Health Care Disparities

I have been a patient under a lot of different circumstances in my life, on a reservation in Arizona, in Russia, in Japan and Finland, in the inner cities of Portland, OR and NYC, and at some of the most "elite" medical institutions in the US...the experiences were all varied. I noticed different things about each setting and came away feeling differently about myself as a patient, as a woman of color, as someone of lower socioeconomic status, of higher socioeconomic...
-Alana Dixson, MSII

An Hour in Outpatient Medicine

You still have questions about this whole med school concept. You're sitting in classes, learning what may or may not be critical information, wondering if you'll ever use it or even recall it. You think "just wait until third year---it'll be the real hands-on patient care, the epitome of knowledge dissemination, learning more in one hour than in one week of classes."
-Christian Jones, MSIII

Letter to Mayor Villaraigosa: South Central Farm

More than 75 members of the first year class signed and sent a leter to Mayor Villaraigosa expressing their support for his fight to prevent the destruction of a farm in South Central Los Angeles. The land the farm sits on has been sold to a developer and the 350 families who tend it are in danger of losing something special and unique.

Gimme an Rx! Cheerleaders Pep Up Drug Sales

As an ambitious college student, Cassie Napier had all the right moves - flips, tumbles, an ever-flashing America's sweetheart smile - to prepare for her job after graduation. She became a drug saleswoman.

Ms. Napier, 26, was a star cheerleader on the national-champion University of Kentucky squad, which has been a springboard for many careers in pharmaceutical sales. She now plies doctors' offices selling the antacid Prevacid for TAP Pharmaceutical Products.
-Karen Olaes, MSIII

Universal Health 'Insurance': Not

When Shane asked me to provide a counterpoint to the Universal Health Insurance (UHI) siren song, I knew my burden was heavy and my chances of influencing prevailing opinion nil. Like the sirens of ancient legend, UHI offers irresistible charms to its admirers, likewise blinding them to the implications of pursuing their infatuation. One of the primary appeals of UHI is its simplicity. Apparently, it cuts through incredibly complicated issues and problems surrounding health care. The government becomes the insurer and guarantor of health for everyone. Problems...
-Jeffrey L. Smith, Ph.D

Volunteering in Tijuana Shifts a Volunteer's Persepective

Today I translated for a pastor who was seeing people who wanted to pray. At registration, everyone was asked if they wanted to pray and whoever said yes could go to a little corner and talk to the pastor.

It was quite emotional and touching to hear about all the problems these people had and really felt depressed about. Women would come by and cry and talk about their problems. Many of them...
-Shruthi Sriram, MSII