Rachel Ekaireb: Second-Year UCSF Medical Student January 5, 2016 Medical Student, Member of the Month, SFMS Member Member of the Month, Rachel Ekaireb, SFMS member 0 Rachel Ekaireb was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Pomona College in 2012 with a BA in Neuroscience, where she was a Varsity swim team captain and a TA for introductory genetics classes. She then worked for two years in a cancer biology lab at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia before matriculating at UCSF. Rachel is currently a second-year medical student at UCSF and the President of UCSF’s AMA medical student chapter. She has served as the UCSF delegate to the CMA Medical Student Section, as well as the student representative to the CMA Council on Scientific Affairs. As the newly elective Vice Chair of Policy of the Medical Student Section, she looks forward to mentoring medical students new to organized medicine, helping the delegation transition to the year-round resolution process, and continuing to work with the SFMS to promote progressive policies in the coming year. When she’s not studying, Rachel is an active volunteer at UCSF’s homeless clinic at the MSC-South homeless shelter in SOMA, as well as an instructor for UCSF’s Medical Scholar’s Program, which provides review lessons in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology and pharmacology for first year medical students. Why are you a SFMS member? I originally joined the SFMS to learn more about organized medicine and see what physicians can accomplish working together towards common goals. I will continue to be a member of the SFMS because I share its progressive vision for the future of healthcare in San Francisco. Which SFMS member resource is most helpful to you? The SFMS has definitely been a terrific resource for me in the domain of advocacy. Through the SFMS, my classmates and I have had the opportunity to lobby in Sacramento for issues we care about – like increasing tobacco regulations or increasing funding for GME for primary care residencies in California. I’ve also learned so much from working with the SFMS delegation to the CMA on various policy issues. What do you like to do when you're not at school? When I’m not studying, I enjoy doing outdoor activities in the greater bay area – hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and swimming with friends. What is the most important thing you've learned so far in medical school? That many of the variables that contribute to patients’ health and disease aren’t the ones we learn about in our physiology and pathology textbooks. They are are a myriad of environmental, psychosocial and socioeconomic factors that can’t be addressed by drugs or procedures, but through health policy changes. What are some of the biggest opportunities or challenges you see in health care within the next five years? We have the incredible opportunity to apply new technologies to every aspect of healthcare. Whether it’s using genomics to personalize pharmacologic therapies, telemedicine to expand access to care, or using the Da Vinci robot to refine surgical techniques, there’s no doubt that technology will continue to push the boundaries of what medicine can do for patients. One of the biggest challenges, of course, will be to balance cost, equity and quality of care. More is not always better. What do you love most about medical school? Attending UCSF for medical school is an enormous privilege. I think what I love most about it is the constant intellectual stimulation, both from my coursework and my classmates. It’s both incredible and humbling to be surrounded by passionate, socially conscious people who share in my delusion that we might just be able to change the world for the better. And every once in a while, I’ll encounter a patient that reminds me exactly why I’ve chosen the best possible career. What is your favorite restaurant in San Francisco? I’m a big fan of Kitchen Story in the Castro. It’s pretty much the epitome of Californian food. But I honestly haven’t explored the restaurant scene too much yet -- ask me again in 10 years when I’m no longer in debt! If you weren't a physician, which profession would you like to try? Something that involved getting paid to travel and explore other cultures, like an international food critic, or a documentary filmmaker. I’d also like to try being a consultant…. if only to maybe finally understand what it is that they do? Comments are closed.
