Medical career trajectory and passion for pathology

Personal Statement: Pathology

Pathology has been described as the most limitless of all the fields of medicine. Pathology is defined as the diagnosis and study of disease: every part of the human body can be affected by illness. The comprehensive and varied nature of my experiences in medicine makes me uniquely suited to succeed in this field. I first became interested in pathology when I began to work at the Howard University Hospital Cancer Center as a research assistant in 2009, gathering samples in the surgical pathology laboratory. I felt as if I had suddenly experienced a profound 'a-ha' moment. While I had always understood the role of histology and molecular testing in cancer treatment, for the first time I was able to appreciate how examining an illness on a cellular level was necessary to fully treat the disease.

I worked in the fields of nephrology, chest medicine, and obstetrics, amongst many others, while living in Pakistan. After graduating from medical school, at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center at Karachi I dealt with patients suffering acute renal failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and performed routine post-partum deliveries, C-sections, and dealt with other pregnancy-related complications. As a physician at Zainab Panjwany Medical Center in Pakistan, I carried out a wide range of emergency-related and diagnostic procedures. Each day exposed me to new cases and different manifestations of illnesses. I was required to use my observational capacities, knowledge, and my abilities in evidence-based medicine.

As well as performing procedures, my responsibilities at the center involved taking patient histories, conducting physical examinations and making follow-up visits. I also prepared and gave presentations on various medical cases to other physicians, based on my experiences. Teaching other physicians and working with physicians from other disciplines is a critical aspect of the discipline of pathology, and another reason why I know I am so well-suited to the field. Pathologists are often called 'the doctor's doctor ' -- when other doctors are experiencing an impasse, they go to a pathologist for advice, to provide clarity. As someone who has always enjoyed working as a teacher and preparing teaching materials, I look forward to this role in relation to my fellow physicians.

Upon arriving in the United States to practice medicine, I gained experience in the field of pathology-related research, collecting data about survival rates of patients with colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. I came to learn how pathology touches all fields of medicine. Even in my work with patients suffering substance abuse and psychiatric problems, I saw how the progression of the addiction created a pathology in terms of the way that the body responded to the patient's negative behaviors. I hope that this residency program will expose me to the laboratory and clinical aspects of the field, and give me the ability to learn from -- and perhaps to teach -- others who are grappling with issues spanning from cancer to nephrology to infertility to lifestyle-related illnesses.