STEAM Towards a Healthier World
Career Goals:
Currently, I’m interested in pursuing a joint MD/MBA degree in order to go into healthcare management or to become an orthopedic surgeon. I’ve always enjoyed both business and medicine in school, which is why a lot of my extracurriculars (i.e. HOSA and FBLA) align with those two key fields, so finding an intersection between the two would be amazing, and I believe that the current healthcare model could undergo many innovations to become more efficient and save more lives (such as improving interoperability and introducing P4 medicine). As an athlete who’s been injured multiple times, I’ve also always been interested in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine.
One day I'd like to run for political office, with the intent of focusing on promoting wellness and a clean environment for all (whether that pertains to climate change or providing ample resources for the development of children). In the end, my main focus for my aspirations is to help aid the communities that have developed (and still are developing) me into the person I am.
What did you learn from this course?
The most interesting thing that I learned in this course is the new wave of medicine - P4 medicine (Predictive, Preventive, Personalized and Participatory). I’ve only thought about medicine in the traditional way before, so learning about how there’s a new model in medicine that can help patients maintain wellness and avoid diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, is really amazing to me. Coming from a family with numerous doctors, this entire shift in thinking that could be introduced to our healthcare systems really resonated with me, and I'd like to conduct future research connected to P4 medicine in some way. Furthermore, learning from the numerous guest speakers about topics ranging from the gut microbiome to healthcare economics and entrepreneurship has also been really interesting.
What advice do you have for future Ambassadors?
I think the most important thing is to have an open mind and be ready to try new things because that’s how you’ll discover what you’re really passionate about. This applies not only to STEAM but also to your high school years and your later life as well. Always take some key notes from the speakers - you want to be paying attention to them, but it’s also helpful to jot a few notes down so you can ask more insightful questions.
Also, remember to connect with your fellow peers and to have fun! That's what'll make the experience as meaningful as possible and engaging.
