dr. Mathew had to take hundreds of exams to get to where she is today. She told students about the USMLE (U.S. Medical Licensure Exam), which has 3 parts to it: one after your second year of medical school, the second part after your third year, and the third part after your first year of residency. She said the different parts got easier year by year. Dr. Mathew encouraged students to find something they are passionate about that they could show they have been committed to for several years on their application, such as volunteering. For her, she had an interest in international healthcare. She did her pediatric residency in San Diego so that she could interact with a large immigrant and minority population. Dr. Mathew also encourages centering your life, calming your mind, and de-stressing through anything such as faith, yoga, exercise, or family time so that you don’t experience “burn out”. Talking to a room full of women, Dr. Mathew told students that they should be prepared to answer the question, “why don’t you become a nurse instead?” and not let that question phase them or make them doubt their commitment to becoming a doctor. Back in her day, she was one of the few women pursuing medicine and she was often in rooms full of men. Dr. Mathew said that it is possible to start a family as a woman in medicine. She was able to get married and have 3 kids. She is also able to go to work, take exams, instruct medical students at UConn, learn about all the new ways medicine is evolving, and attend national conferences in pediatrics. Most importantly, she loves what she does every day. The biggest takeaway from Dr. Mathew’s talk is that although the journey towards becoming a doctor is challenging and intimidating, if you try your hardest to pursue your calling, it will definitely be worth it. By Veolette Hanna Even though he is only working as a surgeon part time now, he believes he is a physician, '24/7, 365 days a year.' Dr. Deckers has been a general surgeon for over fifty years, giving him many experiences and stories to share with aspiring medical students. Professionally, Dr. Deckers has had an incredible career. After finishing medical school at Boston University, he became a very successful surgeon who has practiced at many hospitals. Some of his most notable achievements include working as an oncologist and chief of surgery at Hartford Hospital, as well as acting as the director of the residency program at UConn Health.
Dr. Deckers attributes much of his success to the people who supported him along the way, specifically his father. His father expected a lot out of Deckers throughout his entire life, requiring him to act in plays, attend debate club, keep straight As, and hold a job. While Deckers did not necessarily appreciate this as a high school student, he now realizes his father forced him to learn skills that greatly benefit him as a physician. His job at a hospital allowed him to learn many clinical skills, from feeding patients to removing sutures. However, he believes it is more important that he learned skills such as communication and time management from a young age. Dr. Deckers’ experiences have given him a very humanistic perspective on healthcare and his duty as a doctor. Even though he is only working as a surgeon part time now, he believes he is a physician, “24/7, 365 days a year.” Deckers believes that the patient is always the most important person, and that communicating with patients and their families is one of the most critical parts of his job. So, along with studying and getting involved in events, Deckers encourages medical students to focus on developing their core competencies: Professionalism, knowledge, skills, and communication. Most importantly, he advises pre-medical students to always strive to be better, and to give care with love. By Priya Gupta |
Newsletter CommitteeThe Newsletter Committee has written blog posts about physicians' stories, background, and advice for PMS members! The blog also covers events held by the University related to medicine. |