Doctors in the Boondocks Scholarship

I have been a resident of the English Avenue community in Atlanta, Georgia for over 15 years now. I have seen first-handedly the devastation that occurs when resources are limited and low-income populations are overlooked by the glamorous life of downtown Atlanta. The historic English Avenue and Vine City communities are home of civil and human rights movements, home of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many other culturally significant events that has helped shaped our country’s history. I definitely feel a strong connection to English Avenue, and the people who I have served throughout the years. Additionally, I have an invested interest in providing medical services to underserved and underprivileged populations within my community. I started working at The Healing Community Clinic for uninsured and underinsured people as a medical assistant volunteer. During that time, the clinic was located within a homeless shelter in English Avenue. Most of the patients came from marginalized backgrounds, grappling with socioeconomic challenges, language barriers, and lack of transportation. These experiences made it clear to me that healthcare is not just about treating illnesses; it’s also about addressing the broader social determinants of health. This understanding ignited my passion for community medicine. English avenue and Vine City are medically underserved in that there are many low-income and no-income individuals who are underinsured and uninsured. There are only 1-2 medical clinics available, and their availability is often inconsistent due to lack of funding and resources to retain healthcare professionals who are willing to accept a pay cut to serve a community in need. Socioeconomic differences and health disparities both make this community medically underserved and underinvested. My journey to medicine was anything but conventional. I took may twists and turns from surviving the horror of Hurricane Katrina as a freshman at Xavier University. Then attending a local community college in Atlanta after earning my BS in Biology, while trying to figure out my path. I then joined the Army National Guard, and I managed to matriculate through graduate school at Mississippi College. I finally was able to pursue my dream by studying medicine in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a small Caribbean country. Rotating at the only hospital in the country taught me the importance of being resourceful. As a now resident physician in Family Medicine in Augusta, Georgia, I am currently serving a community similar to English Avenue. Later this year, I will be pursuing a subspecialty in palliative and hospice medicine. This will allow me to introduce more information and resources to my community that have been overlooked and underutilized. I am excited to employ the skills that I have developed from residency and apply them in my community as a highly trained Family physician to Atlanta’s own, English Avenue and Vine City. I aim to be impactful by making a difference and enhancing healthcare access for the underserved people of my community.

My experience as a doctor of internal medicine has been shaped by the populations I have worked with, particularly those who are medically underserved. My residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, from 2019 to 2022, provided me with a vigorous formation in a busy urban setting. After my residency, I began working as a locum tenens and moved between various rural towns to practice medicine, typically working in the sole medical facility in each location. I quickly learned several life lessons that an urban residency could never have taught me: 1. Working in an underserved area is hard. 2. You are the difference between poor and good health for many. 3. It is much better to keep folks local than to ship them long distances to an institution that can do a better job—but only if you live to tell the tale. Once, while I was in conversation with the general surgeon who has been my coworker in the hospital for the last 25 years, I brought up my worry that I just wasn't delivering across the board for my patients, because I didn't have all the access to the diagnostic testing and treatments that I had at my previous place of employment. To this, she replied, "This is rural medicine. Here, you are the beginning and the end, the road for your patients. You learn to make do, and you'll find that you are more capable than you thought." That has become an important principle for me. It's not that I do everything. It's that I manage the patient’s I would have previously referred to subspecialties. I problem-solve around the kinds of cases that would cause some of my old hospitalist coworkers to run for cover. While I rely heavily on a mix of evidence-based medicine and practical experience to navigate what's best for my patients when it comes to "best possible care," I also draw very much from what can only be called a rural medical playbook. I feel a strong and personal connection to these communities that are seldom served. My patients and their families have shown me the power of trust and the resilience born out of necessity. I practice as a physician because I believe that everyone, no matter what, deserves access to and the benefits of high-quality healthcare. My choice of settings is not an accident; the places I work are in desperate need of health resources. My work is always with an eye toward sustainable solutions and way-finding for my patients and their families. I am trying to be an agent of change and a bridge toward a better-equipped future in the places I know all too well will often have their lights turned off when it comes to health. In conclusion, my adventures and experiences working in a well-outfitted urban city hospital, followed by several rural, medically underserved hospitals, brought into stark contrast the communications between these community members and the healthcare workforce serving them. Both groups experienced limited access to healthcare resources. Yet, the creativity and resolve of health providers at these types of great facilities caught my attention. I would like to think that I might have some of that spirit when working in my next medical relay to anywhere along the health spectrum. I hope to work in medically underserved communities. Moreover, I hope to do so more effectively after obtaining a pathway to deeper understanding of the medical delivery system in this country, the better to serve the next great population I come in contact with on my medical health journey.

My connection to the community I serve is deeply personal and professionally purposeful. Growing up as a Latino physician and immigrant, I witnessed firsthand the barriers faced by underserved, predominantly Hispanic communities. My family and I personally navigated challenges such as language barriers, limited healthcare infrastructure, and socioeconomic difficulties. These experiences shaped my commitment to addressing health disparities, enhancing culturally competent care, and dedicating my practice to communities with significant medical needs. My path toward serving medically underserved communities began early in my career through international medical volunteer missions. I had the privilege of providing medical care to rural, disadvantaged populations lacking even basic healthcare resources. These formative experiences strengthened my resolve to dedicate my practice to improving healthcare access and equity. Currently, as a dermatology resident, I directly contribute to diagnosing and managing skin cancer, the most common form of cancer worldwide, yet frequently overlooked in underserved communities. Skin cancer significantly burdens these populations due to inadequate preventative education, limited routine screening, and delayed interventions. Through my clinical work, I focus on timely diagnosis, effective management, and patient education to mitigate this impact. Additionally, I participate actively in community outreach programs that educate residents about sun protection and early detection of skin cancers, reinforcing preventive healthcare practices. Beyond clinical practice, I actively volunteer with AGAPE Healthcare Jacksonville, a free clinic that serves uninsured, rural, and disadvantaged communities within Putnam, Duval, and St. Johns counties. This experience enables me to directly address local health inequities, providing compassionate and culturally sensitive care to those who would otherwise lack access. My involvement with AGAPE Healthcare has not only allowed me to deliver direct patient care but also to develop and implement community health initiatives aimed at enhancing health literacy and awareness among vulnerable populations. The communities I serve remain medically underserved primarily due to a critical shortage of primary and specialist care providers. They face significant socioeconomic obstacles, language barriers, limited health literacy, and geographic isolation. These barriers frequently result in delayed care, advanced presentations of diseases, and overall poorer health outcomes. My professional mission is rooted in bridging these gaps, delivering accessible dermatologic care, advocating for comprehensive preventive education, and driving systemic improvements in healthcare delivery. Despite facing financial challenges as I support my growing family, my commitment to serving disadvantaged communities remains unwavering. Through mentoring, I've successfully engaged other members of my team in these volunteer and outreach activities, expanding the impact of our collective efforts. By fostering this collaborative approach, I aim to inspire a lasting commitment to community service among my colleagues, ensuring continued advocacy and care for underserved populations. Ultimately, my vision extends beyond individual patient encounters, I strive to establish sustainable health solutions and empower communities to achieve long-term health equity and improved quality of life.