BLOG / By Dr. Preeya T. Shah, Class of 2020

I suspect most physicians eventually encounter a patient whose story is identical to their own. I met one such individual during my third year of medical school, whose words were those I would have chosen if I had been more aware, mature or brave as an adolescent. I listened empathetically as they candidly shared their experience of living with vitiligo. Although this person had no physical pain, the spiritless tone and body language during our conversation expressed a familiar misery. “It’s like I am losing my identity,” they said mournfully. The patient had learned a universal truth about the impact skin conditions can have on an individual’s self-image — lesions do not have to itch or burn to affect a person to their core. This was the first time in my training that a significant part of my own experience reflected back at me. I knew this grief.

As a teenager who had been diagnosed with vitiligo, this encounter carried a unique weight. Moments like this are cornerstones of a physician’s experience — with the privilege of serving and supporting our patients, sometimes through the most challenging and vulnerable times of their lives. During my time as a medical student, I have witnessed some of the most impactful lessons of humility, mindfulness and altruism demonstrated by our institution’s clinicians and other health care professionals who care for our patients. While beginning my first clinical rotation, I distinctly recall an attending challenging our inpatient team to always begin each day by asking ourselves, “How can we make our patient’s time here more comfortable?” This simple sentiment resonated with me and has become ingrained into my daily routine through every patient encounter. I challenge myself each day to lead with gratitude, over obligation — being mindful of how remarkable it is to diagnose, counsel and heal our patients.