A career in healthcare can often feel like an elaborate puzzle, with each person’s path winding to fit their individual interests.
On December 1, 2021, a virtual Medical Career Webinar helped to illuminate the many different paths possible and offered advice to dozens of underrepresented medical and graduate-level health profession students and young professionals. The webinar was hosted by the National Medical Fellowships, a nonprofit that provides scholarships and educational resources to underrepresented minority students seeking to enter medicine and the health professions, Gold Corporate Council member BD, and the Gold Foundation in a first-time collaboration.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University President, NMF Distinguished Alumnus, and Gold Trustee Dr. Wayne Riley ignited the conversation with three healthcare professionals from BD, a Gold Corporate Council member: Sy DeReauxchette, Dr. Carol Saieva, and Dr. Kalvin Yu.
Coined by the Gold Foundation, an Ignitor serves as a catalyst to spark and fuel the discussion, and to take the conversation to the next level with their insights.
The three panelists discussed their healthcare journeys and the lessons they learned along the way. None of the three panelists had a particular interest in a healthcare career when they first began carving out their professional paths. However, all of them eventually found their individual ways through connections, mentors, and surprise discoveries – and staying open to new opportunities.
