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Louis W. Sullivan, M.D. Scholarship Essay Winner

By James Marroquin, 4th Year Medical Student

“Empuje!” exclaimed the obstetrics resident. “Empuje!” Waiting for the baby’s head to emerge, I looked up at the laboring woman’s face. Along with pain and struggle, it seemed to reveal awe and wonder at what was happening. This was her first child.

Dr. Stobo & Dr. Parisi stand with essay winner James Marroquin Since Isabella’s labor was especially long, we had a chance to talk earlier in the day. She and her husband Diego had recently immigrated from San Miguel de Allende, a city in central Mexico that my wife and I visited earlier in the year. I excitedly recalled some important landmarks in the city and the young couple seemed amused at my enthusiasm. They were experiencing one of the most precious moments of their lives—a time to celebrate with your family and oldest friends. Yet Isabella and Diego were far from their home and family, surrounded by strangers who did not even speak their language. I hoped that talking about their hometown would evoke some comfort and familiarity.

As Isabella and Diego’s story shows, if we are to provide the best possible care for America’s increasingly diverse population of patients, we must strive to understand their many different backgrounds and cultures. One of the most powerful ways to achieve this cultural competence is having a diverse community of health care professionals. This is because health care providers who share a common heritage with their patients tend to more easily relate to their patients and their situations. This was vividly clear to me as I observed a resident named Juan during my Obstetrics and Gynecology rotation. As a first generation Mexican-American, Juan was able to establish a strong rapport with patients who had just arrived in the United States from Latin-America.

Besides promoting cultural competence, a diverse workplace also makes for a more interesting and productive work community. For example, during my Internal Medicine rotation as a medical student, I looked forward to my days in the hospital with Charitha and Mandana, the Indian and Iranian interns on my team. This was first and foremost because we had so much fun together. During rounds we would lightheartedly mimic each others’ accents and they frequently encouraged me to someday come visit their homelands. I also enjoyed working with Charitha and Mandana because when we confronted the challenges of patient care together, our multiple perspectives generated more creative and effective solutions than we could have achieved individually. There was a special synergy due in large part to the very different life experiences we brought with us. Finally, through our collaboration, the three of us developed a curiosity and empathy for each others’ cultures that transferred to our interactions with patients. I saw more clearly that every patient I encounter comes with a rich and complex history.

At the end of the rotation, Charitha, Mandana, and I cooked each other our favorite native dishes and sat down for a wonderful dinner. In sharing our cultures and traditions, we had truly fed each others’ souls. This is the beauty and strength of diversity.

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