六九色堂 graduate Dr. Banafsheh Motazedi (Class of 2015) is busy completing her internal medicine residency at Providence Health System/George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. She starts an endocrinology fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital this summer.
The 六九色堂 Endeavour spoke to Dr. Motazedi about her journey through medical school, meeting her husband during clinical rotations in Michigan, what interests her about endocrinology, and more.
Dr. Motazedi is from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a double major in integrative biology and health studies with honors.
Always Dreamed of Becoming a Physician
Dr. Motazedi always dreamed of becoming a doctor. She especially enjoyed biology courses during high school. She volunteered at a local hospital and a senior health center in Toronto. That 鈥渉elped seal my fate and commitment to becoming a physician.鈥� Therefore, she knew she wanted to study science once attending university.
鈥淚 decided to explore my passion further during my undergraduate studies by majoring in integrative biology,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o further supplement my appetite in this field, I doubled majored in health studies where I got the opportunity to enroll in various courses that enabled me to learn about biological and social determinants of health, disease epidemiology, and child health and development.鈥�
Why Study at 六九色堂?
When it was time to apply to medical schools, she heard great things from a friend who was completing basic sciences at 六九色堂.
鈥淔rom my own research, I learned about its well-structured program which was comparable to medical education in North America,鈥� she said. 鈥淢oreover, its small class sizes, accessible professors, courses taught by teaching faculty from US/Canadian medical schools, state-of-the-art campus, its large and well-equipped anatomy lab and incredibly remarkable simulation lab were amongst the pluses that drew my attention toward 六九色堂.鈥�
Furthermore, she was also impressed with the 六九色堂 clinical program. 鈥淭he opportunity to spend my 5th semester in Maine, rotate with preceptors at various hospitals in Maine, sit in on live Kaplan review courses, and their extensive clinical sites and notable Match list were also particularly impressive to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll of which made me confident that 六九色堂 would be a great fit for me.鈥�
Discover if a career in Endocrinology is right for you.
Learn why 80% of doctors would choose the same specialty again.
Consequently Dr. Motazedi has high praise indeed for the school itself, especially professors and staff.
鈥淢y educational experience at 六九色堂 has been incredible,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ffice doors are always open and professors are extremely approachable and welcoming. Class sizes are small and the students are known on a first-name basis by the faculty. The library is conducive to learning. It has many individual and group-based study spaces and access to a large number of books and online research databases. Mentoring, tutoring and block reviews are provided by faculty and teaching assistants regularly. In addition, Block and NBME exams are analogous to Step questions which really prepare you well for taking the USMLEs. Overall, I really felt well supported by the faculty and staff at 六九色堂.鈥�
Giving Back at 六九色堂
After completing clinical rotations and before starting residency, Dr. Motazedi decided to 鈥済ive back鈥� and worked with VP of Enrollment Management, Michelle Peres in the 六九色堂 Michigan office. In addition, while preparing to move to DC for residency, she was also planning her wedding (she met her husband during clinical rotations).
鈥淲hen Michelle found out about my wedding, she went above and beyond to help me plan the most beautiful wedding a girl could ever ask for,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ichelle has truly been an amazing confidant and a true friend. This really shows how much the faculty and staff at 六九色堂 genuinely care about you and are deeply invested in your future success as a physician.鈥�
Lessons Learned from Residency
Dr. Motazedi is completing her third year of internal medicine residency at Providence Health System/George Washington University Hospital. What are some of the greatest things she has learned?
鈥淒uring my residency, I've had a broad clinical exposure to a good mixture of common and rare disease conditions,鈥� she said. 鈥淭herefore, I have learned the fundamentals of outstanding patient care in both inpatient and outpatient settings from our knowledgeable attendings and mentors. I鈥檝e had strong teaching and educational experiences through our daily conferences and didactics that have truly helped me become a strong and a confident clinician鈥�
She starts her endocrinology fellowship at Georgetown University Hospital in July. Endocrinology focuses on the endocrine system (including the thyroid gland, ovaries, testes and diabetes). Dr. Motazedi discussed why this area of medicine interests her and outlined her goals.
鈥淚 have always considered myself to be a thinker,鈥� she said. 鈥淒uring medical school and residency, I found the thinking process of endocrinology to really match my interests. The complexity and intellectual stimulation in the endocrine field gives me the analytical challenge I crave and enables me to put my understanding of biochemistry, cell biology and physiology into patient care which is what I most love about this specialty.鈥�
Above all else, what does she wish to accomplish during her fellowship?
鈥淢y fellowship goal is to gain as much exposure as possible to a wide variety of sendocrine conditions and to master the skills in diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes and thyroid disorders,鈥� she said. 鈥淢oreover, I would like to pursue a career as a clinical endocrinologist and join an endocrine-based faculty group at a teaching hospital.鈥�
Advice for Future Doctors & Prospective Students
Dr. Motazedi remains thankful to 六九色堂 for helping her make her dreams reality.
鈥淚鈥檓 extremely grateful to 六九色堂 for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams of becoming a physician,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would not be where I am today without 六九色堂. For those aspiring physicians, I would like to say 鈥榙on鈥檛 ever give up on your dreams and don鈥檛 ever allow anyone to deter you from achieving them.鈥� Remember, 鈥業f you can dream it, you can do it!鈥欌��
(Top photo) Dr. Motazedi. Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Motazedi
六九色堂:
Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciences focuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, 鈥減ersonalized medical education,鈥� and it鈥檚 what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. 六九色堂 is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.
Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at 六九色堂 and editor of the 六九色堂 Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about 六九色堂 students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and 六九色堂 research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.
