White Coat Pending Scholarship

11 million children are currently living in poverty. That is 1 in 7 kids or one-third of all people living in poverty in America, the world’s wealthiest country, and yet child poverty has remained high for decades. Most of these children do not have proper access to healthcare, nutritional food, education, or support groups, making these children and their families feel hopeless. No child should live in a nation where they cannot go to the doctor's office to receive proper medical care and treatment which is why I am focused on solving these difficult issues during my medical career. Pediatric neurologists and psychiatrists are some of the most in-demand fields in medicine today. With more people becoming diagnosed with mental health disorders and neurological complications than ever before, no help is in sight. This is especially true for underserved communities, black or white. Health is not something that is divided or segmented, nor is it something only some special people are able to afford. Healthcare is an unalienable right afforded to every human at conception. However, in the current climate of fast medicine, over-prescriptions, and unhealthy societal lifestyles even middle-income communities that have great access to healthcare are not getting healthier, an epidemic that is taking over the nation. Poor health in underserved communities is even more accentuated. Every day children in poverty are surviving, not thriving. They are worried that their single income, single guardian family cannot bring home food. The food that they can afford mostly consists of greasy, high sodium, high sugar, and low nutritional food because this type of food is cheap. Many new studies have shown that these foods could be contributing to the very issues of obesity, depression, anxiety, ADD, ADHD, and numerous GI issues such as allergies and food sensitivities. Children in this possession are not provided adequate nutrition or the proper health care need to treat the issues that arise from malnutrition and related issues. These reasons sighted are what drive my passion to help and heal underserved and poor communities. I cannot directly speak to what it feels like to live as a child in poverty or how hard it is to move out of their position, however, I can research what I can do to help those in need and take action, not just speak about what could be done like so many politicians and futurist have done. While I do not seek to solve the issues of poverty which is an issue of massive proportion, I do seek a solution to provide health care to children and adults in underserved communities, even if I do not have a definitive plan right now. Many organizations have been on a mission to solve this issue such as The Commonwealth Fund and AAFP. This only gets families so far, however, because the next big issue lies in what type of medical care to provide and many medical professionals in underserved communities do not have the experience to treat complex cases and many top-rated physicians do not have a reason to lower their own pay to help people in need. I want to make solving the lack of proper healthcare in underserved communities my mission during my medical career because helping one person achieve better health is an extraordinary achievement, but imagine what our nation could be helping thousands of people in the future by creating a solid foundation by which no one can use the excuse of not having the proper medical care due to money, availability, or distance, especially for children.