My name is Ryan Bailey and I am a third-year Biology major and computer science minor. I am an intern at HCMP, and am also involved with the LIVESTRONG Institute as a Bioinformatician as well as an FRI Peer Mentor.
Describe a shadowing experience that has impacted you the most:
The most impactful experience I’ve had shadowing was with Dr. Alan Mincher, a general pediatrician. When I met Dr. Mincher, we immediately started on his rounds. The very first patient interaction left me speechless. Dr. Mincher’s ability to interact both with the ~4 y/o patient and his drained father was amazing. He perfectly balanced this interaction such that the patient remained very relaxed and his father did not become impatient. We soon joined up with Dr. Mincher’s care team: three residents and a medical student. Between their consultations with patients (in the patients and team communicated completely in Spanish) they all helped me to understand the context of each case as well as some of the most interesting details. My shadowing that day taught me not only that I envision myself as a doctor who consults directly and frequently with patients, but that I need to invest myself wholeheartedly into my communication skills.
How has HCMP benefited your professional or individual goals?
The primary ways in which HCMP has forwarded my career have been through my improving abilities to look critically at my experiences and derive meaning from them. Before I had written my personal statement for the application, my life experiences were meaningful, but disorganized. HCMP actively encourages me to create a coherent and compelling way to tell my story.
What has been your favorite aspect of HCMP?
Although number of the opportunities provided by HCMP is unmatched by many of the campus orgs I’ve seen, my favorite aspect of HCMP is the relationships I’ve built and continue to build. Never have I met such a concentrated group of extraordinary people who, in addition to their intrigue, are incredibly compassionate and friendly.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to code up random things, make biochemistry memes, read a lot of audiobooks, do portraiture and photo editing, and occasionally train machine learning algorithms on random datasets.