Sample Personal Statement for Fellowship

Originally written by Zakariya Imam (06) & reproduced with his permission on the AKU Alumni Discussion Board

Having completed high school, I left my hometown to enroll in one of our country's finest medical schools, thus following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, both accomplished professors of medicine. Each of the five years of medical school was one of beautiful discovery but my interest in hematology and oncology truly began in the third year of medical school when I undertook a six week rotation in this subspecialty. Our university hospital had recently established one of the first hematopoietic stem cell transplant centers in Pakistan. A procedure costing millions of dollars abroad had been brought to the local community at a cost of a few thousand dollars only, and as part of this new team, I was one of the first people to directly observe its impact. Patients with benign and malignant hematological disorders could now actually afford state-of-the-art curative treatment. This was an early exposure to the world of malignancy as well as the field of transplant and by the end of the rotation, I was in love with this rapidly evolving specialty. My decision to choose UT Houston was in line with my growing interest in oncology. As a UT resident, I got the unique opportunity of working through scheduled and elective rotations at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This allowed me to actively participate in the most advanced therapies available to cancer patients as well as novel clinical research. Cancer medicine remains the fastest growing field in medicine and no place could better prove to me the importance of being up-to-date with current literature. Regular discussions on rounds were based on protocols, figures, statistics, genetics, molecular pathways and their targeted therapies. And yet, in between all of that, the patient remained the focus of discussion. They were treated as humans, their emotions explored and their concerns addressed to the best of our ability. Their betterment was our primary concern, regardless of the time of the day, or the effort required to achieve that. As the overnight cross-covering resident at MD Anderson, there were times I had to perform the death pronouncement on young patients with metastatic terminal cancers. To counsel grieving family members, even without a pre-existing doctor-patient relationship with them, was indeed challenging, yet gratifying. I could feel the importance of every gesture and word I offered for comfort. Frank gratitude expressed to me by the families in these circumstances has made such moments among the most satisfying of my short medical career yet. Quite simultaneously, electives in the department of stem cell transplantation clearly demonstrated to me the curative potential of cancer medicine. Oncology was not just about palliation - you could also give a cure. A fine oncologist is always a product of years of hard work, and a sound base in internal medicine with the ability to foresee and recognize the diverse complications associated with cancer medicine. I believe that consults must be called, but only when really necessary. Therefore, while I reveled in my months on the hematology and oncology services, I made sure that I remained a serious and dedicated learner during other rotations as well. I remain a team-player, respecting others and valuing their contributions. I have retained the habit of reading up on my patients along with spending time at the bedside since the patient can often be the best instructor himself. My residency has been enriched by scheduled rotations at five hospitals including Harris County's Lyndon B Johnson Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Heart Institute. In between these institutes, I have been exposed to academic and private practice, as well county and indigent healthcare programs while encountering the most diverse patient populations. This has allowed me to develop an ability to relate with patients across the board, from the most elitist to the most underprivileged. Furthermore, I have learnt to address and delve into social, financial and emotional barriers to effective medical care for each individual patient. My path ahead is geared towards an academic career. I have effectively taught undergraduate students in Pakistan as faculty before joining residency in the US and have continued to do so as a medical resident. I have regularly taken up clinical research work while making sure it did not compromise patient care. Apart from research in cancer medicine, I maintain a deep interest in health services research and have regularly published in peer-reviewed and indexed journals. I aspire to become part of a program that can further my clinical, teaching and research skills so that I can make worthwhile contributions to the field of cancer medicine, and the scientific community and the world as a whole.

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