Eliza P. Shulman, D.O.

Eliza is a current MPH student and is completing a Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency

“I want to be able to effectively lead innovative medical clinics, hospitals, and other organizations past barriers to change, and transform family medicine.”

I had a life before medicine! I did my undergraduate work at Smith College and then took five years off to explore bench research at the NIH, and community medicine at Boston Medical Center. I am also a long time activist and advocate serving as a trustee of the Gay, Lesbian Medical Association and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. I always knew that I wanted to practice medicine because I believe that people can be empowered to change their lives through their health. If you can give people tools to make informed, thoughtful and accurate decisions about health that can translate into countless other areas of their lives.

My motivation going into the LPMR program was that I want to practice clinical medicine but I also want to learn how to make the practice of medicine better. Time and time again in my former life I saw physicians and health care organizations struggling against barriers to change, both perceived and actual. I want to be able to effectively lead innovative medical clinics, hospitals, and other organizations past those barriers and transform family medicine. There is so much to learn about how change happens for individuals all the way through large organizations. How can I effectively help patients lose weight? How can I get my hospital to embrace new technology? How can I fit more exercise into my own life? The answers to these questions are all linked and very similar.

The Institute experience is unique. We get lots of hands-on experience of working in groups and actual health care environments. The interesting mix of students and career paths makes every group project a different learning tool. I feel that I am constantly challenged to not just spout off some uninformed rant but to really be a knowledgeable and critical thinker.

I already feel as though I am linked to an incredible network of colleagues who I can call upon in my efforts at being a change agent. Some of these people have been in the field for years and some are newbies like me! We are all linked by the belief that we can make the care of patients and the practice of medicine better.