Summer Undergraduate Research Program - Fred Hutchinson ...

also strategize to prepare for multiple methods of healthcare delivery and unexpected
outcomes.
Finally, musicians and physicians must see the big picture while working with the
details. On the piano, I integrate the different voices represented by my ten fingers to
create a comprehensive performance. As a XX/XXX scholar participating in the XXXX
at the XXXXX, I tested the correlation between bacterial burden and seminal HIV load in
Dr. XXX’s lab. While performing biomedical research with the goal of providing new
interventions to lower sexual transmission of HIV-1, I reminded myself that the HIV
pandemic also suffers from poverty, poor infrastructure, stigma, and denial. I learned
from preparing my high school’s global health curriculum that in poverty-stricken
communities, the struggle with immediate survival often overshadows the concern with
HIV prevention. Some people hesitate to test for HIV because the act of seeking a test
can raise unwanted suspicion and a positive test could result in disownment from family
and community. As a physician, I will integrate a patient’s medical and non-medical
history and provide effective and culturally acceptable care for patients of various
backgrounds.
This past fall, I designed my own global health undergraduate independent study
to further explore the intersection of culture and medicine. As a part of my study, I heard
May Ying Ly, the translator for the Lee family in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall
Down, share the challenges she faced in promoting cancer awareness in a Hmong
community whose native language does not have a word for “cancer.” I hope to use my
fluency in Chinese, Japanese, and English in my practice of medicine, but I also realize
that common language does not always guarantee effective communication.
In addition to developing my medical knowledge, as well as my investigation and
communication skills, I plan to educate myself about the different perceptions of illness
and disease to better serve patients with whom I may or may not share a language or
culture. I will apply the lessons I learned as a pianist and train with dedication, diligence,
and adaptability. Through medical school, I intend to become a physician who can bridge
cultural differences, use results as a springboard for new possibilities, and share my
knowledge with others.
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