|
Page 3 of 3
Q&A: Charlie Brown, D.O. (’09)
Interview by Colleen Kiphart
Photos by John Sattler
What
does being a D.O. mean to you?
I am one
of two African-American males in my class. I think that that
brought a sense of challenge. I feel that I am representing
not only my family and my community in Indiana, but also
African-American men. During test time this factors into my
anxiety because I want to do well. And I want to show those
who have invested in my doing well that it was not for
naught. My graduating will show how thankful I am to those
who helped me. I will have a comfort that I made them proud.
Did you
have a mentor at OU-COM?
I have a
list. First, my preceptor, Dr. Lewis Humble. He is with
Stark County Medical Associates, a group of internal
medicine doctors and cardiologists. He served as my mentor
for the last two years.
Mr. Mark
Loudin. He’s the lecture hall tech guru. He makes sure that
our lecture days run tightly as planned in Irvine. A lot of
students have gripped onto him for peace of mind and a ready
ear. He has provided great advice and motivation.
Last but
not least: Judith Edinger. Even my mother knew her as my
“OU-COM mom.” Miss Judith is great. She was my first
preceptor for first-year small groups. We called ourselves
the “fantastic five.” We developed a bond and that has
stayed, even when we moved onto other groups.
What
surprised you most about medical school?
Medical
schools are looking for a dynamic individual. They want
someone with good grades, lots of hobbies and community
involvement. And then in medical school, you just can’t
maintain it. I am an avid record collector, and I used to
play around with records way more than I do now. The amount
of stuff I was doing in class cut my social life; it cut my
creativity in half. And you’re left like, “Oh, medical
school, I thought you loved me! What happened to us?”
But I’m
not going to say that I didn’t expect medical school
to take over my life, and it isn’t such a bad thing.
Medicine should be time-consuming; it isn’t a nine-to-five job
anyway.
But I
remember, at the end of first year, being like, wow! That
first year felt like a couple of months. And then you’re in
hospitals, living rotation to rotation. They’re not called
months anymore, they’re called rotations. It’s like, “is
this June? No, it’s Surgery Month. And how many holidays are
there in Surgery Month? None!”
But,
it’s all worth it. I found what I love to do.
[1] [2] [3]
|
