Table Of Content

Praise for WHATI LEARNED IN MEDICAL SCHOOL “This vibrant collection celebrates the diversity of medical trainees’ experiences and brings to the forefront voices too often marginalized in medicine. A testa- ment to the changing face of the profession, this volume reminds both healers and patients that medicine’s strengths arise from the rich variety of its practi- tioners. What I Learned in Medical School is the very real humanity of these young physicians.” SAYANTANI DASGUPTA, M.D., M.P.H., author of Her Own Medicine: A Woman’s Journey from Student to Doctor “This fascinating collection of experiences underscores the need to implement much higher levels of cultural competency in our medical schools. The book has tremendous educational value and could be used as a catalyst for change.” MAUREEN S. O’LEARY, M.B.A., R.N., Executive Director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association “This book is a must-read for all humanitarians, but especially for medical students of color. The stories in this book speak to the soul and heal while inspir- ing the reader.” FRANK YONG CHOO AN, M.D., President of the Asian American Physician Association of Southern California, South Bay Region “What I Learned in Medical School should be mandatory reading for all medical school deans.” OMEGA C. LOGAN SILVA, M.D., F.A.C.P., Past President of the Amer- ican Medical Women’s Association “What I Learned in Medical School looks at medical education through the eyes of a diverse collection of students who challenge many of our assumptions about how medicine is taught and practiced. The essays ask us to think about how we measure and treat such differences as race, socioeconomic status, and even weight as part of the identity of the physician—and how a larger, unspoken professional identity has often marginalized many of its members or even excluded a greater richness from its membership.” SUZANNE POIRIER, PH.D., Professor of Literature and Medical Edu- cation, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago “What I Learned in Medical School is a ground-breaking coming-of-age-in- medicine book. Each contributor offers a personal and often critical narrative at the intersection of personal identity and the rigidly demanding professional sphere of medical education. This book says more about issues of professional development, and how institutions both thwart and encourage it, than any I’ve read. These are the issues medical educators should be talking about during whitecoat ceremonies.” DELESE WEAR, PH.D., coeditor of Educating for Professionalism: Creating a Culture of Humanism in Medical Education “This is an insightful and revealing examination of medical education from the point of view of the student. Fascinating and well written, it represents an invaluable addition to the historical and sociological literature on medical education and should be of great interest to general readers as well.” KENNETH M. LUDMERER, M.D., author of Learning to Heal: The Development of American Medical Education WHAT I LEARNED IN MEDICAL SCHOOL WHAT I LEARNED IN MEDICAL SCHOOL PERSONAL STORIES OF YOUNG DOCTORS EDITED BY KEVIN M. TAKAKUWA + NICK RUBASHKIN + KAREN E. HERZIG WITH A FOREWORD BY JOYCELYN ELDERS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY . LOS ANGELES . LONDON University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England © 2004 by the Regents of the University of California Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data What I learned in medical school : personal stories of young doctors / edited by Kevin M. Takakuwa, Nick Rubashkin, Karen E. Herzig ; with a foreword by Joycelyn Elders. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-520-90162-2 1. Physicians—Anecdotes. 2. Physician and patient— Anecdotes. 3. Medical education—Anecdotes. 4. Medicine—Anecdotes. [: 1. Education, Medical—United States— Personal Narratives. 2. Students, Medical—United States—Personal Narratives. 3. Cultural Diversity— United States—Personal Narratives. 4. Prejudice—United States—Personal Narratives.  18 555 2004] I. Takakuwa, Kevin M. II. Rubashkin, Nick. III. Herzig, Karen E. 705.48 2004 610'.71'1— dc21 2003006769 Manufactured in the United States of America 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of  ⁄ z39.48–1992 ( 1997) (Permanence of Paper). To the thousands of family members, friends, teachers, mentors, colleagues, and patients who helped sustain the individuals in this book. Our thoughts are always with you. And to the American Medical Student Association for its continued work to advocate nationally on behalf of medical students and patients. CONTENTS Foreword, by Joycelyn Elders / xi Introduction / xv PART ONE LIFE AND FAMILY HISTORIES 1 Becoming an American / 9 Eddy V. Nguyen Melanie’s Story / 19 Melanie M. Watkins Pavement / 23 Nick Rubashkin Whispers from the Third Generation / 31 Paul M. Lantos Borderlands / 37 Marcia Verenice Casas Poison in My Coffee / 47 Heather Goff