Veni, Vidi, Vici: my MSL experience in three words. I came, I saw, I conquered. I still find myself in disbelief that graduation is less than one month away. While it is an understatement to claim that this past academic year has flown by, I find it incredibly satisfying to think about how much was accomplished during such a brief segment of time.
May of 2021 marked the beginning of an active and remarkably rewarding process: applying to medical school. By the time I commenced the MSL program in August, I had already completed and submitted all of my secondary applications. (Just a note for any incoming MSL students applying to medical school in this cycle: it is best to have your secondaries completed prior to MSL Orientation so that you can devote adequate time to each endeavor.) With my applications out of the way, I was able to manage my work in the MSL program and also enjoy my interviews throughout the fall and the beginning of the spring term. One noteworthy aspect of the MSL community is how willing everyone is to share information and lend their support. I am so very thankful for the guidance I received from my advisors along each milestone of my journey to medical school. Especially helpful were information sessions tailored to the interests of MSL students applying to medical school, and the connections to MSL alumni who had already successfully commenced their medical school career. It was beneficial to learn about how these alumni had tailored their MSL experience, both to aid them in the application process, and also to facilitate their medical studies – I was just beginning to carve out how I would do those things myself.
Partaking in the MSL program was a way I could maximize my gap year experience and solidify my educational foundation in a very distinctive manner. Many of my MSL courses, including Healthcare Law and Regulation (State and Federal), Health Law, Health Informatics, Food Policy and Regulation, and Legal and Regulatory Issues in the Covid-19 Pandemic – to name just a handful – equipped me with a unique method of critical thinking and an understanding of interdisciplinary perspectives that will definitely complement my medical education. And if there is one philosophy that the MSL has further convinced me of, it is that alone, we are nothing. There is infinite potential in teamwork and collaboration. Little did I know in August of 2021 that this academic year would culminate in the incorporation of an LLC (Sàga Surgical Solutions) alongside my colleagues from the Entrepreneurship Lab class. Nor did I anticipate having the opportunity to embark on a project that would allow me to partner with the Institute for Augmented Intelligence in Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine – my work in the Innovation Lab class related to health data and contracts brought about this collaboration. It was an honor to present our project entitled “Health Data Sharing Enabled by Computable Contracts” at a public session on April 19 and we look forward to discussing this project further at the MSL Symposium on May 11. I am gratified that this project will be ongoing, as I have accepted the offer to continue collaboration with our project partners after graduating from the MSL program.
Yes, I came, saw, and conquered, all in the span of 9 months, but I remain convinced that this is only the beginning and that much remains to be conquered. I am thrilled to be able to bring my knowledge and experience from the MSL into my medical career so that I may analyze its elements through a nontraditional and varied series of lenses, continue to serve as a liaison between the domains of medicine and law, and work to build upon the projects born during my time in the MSL program. With the talent and diversity, the MSL program attracts, I look forward to seeing what the class of 2023 comes to do, see, and conquer, as well.
