By: Katerina Jou
Setting the scene: My medical school didn’t have an AWS chapter. Surgery was just starting to become a growing presence on the school’s campus, with most students pursuing specialties like pediatrics, internal medicine, and emergency medicine, and few, in this new era, choosing surgery.
For a little background, my medical school is now eight years old. I’m a student in the 7-year BS/MD Sophie Davis Program for Biomedical Education/City University of New York (CUNY) School of Medicine – we used to be a 5+2 program, where students would complete five years at Sophie Davis and “match” into affiliated medical schools to complete clerkship education. Our program historically has prioritized primary care, and despite expanding surgical presence with coordinators and advisors of practicing surgical background, a good part of my time there was spent wondering how I was going to get from point A to point B – from picking surgery as my chosen career path almost as I finished dissecting my cadaver’s hand in anatomy in my third year of undergrad and isolating the recurrent branch of the median nerve in such a satisfying way, to becoming a fully-fledged surgical resident.
Fast forward a few years, and I was nearing the halfway point of my third year in medical school. I originally teetered between orthopedic surgery and general surgery, but I understood there were more people and experiences I could learn from. I had learned through organizing and moderating a “Women in Orthopedic Surgery” Panel at my medical school that there was the Perry Initiative, but didn’t learn about the Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society until sometime later. Despite not being involved in these organizations, I am always in constant awe of how much the Perry Initiative and RJOS support young students, especially female-identifying students, pursuing orthopedic surgery with proper knowledge and support. As I spent one day following Instagram pages for various hospitals, I saw @womensurgeons. The page was so intellectually curated, teeming with information on networking, personal stories, and forming relationships with mentors, with WOMEN. Only one female medical student from my school had matched into general surgery so far in recent years, and despite having supportive male mentors, I wanted to find a community of women who were going through a similar journey. It was a sheer stroke of luck that I saw the e-board application post, and on a whim, I applied. And a few months later, I became co-coordinator for diversity and inclusion as I was about to enter my fourth year of medical school.
I was in shock when I got the email letter saying that I was selected. I never thought that I was that candidate for these kinds of positions, let alone for something as important as DEI, and it was such a unique opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. After our initial transition meeting with the outgoing coordinators, Maria and I were scrambling the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month series, and were fortunate enough to have a speaker who was willing to engage with the AWS audience. Month after month with NMSC (national medical student committee) meetings, endless chats, more Heritage Month IG Lives, the possibility of organizing projects and seeking mentorship became more probable and believable.
Truly the cherry on top was being able to meet several members at the national meeting in October – it solidified the community I had sought to find in the beginning of medical school. At the subsequent ACS meeting, I was even able to reconnect with an alumna from my medical school who had previously been involved with AWS. These strong, compassionate, incredible women have helped instill a new confidence to lead more projects, facilitate panels, and even be a panelist myself this past year for several AWS virtual and in-person events. Imposter syndrome still exists, but the support from mentorship and collaboration reigns superior.
It’s already been almost a year and I’m still in disbelief. I just wish I learned about AWS sooner. Thanks to this opportunity, we’re now on the precipice of reviving our virtual National Day of Service event for high schoolers nationwide. This was only possible through a nationwide connection of committee members, chapter leaders, and willing medical students and surgeons. Being given the chance to be the DEI co-coordinator has taught me much more about what work remains to improve the state of diversity and inclusion in medical education and surgical training, and the need to expose the next generation to surgery. This continues to be an endeavor I hope to integrate into my career, and in working with my newfound mentors, friends, and colleagues.
And as an update for my medical school – this year, we matched two female general surgery residents for the first time ever and two female MS1s are founding the AWS chapter at our medical school!
Katerina Jou is a fourth-year medical student at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Medicine, which is the medical school portion of the Sophie Davis BS/MD Program for Biomedical Education at CUNY City College in New York City. She is also one of the current diversity and inclusion coordinators on the 2023-2024 AWS National Medical Student Committee, and recently matched into general surgery at Zucker SOM-Northwell North Shore/LIJ in Manhasset, NY. Through her medical school career, she has developed great passions in artificial intelligence, mentorship, value-based healthcare, surgical outcomes research, health policy, and the intersection of public health and surgical practice in the care of vulnerable communities. As a medical student, Katerina also has worked with industry experts as a health policy intern for a California-based health policy institute and works as a health policy associate for a Florida-based laboratory benefits company, to whom she credits her desire to be deeply involved in the larger healthcare landscape. Her passion for surgery came from not only the novel robotic technology, but also the hands-on experiences she had in encouraging team environments and understanding the balance of both medical and surgical intervention. In her free time, she can be found watching her favorite syndicated sport, Jeopardy!, at 7PM Eastern, listening to music, singing, or working on her latest paint by number set. Her X/Twitter Handle is @katerina_jou
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