Equity in medicine the focus of new SGU scholarship

/in , , , /by

St. George’s University’s new scholarship program—the Equity in Medicine scholarship—focuses on developing strong physician pipelines in underserved areas by recruiting students from these areas and encouraging them to return home to practice.

According to Health Resources and Services Administration, medically underserved areas are areas designated as having too few primary care providers and other factors.

Read about two Equity in Medicine Scholarship recipients who are committed to working in areas where care is needed most.

Anders Grant

Hometown: Bronx, NY

Her commitment: Primary care on Native American reservation

Anders Grant spent more than 20 years as a dietitian on the East Coast and in Texas. Years later, after raising her own children, she began working with various tribes on the Native American Reservation—where medical school called out to her.

In her three and a half years there, she “fell in love with the communities and the people.” Aided by the Equity in Medicine scholarship at St. George’s University, Ms. Grant is committed to returning to the reservation—a medically underserved area—when she becomes a physician.

“The people were so interested in teaching me their ways, and because I love languages, I immediately tried to learn the Navajo language. It was very reciprocal,” she said. “Once I showed that I wanted to learn their culture, that I wasn’t someone who said a casual hello, we became more like a family.”

Learn more about scholarship opportunities at SGU

Healthcare access and education is limited in and around the various Reservations. According to Ms. Grant, it takes upward of an hour to drive to visit with a healthcare professional, and even then, staff and resources are limited.

Ms. Grant is especially focused on the treatment and prevention of diabetes, working closely with children and families on the reservation to address the root of the problem—obesity. As an ultra-marathon runner, she offered diet and exercise programs for children that yielded tremendous results and was soon adopted by many parents.

“What I really emphasized was moving,” she said. “They saw me running out there every day, which showed that I practice what I preach. If I can get the children to start improving their health now, oh my goodness, the future is unlimited.”

Using the foundation she receives at SGU, Ms. Grant is committed to making a lasting difference in returning to the Native American Reservation.

“I can’t wait to get back,” she said. “I want to prove to them in person that you can never give up. It’s never too late to make your dreams come true.”

Taylor James

Hometown: Forest City, NC

Her commitment: Rural medicine

In rural America, state-of-the-art technology and a wealth of resources may only be found at a great distance. Growing up in the foothills of North Carolina, Taylor James has seen the consequences of such deficiencies firsthand—and they have shaped her career path.

When she was just four years old, her father passed away after a medical mishap during a surgical procedure on his hand. According to Ms. James, the anesthetic was administered in a blood vessel, inadvertently numbing his heart, and no available medication could reverse the effect. She attributes the mistake, in part, to a lack of resources at her local hospital.

“I didn’t really recognize it until I moved away and saw what other places are like,” said Ms. James, now a first-term student at St. George’s University. “As I grew older, I better understood what happened to my dad, why it happened, and now I want to figure out how to combat these problems in small towns like mine.”

She has been laser focused—graduating a semester early from North Carolina State University, with a degree in human biology. During her studies, she gained valuable clinical experience at the University of North Carolina’s emergency medicine department as well as WakeMed Cary Hospital.

Related Reading

 

As a Spanish minor, she also completed a doctor shadowing assignment in Spain, an experience she said: “instilled the importance of cultural competence.” She has used her bilingualism to communicate with—and ease the minds of—Spanish-speaking patients.

While she is keeping her options open, Ms. James is leaning toward a career in primary care, to become a valuable resource in a community that needs it. She even foresees opening up her own family medicine clinic and is grateful for the financial flexibility she has to do so through receiving the Equity in Medicine Scholarship from SGU.

“I was so shocked and so thankful to receive the scholarship,” she said. “I have really enjoyed my first few weeks at SGU. It’s a lot of studying—which I expected—but I don’t think I expected the overwhelming amount of resources and support SGU provides to ensure that we’re successful.”

– Brett Mauser

Assistant Dean of Students: Take care of yourself, before you take care of others

/in , /by

Dr. Laurence Dopkin, St. George’s University’s assistant dean of students, providing academic and non-academic support and guidance to clinical students. He is also an SGU alum.

While navigating through medical school, managing one’s own health is too often a piece of the puzzle that students overlook. Doing so is a point of emphasis when Dr. Laurence Dopkin, St. George’s University’s assistant dean of students, meets with aspiring physicians.

Dr. Dopkin, a 1998 graduate of SGU himself, has been working with School of Medicine students for more than a decade, first as a professor of psychiatry and currently by providing academic and non-academic support and guidance to clinical students. Dr. Dopkin is also the acting director of behavioral health/associate director of child and adult psychiatry at the Morrisania Diagnostic and Treatment Center in New York City.

As part of the team within the Office of Dean of Students, “our assistance can come in many ways and is informed by each individual student’s particular needs, regardless of where they are in the academic continuum,” he said. “We are here to help triage student concerns, but we’re also here to help ensure that they are aware of and understand the rules and policies that they are expected to follow—rules and policies designed to help ensure they have a successful experience while at SGU. We are, and should be, their first point of contact for most concerns.”

Read more about Dr. Dopkin’s role, his advice for clinical students, and why psychiatry can be a fulfilling career choice for students.

St. George’s University: What challenges do some students face when they begin clinical rotations?

Dr. Dopkin: Transitioning from the on-campus setting to a new schedule and educational experience at the many and varied clinical training sites in the US and UK. This geographical transition is accompanied by a shift in students’ sense of community—with an interruption in who students interact with on a daily basis. While on campus in Grenada, students are the majority, whereas in the hospital setting, they are a smaller complement, working alongside other professionals that comprise the treatment team for each patient.

This is also time of many growing pains, which includes the translation and application of the knowledge gained in the basic sciences to the clinical realm. This can be challenging as students interact face-to-face with patients on a daily basis.

The acculturation to clinicals can be mediated by maintaining a connection to the on-campus community through the Student Government Association, taking advantage of the 60-plus student organizations supported by the Office of the Dean of Students, and via our SGU newsletters and social media.

SGU: How has the COVID-19 pandemic intensified those challenges?

Dr. Dopkin: From a behavioral health standpoint, medical school is challenging and stressful at baseline, and so these same stressors become exaggerated and magnified when you factor in an unprecedented health crisis.

Thankfully, we were able to quickly pivot and implement innovative online and web-based academic and non-academic clinical solutions for many of the obstacles the pandemic presented.

SGU: Why is it important for students to prioritize their mental health?

Dr. Dopkin: My best advice for students is simple—you need to take care of yourself, before you can take care of anybody else. Just like most diseases and disorders, early recognition, assessment, and diagnosis of a behavioral health issue can lead to simple, effective treatment and resolution of symptoms. The 24-hour availability of telehealth services for our students has improved the ease and speed of access to counseling.

SGU offers several free, confidential behavioral health services to all SOM students,

  • The Psychological Services Center in Grenada offers telehealth and in-person counseling for individuals, groups, and families.
  • The BCS Group is a newer counseling service for our medical and veterinary students that provides 24-hour telehealth counseling for individuals and couples across all time zones, as well as psychiatry referrals for US-based clinical students.

SGU: What are the most satisfying qualities of a career in psychiatry?

Dr. Dopkin: I found psychiatry to be an unsolved puzzle compared to the other fields in medicine, and the biopsychosocial model, along with the history of the field, were what initially drew me to psychiatry.

Some of the most fulfilling aspects of being a psychiatrist are the diverse opportunities available based on your individual interests. I have worked in hospital-based psychiatric emergency rooms, free-standing outpatient clinics, inpatient and outpatient consultation services, and courts. I’ve taught medical students in most of those settings and trained psychiatric residents in others. I’ve worked in administrative, educational, and clinical roles, and in private practice consultation. I’ve treated children as young as four and on upwards from there.

Psychiatry truly allowed me to develop an expertise while allowing me to continue to enjoy and “practice” so many other areas of medicine that were of interest to me.

Dr. Dopkin can be reached by email at ldopkin@sgu.edu.

 

 

— Laurie Chartorynsky

Matched! MD student shares tips on securing your dream residency

/in , /by

Fourth-year medical student Joshue Leyva is still celebrating after recently learning he matched in his top choice for an internal medicine residency that will begin this July. Originally from Desert Hot Springs, CA, the soon-to-be graduate of St. George’s University School of Medicine said he is grateful for the opportunity he received during med school and cannot wait to start the next chapter of his medical career.

Get to know Mr. Leyva below.

SGU: Describe the feeling of Match Day learning that you had secured a residency position.

Joshue Leyva: The moment before I found out where I matched reminded me why I chose medicine as my career. My dream finally became a reality. It was a moment of relief, bliss, and gratitude.

SGU: Where were you when you found out the news?

JL: I was with my family in my home. My fiancée’s family was connected through Zoom from Texas. We celebrated afterwards by eating birria, a traditional Mexican lunch.

SGU: Why did you choose internal medicine as a specialty?

JL: Internal medicine combines my love for clinical problem-solving and engaging in physician-patient communication. In order to approach a clinical scenario, a good doctor must build relationships with the patient and their family—I find that part of the experience the most enjoyable part.

SGU: What are you most excited about starting your medical career?

JL: I am excited to work with a culturally diverse patient population that will allow me to be the best physician I can be. I am motivated by the idea that I will have a strong impact on the lives of my patients.

SGU: What advice would you give to students just entering their clinical rotations?

JL: Truly immerse yourself with every patient case during your clerkships. Learn your patient inside and out and apply what you have learned thus far. Overall, enjoy your time in the hospital and clinic because you can make lasting connections with attendings and residents along the way.

SGU: What advice would you give to clinical students applying for residencies?

JL: If you can schedule a clinical rotation at one of your top programs, try to do so. Although the entire process from the ERAS application to interviews can be daunting, I recommend seeking and researching advice every step along the way. Completing the residency application as early as possible will allow for edits to be made. During interviews, prepare by learning about the program. Most of all, however, be yourself.

SGU: In what ways do you believe SGU has prepared you for the next step in your career?

JL: SGU was instrumental in training me to enter residency. From the learning environment in the classroom setting to the transition to clinicals, they fostered a supportive academic environment.

SGU: Now that you look back on your time at SGU, how would you describe your experience?

JL: SGU allowed me to acquire a culturally diverse medical education allowing me to treat my patients with the utmost cultural sensitivity. The friendships made in Grenada will undoubtedly last a lifetime. I would experience it all over again if given the chance.

 

SGU ranks as #1 source of physicians in US workforce

/in , , , /by

In cities and towns across the United States, in specialties spanning all of medicine, St. George’s University graduates are making an undeniable impact on healthcare.

According to a recent report from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), 11,627 SGU graduates were licensed to practice medicine in the US in 2019, making it the largest source of doctors for the entire US workforce—ahead of any other US or international medical school.

“We stand back and marvel at the outstanding work being done by our graduates in all corners of the US and the world,” said Dr. G. Richard Olds, president of SGU. “The impact that they have made—and will continue to make—on patients, their families, and their communities is truly immeasurable.”

SGU alumni are crucial to addressing the country’s physician shortage, which is projected to climb as high as 139,000 across all specialties by 2033 according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). This shortage is attributed to population growth and aging, as well as large portion of the physician workforce nearing retirement age.

View complete list of 2021 residency matches

 

In 2021, more than 1,070 SGU graduates will begin their residencies across the United States, marking the seventh year in a row in which SGU was the number one provider of new doctors to the US healthcare system per data as of April 2021. They’ll enter 21 different specialties ranging from neurology and orthopedic surgery to pathology and anesthesiology.

Hundreds of these grads will enter primary care, a field in dire need of physicians in the United States. According to the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), more than 83 million Americans live in primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSA).

“We are proud of the impact that our graduates have had in the US and around the world,” said Dr. Richard Liebowitz, vice chancellor of SGU. “As a University, we look forward to providing a sturdy foundation for our students to become well-equipped, well-rounded physicians for many years to come.”

– Brett Mauser

US News and World Report Highlights SGU’s CityDoctors Scholarship Program

/in , /by

US News and World Report recently featured St. George’s University medical student Tim Malone and the University’s CityDoctors program in an article that discussed scholarships for medical school.

“Malone says his full-tuition scholarship via the St. George’s CityDoctors scholarship program for future urban doctors makes it easier for him to consider the possibility of becoming a pediatric oncologist, despite the fact that salaries within that specialty are lower than within other fields of medicine,” the article stated.

 

Read the full article

Alum’s Groundbreaking COVID Research Published in JAMA

/in , , , /by

As the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a halt, Eric Vail, MD ’13, went from cancer geneticist to COVID-19 diagnostician and researcher.

“New York had its major surge in March. We had ours in December,” said Dr. Vail, director of the clinical molecular pathology laboratory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “We’re a low-volume, high-specialty lab that normally does 1,300 next generation sequencing cancer tests a year. Since COVID happened, we have done over 100,000 diagnostic PCR tests over the last year alone.”

When the region experienced a dramatic uptick in cases, Dr. Vail and his team were asked to investigate its origin. Their findings were published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), with Dr. Vail serving as the co-senior author.

What prompted the research, and what did it discover?

At Cedars-Sinai, both our ICUs and main floors were overflowing during the holidays. That’s when hospital administration asked if we had seen the UK variant in our population. When we analyzed sequencing data, we didn’t find that variant, but there were 70-80 cases that all had the same mutations. We said, “this is something different.”

It wasn’t documented in any of the public databases at that time. We did some more analysis and found a cluster of newer mutations in the spike protein—what gives the virus its “corona (crown)”—which is the portion of the virus that attaches to the human cell and allows entry. We then went back into the public databases and saw it just exploded in November right along with our local surge in cases.

What did you learn from this experience?

It’s important from a public health and epidemiological standpoint to know what this virus is doing and how it’s doing it. If the infectivity increases, we can tailor our recommendations around it, but if you don’t look for it, you’ll never know.

It also pointed out the lack of unified public sequencing being done in the United States. There’s a lot of sequencing being done, but it’s very disparate and disconnected. It’s being done in 50 different places without centralized command and control.

What are variants, and how do they come about?

Viruses, and especially RNA viruses, change. Over time, as they go into new people, they have replication errors. When that happens, most of the time it’s deleterious, there becomes less of it, and it goes away. Every once in a while, though, a mutation gets increased fitness for its environment.

Variants come from our behavior, which is, in my opinion, empowering. You have the ability to wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance, and do your part. The virus isn’t plotting its way to get around us. If we do all the things we’re supposed to do, these variants will not emerge.

How well will the current vaccines address these variants?

I think it’s very important not to turn these variants into “scariants.” We’re trying to empower everyone with knowledge, and the knowledge we have right now is that if you can get a vaccine, go get a vaccine. Multiple studies have shown limited to no difference in clinical or immunological change in response to the vaccines from variant to variant. If we all get vaccinated, we can stamp out the coronavirus and get out of the pandemic together.

– Brett Mauser

SGU’s Omidvar Named International Medical Student of the Year

/in , , /by

As a former pediatric patient, Ava Omidvar has spent many years in and out of hospitals—to the point where she considers them to be her second home. Through the tireless efforts of her medical teams, she’s been given a second chance at life, and for the sake of her own patients, she’s committed to making the most of it.

For her dedication to emergency medicine, Ms. Omidvar recently received the scholarship award for International Medical Student of the Year by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Resident and Student Association.

“The award came as a complete surprise to me,” stated Ms. Omidvar. “I had no idea I was nominated but I felt incredibly honored to be noticed in such a positive way. Getting this award has provided me with even more motivation to continue this path I have chosen—not only to help those most vulnerable, but to also help those who come after me.”

It was given in recognition of her leadership and service as the president of the Emergency Medicine Club at SGU; her research project SAVED: Starting the Conversation of Death for Healthcare Providers, which she presented at the CENTILE conference in Washington DC; and her advocacy for policy topics relevant to the specialty of emergency medicine.

“The desire for giving through medicine is a lifelong passion that has guided me throughout my life,” said Ms. Omidvar, a third-year medical student at St. George’s University. “It has inspired me to take advantage of every educational avenue, job opportunity, and volunteer project available to me. These combined experiences have helped me turn my passion into expertise and my dreams into a reality.”

Currently studying for the USMLE Step 1 exam, Ms. Omidvar looks forward to starting her clinical rotations and getting back into the field as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. Her plan is to use what she’s learned during her time at SGU to achieve her dream of becoming a pediatric emergency medicine physician in order to provide improved care to her community during a time when healthcare professionals are needed the most.

“My passion for medicine has taken me from the back seat of an ambulance in Baltimore, all the way to a small clinic in Kampala,” shared Ms. Omidvar. “From a classroom in Boston, a government facility in Maryland, a MEDEVAC helicopter over Washington, DC, to the clinics and hospitals of the beautiful country of Grenada. At each turn, I have come face-to-face with the patients and people who inspire me to continue this journey.”

– Ray-Donna Peters

Dreams Realized: Future Physicians Secure Residencies on Match Day 2021

/in , , , /by

At a time when the world needs more physicians, St. George’s University graduates are prepared to answer the call. On Match Day 2021, more than 1,025 SGU students and alumni learned of where they’ll begin their residencies this summer, joining a vast network of physicians who have made an indelible impact on healthcare worldwide.

The newly matched residents will train in specialties that include neurology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and more. Dozens more will secure residency positions in the days and weeks to come.

“Match Day marks an important step in the life of every doctor,” said Dr. G. Richard Olds, president of St. George’s University. “The entire SGU community is proud of the hard work our students have put in, and we wish them the very best as they prepare to start their careers officially.”

SGU continues to assist the US in addressing the projected doctor shortage of up to 139,000 physicians across primary and specialty care, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). On average, one in three St. George’s graduates work in medically underserved areas, which have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Many SGU alumni have bravely served on the front lines throughout the pandemic.

“The resilience and skill of countless SGU alumni has been on full display over the course of this pandemic,” Dr. Olds said. “We look forward to sending another talented group of students into the world to make a difference in the lives of patients.”

The 2021 match class shared their excitement as the next chapter in their careers came into focus.

12345

SGU Alumni Offer Advice to Newly Matched Residents

/in , , /by

“As graduating students of 2021, remember that you survived … four years of medical school, Step 1 and 2, and a pandemic—you can definitely survive residency.”

That’s the advice that 2020 graduate Lauren Sussman, a pediatrics resident at Albany Medical Center, offered to newly matched residents. She is one of dozens of St. George’s University alumni who offered advice to incoming interns who will begin their first year of residency in the US this July.

Students and graduates of SGU find out on Friday where they matched for residency. They will enter the healthcare field at a crucial time in history as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep its grip on much of the country and around the world.

Check out the advice that alumni had for their SGU colleagues.

MD Grad Is Addressing Another Major Public Health Issue—HIV

/in , , , , /by

Jeremy Aguinaldo, MD ’17, looks at disease not only from up close—with each individual patient—but from a bird’s eye view. A board-certified public health physician for Compass Care in the Georgia Department of Public Health, Dr. Aguinaldo identifies risk factors and problem areas for large populations, and implements programs to improve community health.

“The improvement of an individual’s health also requires improving the entire healthcare system,” said Dr. Aguinaldo, who recently completed his public health and preventive medicine residency at Morehouse School of Medicine.

While countries around the world deal with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Dr. Aguinaldo is addressing a problem that continues to plague his community—the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

How serious is the current HIV problem in the United States?

More than a million people in the United States are living with HIV, and in 2018, there were about 36,000 new cases. Contracting HIV is no longer considered a death sentence as it was before. With the continued advancements of antiretroviral drugs to manage the virus, HIV had become a chronic illness, similar to how diabetes and blood pressure are managed.

Interested in public health? Learn more about the MPH program

What measures are you taking to help prevent the spread of HIV in your community?

When a patient initially tests positive for HIV, he or she is immediately sent to the clinic where they are linked to care and started on antiretroviral treatments. Patients who start on medication soon after diagnosis have shown to have better outcomes compared to those start much later. By taking the prescribed medications, the viral load (the amount of HIV in the body) is reduced. By reducing the viral load to such a level, it becomes undetectable by standard blood tests.

Patients who maintain an undetectable status will continue to be healthy and prevent transmission, which is referred to as “treatment as prevention.” This is key in preventing HIV spread in the community. The clinic also promotes the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which, when taken daily, is successful in preventing infection with HIV, greatly reducing the risk. It’s also important to raise awareness and educate the community on the benefits of using PrEP.

Dr. Aguinaldo as a medical student in Grenada

What social or economic trends are tied to HIV cases and transmissions?

There is a significant risk of HIV infection in those with mental health illnesses. The common conditions include depression, anxiety, bipolarity, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and dementia. These issues make drug adherence much more difficult to comply with and increase high-risk behaviors such as illicit substance use and unprotected sexual activities.

Many individuals in the community I serve are homeless, unemployed, or lack health insurance and thus struggle to make ends meet. They consider their HIV status less of a priority until their own basic needs are met. This is where addressing those social factors, as well as managing them, clinically come into play.

Why has public health become the focus of your career?

When I was getting my master’s degree in public health, I learned from nurses, doctors, statisticians, researchers, engineers, and others who all shared a common goal: to improve the health of the population. Healing is more than just prescribing a simple pill but also collaborating with a team of multiple disciplines to help the patient.

Dr. Aguinaldo’s cancer research presentation as an SGU student