I hope to be selected to complete a fellowship program in Dermatopathology based on my sheer passion and profound dedication to the field as well as my potential for professional contribution to this fascinating and rapidly advancing area of medicine. I was introduced to this field as a student in medical school, listening attentively to a lecture in this field by my foremost mentor, Dr. XXXX, who has published extensively in this area. She is also a highly skilled communicator and lecturer. Something about the way that she described “the logic” behind the relationship between the layers of the skin, on the one hand, and the advancement of skin disease on the other, clicked in my mind and I knew at once that I had found my niche. Dr. XXXX’s discussion of the visible, clinical correlations appealed strongly to my logical mind and passion for mystery and solving puzzles. The wide variety of disorders which manifest themselves through dermatological diseases is something that I find absolutely thrilling on an intellectual level. What I experience as an almost natural affinity to Dermo pathology has me exceptionally highly motivated to accept the challenge of a long professional life giving my all to the study and practice of this area of medicine.
Having spent many years as a competitive athlete, I have also had the opportunity to learn a great deal as a patient, especially the experience of undergoing bilateral ACL replacements. Furthermore, I recently accompanied my mother through her experience at multiple rehabilitation hospitals. I could not feel more excited about the prospect of soon having the profound privilege of helping patients and their families to learn how to better cope with, manage, and recover from the traumatic experiences of sickness and disease. For some time now, I have paid especially close attention to the way in which patients with different dermatological conditions can find themselves just as incapacitated and unable to engage in or perform their daily activities as someone with a neurological disorder. I find myself reading a lot about strategies for helping people with a variety of different medical conditions to rise to the challenge so they can return to their daily lives and activities.
Earning my MD in 2015 was one of the most critical moments of my life so far. Nevertheless, I also think of myself as a scientist as well as a doctor. When my mother became extremely ill with cancer after I had already completed my master's degree in psychology and a year of study towards a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, I had to discontinue my studies at Montana State University and return to DC to assist with her care. As I got to know the neurooncologist and radiation oncologist who cared for her at the National Cancer Institute, I was offered and accepted a research fellowship for that year. With their encouragement, I applied to and was accepted to medical school. Due to the intellectual appeal and intrigue of Pathology as well as its immediate patient implications, it is where I want to invest my professional lifetime. During my fourth-year rotation in Dermatology, I had the opportunity to work very closely with Dr. Hood. I helped her to adapt the Dermatopathology lectures for the medical students to a new format that increased group activity. I very much look forward to a life of learning and challenge in Dermatopathology.
Thank you for considering my application to become a part of your team.