CityDoctors: From the City, For the City.
These St. George’s University scholarship recipients have dedicated their careers to serving communities that helped mold them.
What makes a CityDoctor? Since 2012, St. George’s University’s collaborative scholarship program has provided more than 150 aspiring physicians opportunities to foster their medical careers.
While each CityDoctor’s story is unique, they’re all tied together by the fervent desire to serve communities in and around New York, to connect with their patients, and the willingness to do what is necessary to reach their goals.
The CityDoctors scholarship program is made possible through a partnership with three affiliate hospital systems—NYC Health + Hospitals, Hackensack University Medical Center, and Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
As SGU prepares to greet a new class of CityDoctors on campus in January, four scholarship recipients shared how the award helped them realize their dreams of becoming doctors, and how the diverse patients and communities they work with will benefit from their training.
Andre Savadjian, MD
Andre Savadjian, MD ’18, a second-year anesthesiology resident at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and West Hospitals in New York City, immersed himself in the healthcare field at an early age.
Growing up in Old Tappan, NJ, Dr. Savadjian became a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) at just 17 years old. Soon after while still in high school he also became a volunteer firefighter. He continued to help others as a paramedic aide in Connecticut while majoring in physiology and neurobiology at the University of Connecticut. Becoming a physician seemed like a natural evolution for him.
For all of Dr. Savadjian’s real world experience, his MCAT scores kept him from getting into a US medical school. After being accepted to SGU and through his own research, he applied to become a CityDoctor and was awarded a scholarship through the SGU/Hackensack University Medical Center partnership.
“When deciding on whether or not to attend medical school in the Caribbean or wait another year and reapply, having been accepted for the CityDoctors scholarship through HUMC completely solidified my decision to attend SGU,” said Dr. Savadjian. “It has allowed me to fulfill my dream of becoming a physician while having the benefit of the financial stability that comes with the scholarship. Additionally, this scholarship enabled me to complete most of my third and fourth-year clinical rotations at HUMC while remaining extremely close to my friends and family in northern NJ.”
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Dr. Savadjian, 27, said that SGU amply prepared him for a career in medicine which included learning new cultures, adhering to a greater level of independence and self-reliance while in Grenada, and interacting with people of diverse backgrounds. During his first two years in Grenada, Dr. Savadjian made Dean’s List and was a member of SGU’s Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Medical Society (IEA) and ended up graduating summa cum laude from SGU.
Finding a niche in anesthesiology was a surprise. “I always thought I would go into emergency medicine or become a trauma surgeon, as I believe I work best under pressure when sound decisions needed to be made immediately,” he said. After taking a pharmacology class during his last term in Grenada, he was eager to begin an anesthesiology rotation. “It came easy to me, and since anesthesiology tied together pharmacology and physiology, I was excited.”
While training as an anesthesiologist, Dr. Savadjian loves being able to implement a variety of procedures to ensure that each patient has the best care while in surgery. “Every day is different and it’s important to have in your wheelhouse a multitude of critical care strategies that can be tailored to each patient,” Dr. Savadjian said. “It is the only profession where you choose a medication yourself, prepare it, verify it, administer it and subsequently monitor its effects on patients—you become the physician, pharmacist, and nurse all in one.”
Following his residency, Dr. Savadjian is considering applying for a fellowship to specialize in pediatric anesthesiology or pediatric cardiothoracic anesthesia.
“Anesthesiology is the only specialty I’ve discovered that challenges me but consistently puts a smile on my face every day,” he said. “It’s very gratifying.”
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Kyeiwaa Amofa-Boachie, MD
As a child, Dr. Kyeiwaa Amofa-Boachie, Class of ’19, had severe eczema. While her pediatrician was able to help her manage it, she wished she received more help on learning how to live with a skin condition, even at a young age. The experience inspired her to become a doctor, specifically one that can address the physical, mental, and wellness aspects of a patient’s life.
Originally from Teaneck, NJ, Dr. Amofa credits her parents from Ghana for encouraging her to apply to med schools (including SGU) and seek out scholarship opportunities. She received a CityDoctors scholarship through SGU’s partnership with Hackensack University Medical Center.
While at SGU, Dr. Amofa cites the school’s Department of Educational Services (DES) as a resource that helped her “tremendously” in learning how to organize and study complicated terms and notes efficiently. She also credits her advisor, Dr. Jaqueline Powell, an associate professor of physiology in SOM, for giving her the support she needed. “She had a tough-love attitude, but that’s something I’m used to,” said the Cornell University graduate.
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Commitment and patience were other key traits she learned while at SGU. “Now when I am faced with a situation that takes a little more time to complete, there’s not a second thought,” she said. “I’ll go ahead and do it.”
As a first-year pediatric resident at Maimonides Medical Center, Dr. Amofa enjoys being able to relate to her patients and offer a sense of calmness to those who are suffering or scared. “Pediatrics is also a place where you can really have a long-term doctor-patient relationship,” she added, which is one of the factors that drew her to the field.
When asked how she is adjusting to life as a resident, she stated, “It’s definitely different, but I still feel like I am in the right place and that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
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Eric Behar, MD
Eric Behar, MD ’17, always knew he wanted to be a doctor, and that idea was solidified while working at a summer camp for children with special needs during his undergraduate years. As a counselor at the upstate New York camp, Dr. Behar was tasked with ensuring the well-being of campers who were dealing with a range of disabilities that included autism, Down syndrome, and Fragile X syndrome. The experience moved him greatly.
“I love working with children,” said Dr. Behar, now a third-year psychiatry resident at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. “You can have a large impact on a young person’s life versus an older person, who is more set in their ways. When they say thank you, it’s one of the best feelings ever—to know you have made a difference.”
Learning about each child’s individual circumstance, and how the combination of behavioral therapy and medication could vastly improve his or her quality of life, fueled Dr. Behar’s interest in psychiatry.
“I like helping people, but I also like how the brain works and making people feel their best,” he said.
Six years after that camp counselor experience, a subway ride in New York City revealed to Dr. Behar the next leg of his career path. While on break from completing his master’s degree in neurobiology and physiology at Northwestern University, the native New Yorker saw an ad for SGU’s CityDoctors scholarship program.
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“I thought to myself, ‘why not apply for it?’ I could help inner-city children and give back to the community, especially to those who have less access to healthcare,” Dr. Behar said, who is fluent in Hebrew and Spanish. Dr. Behar was awarded a CityDoctors scholarship through New York City Health + Hospitals.
As soon as he arrived in Grenada, Dr. Behar saw endless opportunities through SGU and set to work getting to know the school, his professors, and the people of the island. He became a member of the University’s Pediatric Club, a student organization that promotes pediatric medicine through various health fairs and activities and provides service to children in the Grenadian community. He also served as president of Hillel Jewish Association and vice president of the Neurology Club.
“SGU really pushes you to maximize your abilities,” he said. “If I would have stayed in the states for med school, I wonder if I would have met my full potential. SGU really brought out the best in me while the CityDoctors program enabled me to give back as a doctor to the exact community I am from.”
Dr. Behar is currently applying for a child psychiatry fellowship. He and his wife are expecting their first child in October 2019.
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Shonnell McBain
Medicine runs in the family for Shonnell McBain, MPH ‘17, a fourth-year med student from Brooklyn, NY. McBain’s mother is a pediatrician and Shonnell spent many of her formative years working as a clerk in her mom’s office. There she said she learned the importance of “cradle to grave” medicine.
After she earned her Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Georgia Gwinnett College, Ms. McBain attended an American Medical Student Association (AMSA) chapter meeting in Washington, DC where a representative from St. George’s University approached her. After speaking with the rep, Ms. McBain thought SGU would be a good fit because her family is from Grenada and she had visited the island many times.
Ms. McBain, who received a CityDoctors scholarship through New York City Health + Hospitals, made sure to take advantage of all that SGU has to offer.
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Through the University’s optional electives, she traveled to Prague, Thailand, and India to shadow physicians in each country and learn about practicing medicine in different cultures. In October 2018, she went to Australia to present research at the 32nd International Papillomavirus Conference. In the middle of her SOM studies, Ms. McBain obtained her Master of Public Health (MPH) at SGU. While currently on an internal medicine rotation at New York City Health + Hospitals/Kings County, her upcoming clinical rotations range from neurology and urgent care to endocrinology and cardiology.
“SGU has been one of the best experiences of my life and has opened many doors for me,” said Ms. McBain. “Being awarded the CityDoctors scholarship was the confidence boost I needed to excel in medical school and validated all of my hard work. And knowing that a scholarship panel saw my potential for growth gave me the motivation to accomplish my goals and make the dream of becoming a physician a reality.”
Ms. McBain would like to eventually practice medicine in her community—and is hoping to secure a residency in family medicine or internal medicine/pediatrics. “I would love to give back to my community,” she said. “That’s really important to me.”
– Laurie Chartorynsky
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