By Erin McDonnell, RWJMS Class of 2023
“We’ll observe how the burdens braved by humankind
Are also the moments that make us humans kind;
Let each morning find us courageous, brought closer;
Heeding the light before the fight is over.
When this ends, we’ll smile sweetly, finally seeing
In testing times, we became the best of beings”
-Amanda Gorman
(more…)Tanushree Laud, RWJMS Class of 2024
4/4/21
Dear friend,
I had a good day yesterday. I consider myself a novice driver. My six-year expert navigation experience of the illustrious New York City Subway did not prepare me well for this full-time Jersey driving career. Of course, when do internships pan out perfectly well? It is usually a matter of stumbling from one job to another, one mistake to yet another entirely. But yesterday, my friend, I expanded my driving radius. I snaked through winding roads, made the sharpest of right turns, parallel parked. I parallel parked!
(more…)by Jennifer Geller, RWJMS Class of 2024
Nestled behind my laptop, the days pass. The sun rises and the sun sets… and we study — taking in copious lectures and understanding the beauty of the human body at work. Which nerves allow our arms to type? Why do our heartrates speed up as we walk to take out the heavy bags of trash — at times the only reason we make it outside? As the cool weather grips New Jersey into a tight squeeze, the cold nights with ever-so-slightly warmer days become a normal pattern.
It is while I am studying that I hear giggles out my bedroom window.
(more…)Jonathan Brisbon, RWJMS Class of 2024
Will I simply be a minority cancer survivor who by the luck of God, graced his way into medical school? With every cough, with every ounce of pain that I suffer mentally and physically I think about the three tumors that were lodged into my nasopharynx. Stage III Nasopharyngeal carcinoma was the greatest teacher I have had thus far. It humbled me and truly taught me what was important in my life. Without the cancer, would I be the same empathetic and selfless person that I was during treatment?
(more…)by Angelo Chaia, RWJMS Class of 2023
In Fall departs from tips of fractured sky,
With soft descent, no weight or depth in frost,
Its garden weeps, a silent frozen cry,
“Oh! Yggdrasil,” whom she seeks with great cost,
“What ash sent in times of sorrowful loss!”
Though braids of gray fall sparse along her spine
And wearied wrinkles weave entrenched in sunWrought skin, mirroring tills, serpentine.
The times of yore still persist this cross
Of Ash she plants, as testament redone.
by Alexander Gonzalez, RWJMS Class of 2023
“Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in
the eye and to be grateful for this brief but magnificent opportunity
that life provides” ~ Carl Sagan.
This quote has resonated with me deeply during my time in the
anatomy lab as a former graduate student, anatomy teaching assistant,
and current medical student. Over the past four years, I have had the
privilege of working alongside the dedicated RWJMS anatomy faculty
helping medical, graduate, and physician assistant students learn
anatomy. Naturally, none of this would have been possible if it were
not for the selfless nature of the donors who wished to teach the next
generation of healthcare providers. I can unequivocally guarantee that
this wish was upheld by all.
by Mohana Biswas, RWJMS Class of 2023
Previous Publication: This exact essay was submitted to Mosaic in Medicine yesterday June 23, 2020.
“He’s smart and she’s pretty, but I gotta go.”
This was a remark that a middle-aged gentleman said to me and my male colleague as he left the health workshop we were about to start teaching on tobacco use. I immediately quipped back, “Hey, I’m smart too!” which he nonchalantly ignored and walked down the stairs.
Throughout my academic and clinical journey, I have encountered many male patients and even employees who felt the need to make unsolicited comments about my appearance along with other inappropriate remarks. In high school, when I volunteered in an emergency department, some male patients would ask me to “come a little closer” when I offered them a blanket. In college, when I volunteered at a different emergency department, a tech, who I initially considered to be a mentor, asked me out for drinks, even though he knew I was clearly underage, we were coworkers not friends, and he was a married father of four. Now, in those same emergency rooms, instead of my navy blue volunteer blazer, I don a short white coat with a hospital badge that has my name and my title as ‘Medical Student.’ I stand alongside women with badges that say ‘Registered Nurse’, ‘Physician’s Assistant’, or ‘Physician’ and yet still, some continue to read ‘Sweetie’, ‘Honey’, or ‘Baby.’
“For many reasons, it’s a strange time to be alive. There are so many questions without answers right now, and heartbreaking news often feels inescapable. I find it challenging to come to terms with our new normal, and I find it easy to be demoralized as quarantine continues to be extended indefinitely, weeks blurring into months. There has been (and will be) an unfathomable amount of loss this year. However, I think it’s important to remember that eventually, like all other things, this too shall pass. Sometimes you need to slow down in order to speed up, and I think quarantine is an opportunity to do things that we may have felt too busy to do before. This is a chance to examine our collective priorities, support our communities, and commit to making more meaningful choices. I’m very lucky to be safe, healthy, and comfortable, so I’m going to close some of the mental tabs that keep me up at night, engage with simple joys in life (like this puzzle!), and focus on developing healthier habits for the future.”
by Karan Kalahasti, M2 RWJMS Class of 2023
“The transition into “quarantine life” has had quite a bit of a learning curve when it comes to my student roles. As a communications chair for the Promise Clinic, our team was suddenly thrust into the world of telemedicine. Losing almost half of our Spanish interpreters to Dedicated and graduation has not made this easier! However, the RWJ community has come together and worked hard to create a system that has gone above and beyond in order to tackle the needs of our patients. I know that when I answer that clinic phone, I can be a resource and voice of comfort for the patients we work with. As Housing Director for the incoming M1s, I again find myself working to come up with creative solutions to address the needs of our students as our world changes by the day. Balancing these roles while finishing out the academic year has certainly been a challenge. I am fortunate to have been well supported by those around me: my family, my teams, and my peers. I think we all find ourselves leaning on our neighbors a bit more these days, and that’s alright. With my first year of medical school coming to a close, I feel gratitude for this support, and I feel hope and strength as we collectively work to overcome whatever changes are still to come.”
Arbor Vitae 