They're students, clinicians, scientists and researchers. They're besides artists, influencers, patients, scholars and advocates. They hail from each implicit the globe and travel to Stanford Medicine carrying large ideas and dreams. With passions that agelong beyond the lab, schoolroom and clinic, they stock their "why" arsenic they prosecute subject and medicine.
Asma Dahir wears her maternal grandmother's ringing -- a acquisition she received astatine 16 -- each day. "When I was increasing up, my grandma told maine stories and work maine books. I was her favorite, and I assertion it proudly," Dahir joked. Not lone is the ringing a awesome of the peculiar enslaved they shared, it's a reminder of Dahir's motivations to prosecute a vocation successful medicine.
After the civilian warfare successful Somalia successful 1992, Dahir's household fled to Kenya, wherever they lived successful exile camps for six years earlier settling successful Salt Lake City successful 1998. Her grandmother, oregon Ayeyo arsenic Dahir called her, suffered from liver nonaccomplishment owed to poorly managed hepatitis A -- a illness Dahir believes could person been treated much efficaciously had her grandma received capable care.
"My passionateness for medicine was fueled by my grandmother's acquisition and by witnessing the deficiency of wellness attraction successful Somalia and successful the exile camps -- each the portion knowing however galore of these diseases tin beryllium prevented," Dahir said.
A passionateness for medicine
Dahir primitively planned to go a doctor, but aft moving alongside doc assistants arsenic a surgical technician aft college, she decided to power vocation path. Physician assistants, besides known arsenic doc associates oregon PAs, are capable to spot patients, diagnose illnesses and prescribe medications. "The PAs provided the astir patient-centric attraction and knew the patient's beingness extracurricular of what brought them into the hospital," Dahir said. "And that's what I wished my grandma had -- idiosyncratic who could beryllium down with her and assistance her recognize her disease."
Now Dahir is successful her 2nd twelvemonth of the Master of Science successful Physician Assistant Studies Program astatine Stanford Medicine -- wherever she is besides pursuing a scholarly attraction successful assemblage and nationalist health. "I truly admit that Stanford's programme allows maine to navigate and prosecute successful the antithetic interests that I have," she said. "I person the accidental to integrate my passions successful nationalist wellness and medicine to supply diagnostic attraction and assistance marginalized communities forestall and dainty disease."
This passionateness for medicine and nationalist wellness seems to tally successful Dahir's family. Out of her 15 siblings, 2 of her sisters -- including her identical twin, Anisa -- are besides pursuing PA degrees. In fact, she and Anisa, a pupil astatine Tufts School of Medicine successful Boston, often survey unneurotic implicit FaceTime oregon Zoom. "We similar to clasp each different accountable, truthful we'll bash flashcards and survey for exams together." And erstwhile Dahir practices for diligent interviews, Anisa volition often play the relation of patient. "She changes it up each the time," Dahir said with a laugh. "One clip she was Beyonce."
Watch the remainder of the We Are Stanford Med series here.
Photo by Luceo
English (US)