As hard as it is for me to believe, my mother used to daydream about living in Ohio as a little girl. So, my father granted her childhood wish and moved the family from Washington, DC to Dayton, Ohio. My birth was an unexpected surprise during their journey to the Midwest? so were the yearly blizzards and long harsh winters. In order to defrost the family, Mom?s dream was short-lived. At the ripe old age of 6, I got my first glimpse of Maryland when the family moved back to the area.
I attended grade school, high school and begrudgingly attended college in Maryland (My college of choice was Duke because of a ?school-girl crush? on Grant Hill; my parents? college of choice was UMBC because of a ?grown-folks crush? on a full scholarship). Anyway, as a Freshman I decided to change my major from Biology to Interdisciplinary Studies. I spent the next three years persuading my parents that I could get a job with that degree. I think they were finally convinced when I got accepted into medical school and law school. Yesssssss... Finally made it to Duke (Grant Hill was long gone though). I couldn?t wait to get away!
Ironically, six years and two degrees later, I moved back to Maryland for one of the best Emergency Medicine residencies in the country. Talk about lucky! I?m close to family? close to friends? and I have the unparalleled opportunity to learn on a daily basis from faculty and colleagues who are established and budding leaders of the field. Two and a half years later, I wouldn?t change a thing.
- Access to care issues
- Disparities in healthcare
- Pay for performance and its effects on emergency care
