Keeping it in the Family

Student D.O. of the Year and Family Practice Fellow Christina González, D.O. (’09)

By Colleen Kiphart

When she graduated with her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree June 6, Christina González, D.O., received her ceremonial hood from a mentor who has been there for her since before she entered OU-COM.

“I was actually hooded by my stepfather, Park Studebaker, O.D.” González says.

Studebaker, an optometrist in Dayton, serves as an OU-COM clinical assistant professor of optometry at Grandview Medical Center. “I can’t express how proud (her mother and I) are,” he says.

González says that Studebaker’s encouragement helped her faced the challenges of medical school. She described how, during times of uncertainty, “he was always knew what I was capable of.”

Her professors and fellow students echo that support. González was named the Student D.O. of the Year at this year’s Distinguished Osteopathic Commitment Awards, and she is currently finishing a fellowship in family practice at OU-COM.

“Growing up, I loved my pediatrician. She was always a proponent of me taking care of myself. I thought that was so empowering,” González says. “I choose family medicine because I get to do everything and be involved in lots of different aspects of care, like my (former) pediatrician.”

For González, the empowering spirit of medicine extends to research. In the summer of 2005, she accompanied Mario Grijalva, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences, on a research trip to Ecuador where she and other medical students helped to educate communities about disease prevention.  

González, who hopes to practice medicine in developing nations in the future, was deeply affected by the experience.  “This has made me so passionate about disease prevention and intervening in unhealthy lifestyles,” she says. 

According to Grijalva, González shows a rare enthusiasm and dedication towards international health. “I have no doubt that she will make great contributions for the profession, as well as for the people in developing countries,” he says.  

Next year, González will begin a residency in family medicine at the University of Cincinnati – Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She will also travel once a year during her residency to work with Shoulder to Shoulder, a sustainable clinic in Honduras. 

The D.O.-to-be has always been driven by a strong sense of family and community. She chose OU-COM because she sensed a familial spirit between the students. “I came to visit and sat in on a class, and when I came the next year, they still remembered me. I also loved that the alumni have such a connection to OU-COM.”

Before long, González became a student leader at OU-COM, moderating the first- and second-year Professionalism Lecture Series. “It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know younger students,” she says, “but they are the ones who do all the work. I just moderate.”  

Family and teamwork are recurrent themes in González’ life as she constantly credits the support and efforts of others. “She is a team player,” says Tracy Marx, D.O., chair of the Family Practice Fellowship. “She always asks for input, and though she is confident in her knowledge base, she can admit when she doesn’t know something. She’s inquisitive, persistent and dedicated.”

Although each of these doctors knows González in a different way – as a supervisor, a teacher and a family member – they all can agree on one thing: her capacity for empathy. “She is one of the most altruistic people I have ever met,” Studebaker says.

Grijalva adds: “Compassion, care and professionalism are some of the best words to describe her attitude in the field. Those characteristics extend to the people from the communities where we work, as well as to the rest of the team.”

González plans to explore the intricacies of health care delivery next. “I hope to go on and get my master’s degree in public health,” she says. “I love working with local health care systems and governments in underserved areas. I really think that can let me help people the most.” 

This is the second in a series of Class of 2009 graduation profiles. To read the first one, on Charles A. Brown, D.O. (’09), go to http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/News/Archive2012/2009/CharlieBrown/index.htm