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Journeys in Medicine: An ECFMG Blog
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Always More Road Ahead

By Dr. Walaa Hasan

There are certain emails you never forget opening:

“Congratulations! You have matched.”

I had read words like these back when I matched into Internal Medicine residency after years of examinations, applications, uncertainty, and sacrifice. This time, the words carried a different meaning: I had matched into a Hematology and Oncology fellowship, the specialty that had been at the heart of my career long before I came to the United States to train.

For a few moments, I simply stared at the screen.

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Bridging the Cultural Gap to Enhance Patient Care

By Dr. Sushania Pryce

“Out of Many, One People.”

That is the motto of my home country, Jamaica. Growing up, I did not fully understand the phrase; I thought it just meant “many people in one place.” However, as I got older, I started to understand and appreciate the deeper meaning of the phrase: out of many different people from various backgrounds, we are one.

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From Boardrooms to Bedside: An IMG’s Unconventional Path to Emergency Medicine in D.C.

By Dr. Bonaventure Ahaisibwe

If anyone had told me fifteen years ago—fresh out of medical school in Uganda—that I’d one day be starting a U.S. emergency medicine (EM) residency at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., I would have laughed and gone back to revising for my MPH course work. Yet, here I am, rounding on trauma patients, deciphering EKGs, and juggling IV pumps like a seasoned pro (on a good day). My journey here has been anything but linear—and that, perhaps, is its richest blessing.

You see, I didn’t take the traditional highway into U.S. residency. Instead, I came in via the scenic route: a fifteen-year detour through public health, where I built a fulfilling career in global health administration, rising to a senior executive position at an international nonprofit. I navigated policies, programs, partnerships, and plenty of PowerPoint. But life, as it often does, had a few plot twists in store.

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A “Good Death” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine

By Dr. Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam

In the palliative oncology clinic, a common concern among patients is what to do when their oncologist tells them no further treatments are available. Though difficult, it was often my responsibility to recommend hospice care as the next appropriate step for those facing the limits of medical treatment. Patients often seek clarity on the transition to hospice care, raising important questions:

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Caring for Underserved Populations in Jamaica and the United States

By Dr. Karecia Byfield

I have cared for underserved populations in both Jamaica, my home country, and in the United States as part of my graduate medical education training. In Jamaica, I practiced medicine in resource-limited settings. In the United States, the environments in which I have practiced medicine have been more well-equipped. Yet, many of the patients I have cared for still come from communities facing significant barriers such as poverty, high crime rates, and limited healthcare access.

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