Visit the DOM Annual Report 2012 for a Feature Story (PDF page 7)

Residents on the MoveJordan Nestor, MDI grew up uninsured, sought medical care through the clinics in one of the city’s public hospitals,and wanted to become a physician to increase healthcare access to the disenfranchised, such asthe Spanish-speaking Latinos in my community. I chose internal medicine when the relationshipbetween poor access to care, worsening of chronic illness, and the burden of disease to one’squality of life became clear to me; for example, when manageable diseases like hypertension anddiabetes go untreated and lead to complications, such as End Stage Renal Disease, with individualsrequiring long-term hemodialysis, a treatment regimen that is life altering. Unfortunately, theburden of chronic disease frequently falls on poor patient populations, disproportionately Latinoand African American communities. The opportunity to train in medicine at this time in our history,when we are expanding coverage to the uninsured while making efforts to improve healthoutcomes and control costs, is tremendously exciting.I feel fortunate to be training in this program wherethe priority is both the development of our clinicalacumen and delivering excellent patient care toall those we serve. As prudent, thoughtfulclinicians, we can all work towards eliminatinghealthcare disparities associatedwith limited access to care.Marcus D. Goncalves, MDI entered medicine to cure disease. Throughout my training as a physician-scientist, I have beenfascinated by the inner workings of the human body and invested in learning how to fix the problemsthat result in disease. My focus is on how the body stores energy and regulates metabolism which isimportant in conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Every day at NYP/WCwe see the toll that these chronic illnesses play on the lives of patients. As a resident, my goal is toobserve the complexities of patient care and identify areas that can be improved by my research in thefuture. Making people feel better is just a cherry on top.9495