Rina Li
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Education: Amherst College
MD Mentor: Dr. Nedaa Skeik
Staff Mentor: Andie Sarafolean
Project: Antithrombotic Therapies for Patients Following Endovenous Recanalization, Meta-analysis
How did you hear about the MHIF internship and why did you want to participate?
I came across the MHIF internship on Google while searching for paid clinical research summer internships. I wanted to participate because cardiology is the top specialty that I would want to go to as an aspiring physician. Through this internship, I want to delve deeper into the study of cardiac diseases, their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention through research. I was impressed that my doctor mentor is also a practicing physician and would love to build a deeper connection with them. In addition, I was drawn to the open heart surgery as a part of the shadowing experience offered by the internship.
What sparked your interest in the field of research, medicine and cardiology?
Many events and episodes in my life have inspired and reinforced my passion for healthcare. Growing up with my grandma, who used to work as a barefoot doctor, I had a childhood accompanied by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her warm personality drove me to embrace traditional medicine as a part of my life and identity. In tenth grade, I attended a gross anatomy workshop, where I touched a specimen of the human heart for the first time. It was a touch of magic and since then, I became deeply curious about the human body. After starting college, I started shadowing physicians and engaging in research in hospitals. Talking to healthcare workers and patients during shadowing and clinical research, I realized that patients of color lack access to care disproportionately. And I saw many patients of color showing up in the late stages of terminal illnesses, and physicians kept shaking their heads. The question of why our study had almost no Asian American participants also lingered in my head. I want to be a physician for Asian Americans and all People of Color. I want to engage with patients of color through research and the provision of care. I want to address their concerns for personal health and the healthcare system. I am especially interested in cardiology—heart disease is the leading cause of death and continues to disproportionately affect People of Color who are socio-economically disadvantaged.
What is your desired career in medicine?
My dream is to combine Western medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine in my provision of care as a physician. I want to have a holistic and integrated approach to health and patient care that makes Asian patients comfortable and feel they can place their trust in me. By combining the strengths of both systems, I want to provide personalized care, access a broader range of treatment options, and optimize patient outcomes. I want to make patients with immigrant or diverse cultural backgrounds feel they are being valued, thereby enhancing their trust in the healthcare system and fostering stronger patient-doctor relationships.
What are you most looking forward to this summer?
I look forward to working closely with Dr. Skeik, my doctor mentor. I appreciate having a mentor with a passion in research while caring for patients and want to provide guidance to uprising physicians like me. I can tell he is super approachable, kind, and humorous two minutes into our first meeting. I want to learn more about his philosophy as a physician and how to be a cardiologist that balances both patient care and research. Additionally, I am very excited to see an open heart surgery for the first time.
What do you hope to gain from this experience?
I want to finish this internship feeling confident that I have a good grasp on a certain topic in cardiology. I would like to develop my clinical research skills, as it will be my first time carrying out a clinical study. I want to have experience and gain proficiency in data collection, management, analysis and interpretation. I hope this internship will equip me with essential tools to critically assess a hypothesis and contribute to evidence-based practice in the field of cardiology.
What are your plans after the summer?
After this summer, I will go back to Amherst College to finish my last year of undergrad. I am writing a senior thesis in sociology, and my area of interest is why Asian patients have hesitancy in seeing doctors. I am also planning to start a birth doula business to serve the local Pioneer Valley community. Last year, I received birth doula training, along with other Amherst students who identify as People of Color. But I couldn’t make full use of my knowledge because I went to study abroad immediately afterwards. So going back to school, I want to organize and work with other students who graduated from the training with me to provide birth doula service.
What is a fun fact about you?
I am a proud birth doula and have supported birther for a positive and safe birth. It's incredible to be a part of the intense yet powerful process!
