Dr. Duncan Reid is advocate for creating shadowing opportunities for medical students at the International Medicine Clinic. Dr. Reid is especially passionate about creating these opportunities for minority students and children of immigrants who may not have the typical “connections” to medical school. As a physician in the clinic, Dr. Reid regularly creates culturally rich and informative experiences for the students that he mentors.
Two of his mentees have been accepted to medical school- Congratulations!
We’d like to highlight these two students, Angshita Dutta and Chelsea Ng. Both former UW students spent significant time shadowing in the International Medicine Clinic and feel that the experience really helped them in essays and interviews for medical school.
Angshita Dutta- Raising Cultural Awareness
“Exposure to the nuances and specific clinical care for immigrant and refugee patients was a unique shadowing experience. I was moved to find IMC physicians often take time out of their day to better understand the various cultures of their patient population – from memorizing greetings in other languages, researching specific cultural expectations, learning about religious practices or even looking up culturally-appropriate recipes that might aid in clinical management of chronic illnesses like diabetes.
Shadowing in the IMC also opened the door to participating in health fairs and projects through EthnoMed. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity; I highly recommend this mentorship experience to any premedical student with an interest in working with underserved patient populations.”
Chelsea Ng – Shadowing Leads to Deeper Understanding
“Shadowing at an International Medicine Clinic was one of the most formative experiences of my pre-med journey as it inspired me to see how I could serve immigrant populations in the future. I observed firsthand how providers navigated complex cultural dynamics, language barriers, and competing life circumstances while delivering compassionate, patient-centered care to immigrant and refugee populations.
While shadowing I observed many moments that taught me that medicine was not just about diagnosing and treating, but about listening and meeting patients where they are. As a pre-med, shadowing here gave me a firsthand look into the unique features of treating and serving a different population, as well as a deeper understanding of healthcare inequities.”