Volunteering in Belize, Central America I went to hospitals, prisons, and foster homes; I was shocked to see people living in very humble, and often debilitating conditions with very limited access to healthcare. What I found more surprising though, was that upon returning, I now saw the same problems affecting my community in Roxbury. I was born and raised in a low-income single parent household in Roxbury, where quality education, advancement opportunities, and access to basic amenities such as healthcare were not the norm – but it took my experiences in Belize to realize the problems in my own community, and the responsibility I have to address them. Over many years I have heard the gunshots that have taken the lives of young people that shared both my area code and my complexion. Lives were not only cut short over senseless violence, but forever silenced by unwritten laws that discouraged people from reporting these crimes. Sadly, these barriers to safety and success …show more content…
From my own encounters with Asthma, to my Grandmothers victory over cancer, the medical field has played an integral role in my life. Despite socioeconomic boundaries, I have worked arduously towards my goal of serving the health of community. I am familiar with the disparities that affect Roxbury because I have experienced it first-hand, but as a physician, I want to understand the macro and the micro repercussions of these disparities not only in my own community, but globally. I strongly believe that there can be a change in the unwritten laws, and that the doctor patient bonds are essential to this change. Strong doctor-patient bonds present a landscape where health disparities and outreach could be addressed at the source. But to learn how to build this bond I know that I will need preparation, in the form of formal education and clinical