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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, Cross-cultural Experience, Host Institution, Well-being GrantsTags , , , ,

Building a Community for IMG Trainees at a Large Academic Hospital

By Dr. Can Misel Kilciksiz

Recipient of the 2023 Grant Opportunity for J-1 Physicians: Well-being Projects Supporting Foreign National Physicians

I am Dr. Can Misel Kilciksiz, an international medical graduate (IMG) from Turkey and a PGY-4 psychiatry resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WashU). I am writing this blog piece on behalf of our wonderful team, the WashU IMG Wellness Initiative. Our initiative was started in July 2023 by a group of trainees and faculty, including myself, Dr. Nadia Wattad (pediatric pulmonology fellow from Israel), Dr. Callie Torres (pathology resident from the United States), Dr. Rawan Safa (emergency medicine resident from Lebanon), Dr. Jennifer Duncan (professor in pediatrics, director of GME Wellness), and Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg (professor in psychiatry, vice chair for DEI). Since July 2023, many other amazing trainee members have joined the leadership committee of our initiative, including Dr. Mew Udomkittivorakul (pediatrics resident from Thailand), Dr. Esra Pehlivan (pediatrics neurology resident from Turkey), Dr. Mehul Thakkar (pediatrics hematology/oncology fellow from India), and Dr. Shao Ching Tu (pediatrics/genetics resident from Taiwan).

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , ,

Hard Work Fuels Passion

By Dr. Saurabh Jindal

Hard work can teach many incredible skills, such as patience, perseverance, and, most importantly, falling in love with your work. I have been deeply fascinated by human anatomy for as long as I can remember. As a child, I would spend hours flipping through the pages of my parents’ anatomy textbooks. This curiosity, combined with a desire to care for the sick, ultimately led me to pursue a career in medicine.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Cross-cultural Experience, My StoryTags , , , , ,

Tales of Determination and Dedication from Across the Globe 

By Dr. Hansini Laharwani 

This October, I was selected to be one of less than 10 ECFMG-sponsored J-1 physicians to attend a three-day leadership development seminar held in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The seminar I attended was one of a series of eight planned in 2022 and 2023 that make up the BridgeUSA Leadership Development Program. According to its website, the program will host up to 200 total BridgeUSA participants and intends to “promote mutual understanding and lasting partnerships between emerging leaders from foreign countries and the United States,” give its attendees a chance to “collaborate and share ideas, approaches, and strategies to develop solutions to local and global challenges,” and create “a global network of like-minded professionals committed to creating positive change in their workplaces and communities.”

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , ,

It’s Just the Beginning…

By Dr. Akriti Sinha

All of us have the power to make choices that define us. However, the freedom to dream is not the same for all of us. Childhood adversity, country of origin, socioeconomic status, family obligations, and our health can all shape our future. I have been fortunate to have had these factors work in my favor. While choosing medicine was exhilarating, moving to the United States in my early twenties, where I had no close family, to pursue higher training was a cause of great angst for my parents. Nevertheless, all that I received from them was love, and financial and emotional support, for an arduous year as I obtained clinical and research experience in New York City and Miami hospitals before matching into residency in 2017. I realize this privilege is uncommon for many, especially females, across the globe and I am forever indebted to my family for their support.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Cross-cultural Experience, My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , ,

Doctors with Borders

By Dr. Uttara Koul

The past eight months have been a summation of the five stages of grief:

                    • Stage 1: Denial – there’s a viral outbreak? Hmm. It won’t reach us.
                    • Stage 2: Anger – why aren’t people taking the lockdown strictly? Why is everyone hoarding toilet paper?
                    • Stage 3: Bargaining – a vaccine will be released any day now, right?
                    • Stage 4: Depression – all social engagements are postponed indefinitely. So many people have lost their lives! This is heartbreaking!
                    • Stage 5: Acceptance – this is the new normal.

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