Did the Medical Humanities Program influence your decision to attend Baylor?

Yes, one of the programs that drew me to Baylor was the Medical Humanities Program. Medical Humanities was introduced to me at Freshman Orientation as a discipline that teaches future physicians about the human experience of illness so that they may better relate to their patients. However, I have learned that studying Medical Humanities at Baylor is so much more-including courses about bioethics, literature, and philosophy, for example, not to mention many shadowing and clinical opportunities.

How have you been able to take what you've learned during your time in the Medical Humanities program and expand on that outside of the classroom?

I enjoyed my first class in Medical Humanities so much that I decided to further explore medical ethics topics outside of class. I joined both BUMEDS (Baylor University Medical Ethics Discussion Society) and AMSA (the American Medical Student Association) in order to participate in their forums on ethical decision-making. Through my classes and the BU MEDS speaker meetings, I have also had the opportunity to hear from practicing physicians about ethical issues they face and how they deal with these challenges.

Do you have a favorite Medical Humanities course? How has that course influenced you?

My favorite course in the program has been Medicine, Meaning and the Patient-Physician Relationship taught by Dr. Michael Attas. The cases discussed in this class brought to light issues I had never considered: how technology is changing the patient-physician relationship, euthanasia, the influence of religious differences on the practice of medicine, human suffering, the physician's role in death, and experimental treatment. I really enjoyed this class because I was encouraged to think critically about how I would react to different situations in real medical cases. These cases were presented in readings from books written by physicians together with Dr. Attas' own experiences in practicing medicine. I also had opportunities during each class to discuss my ideas, pose questions and concerns, and listen to my peers' responses to different issues.

Medical Humanities students are prepared to enter a variety of fields and areas of study after graduation. What career path are you currently pursuing?

My future plans are to attend medical school and practice cardiology. In addition to practicing cardiology, I hope to volunteer at a clinic in a low-income community on the weekends. I would also like to teach pre-medical students at a university someday. Eventually, I hope to establish a scholarship for Hispanic women going into the medical field. Hispanic women are a minority in the medical field and my scholarship would provide support for middle- and lower-income families who otherwise would not be able to afford the education.