UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology Fall and Winter 2022 - Flipbook - Page 37
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
How did your upbringing, if at all, influence
your education/career path?
What is your best piece of advice for incoming
residents?
C: As a child my favorite subject was math; it
was methodical and there was always a solution.
When I immigrated to the United States from
Mexico, learning English was difficult. Math
was a universal language where I was not seen
as "other." Math kept me engaged in school and
later introduced me to science and medicine.
C: My experience as a new radiation oncology
resident was very different from my experience
as a medical student rotating in radiation
oncology. As a resident, I felt overwhelmed by
the many hats that radiation oncologists have
to wear (i.e. also being a radiologist, medical
oncologist, surgeon, and physicist). Dr. Raldow,
our Program Director, kindly reminded me that
we are here to learn, otherwise we would not
need residency. I remind myself this and would
also encourage incoming residents to ask many
questions.
Are you the first member of your family to
wade into medicine? Why Radiation Oncology?
C: I am the first in my family to graduate from
high school and pursue higher education.
Having pursued a PhD in Developmental Biology
prior to medical school, I learned how cancer
highjacks many developmental pathways.
I arrived to medical school with an interest
in oncology. As a visual learner, Radiation
Oncology nicely combined long-term patient
care with treatment design.
What projects/research/publications are you
currently working on?
C: I am excited about establishing meaningful
projects in patient care/advocacy, palliative care,
precision medicine, re-irradiation, and health
equity. I am currently working on identifying
health inequities within our department and
interventions to improve patient care. I also
serve as patient advocate through NCCN and
have helped to draft “Guidelines for Patients.”
What wisdom can you impart to medical
students interested in Radiation Oncology?
C: My medical school mentor once told me to
pay attention to how I like to spend my time.
What topics did I like to read? In what field
would I feel happiest? My interest in Radiation
Oncology solidified when I attended the ASTRO
conference. I was excited to learn about so many
topics. I felt that it was a good sign that I had
a hard time choosing which presentations to
attend because they all sounded interesting. I
would encourage medical student to immerse
themselves in the field. ☐
Talk to me about your experience thus far in
the UCLA RO Residency Program.
C: The UCLA RO Resident Program is a wellstructured program. I feel that our rotations
give appropriate responsibility as we continue
to progress. The VA is a great addition to our
learning. I am loving the patient population and
disease sites. Our faculty are great and willing to
teach.
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