For me, medicine has always been personal. Growing up in the Bronx, I was fascinated by science and how it can improve lives.\n<\/p>\n
I knew I wanted to serve my community in my career, but it wasn\u2019t until I began caring for my grandmother in high school\u2014taking her to medical appointments, coordinating among doctors, and managing her medications\u2014that I realized my calling in medicine.<\/p>\n
The experience taught me that being a doctor means being an advocate for your patient.\n<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s a legacy I want to continue for my own patients after I graduate from medical school and enter practice. In my experience so far, I\u2019ve seen the need to advocate beyond the halls of a hospital. Because policies made in Washington or Albany can have a major impact on patients in the Bronx.<\/p>\n
For years, policymakers have debated ways to improve Americans\u2019 access to healthcare, especially preventative services that can address health concerns before they escalate into chronic conditions or full-on emergencies.<\/p>\n
Having access to a doctor in the community is one of the most effective ways to manage chronic diseases early, yet too many patients still face long waitlists before they can get a checkup. By the time they need hospital care, their conditions are much worse than they might have been had they been able to regularly see care providers close to home.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, much of the Bronx is a\u00a0primary care desert<\/a>,\u00a0and we have the\u00a0fewest general practitioners<\/a>\u00a0per capita of any borough.<\/p>\n Local residents can\u2019t easily get a doctor close to home, forcing them to travel or forego care. It\u2019s little wonder then that\u00a0a 2025 state report\u00a0<\/a>noted that portions of the Bronx have worse doctor shortages than some of the hardest-hit rural counties in New York.<\/p>\n As I start imagining my life after medical school, I\u2019ve talked to a number of doctors and have asked them what is driving the physician shortage and what can be done about it. Time after time, they point to the same culprit: Medicare, which pays independent practices at rates well below the cost of providing care.<\/p>\n