Patient Experience Inspires Miller School Student to Work Toward Health Equity
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine M.D./M.P.H. student Rebecca Kaiser learned about the importance of patient self-advocacy as a UHealth patient.
Rebecca Kaiser spent much of her childhood in doctors’ offices and hospitals as a UHealth — University of Miami Health patient. The experiences inspired her to pursue a career in medicine, but they also taught her lessons that went beyond clinical care.
“Pediatric patients don’t always feel included as part of their care team,” said Kaiser, now part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s M.D./M.P.H. Class of 2028. “But a fantastic doctor taught me to advocate for myself. It made a difference, and the lesson stuck.”
Health Care Advocacy and Access
During college, Kaiser deepened her understanding of public health through her coursework and volunteering. She recognized the importance of access to high-quality, compassionate care and decided to become the type of physician who helps patients navigate the intricate health care system and speak up for themselves.
Now in her second year at the Miller School, Kaiser is continuing that mission. Health equity, she said, is central to why she went into medicine.
“It’s important to identify systemic barriers and work to dismantle them so we can properly advocate for our patients,” she said.
Gaps in Cancer Care
When Kaiser was studying neuroscience and public health at Tulane University, she worked in the summers for Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H, associate director for community outreach and engagement and the Judy H. Schulte Senior Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the Miller School. Kaiser assisted with research on cancer disparities.
Kaiser’s contribution has continued as a medical student, contributing to research for SCAN360, a web-based platform that uses big data to provide information about cancer. She’s analyzing cancer hotspots and socioeconomic indicators. The data coming out of this project, she said, has policy implications and “it creates opportunities to develop community-based interventions and better understand how someone’s environment can affect their health.”
“I feel lucky to have played a part in Rebecca’s academic journey,” said Dr. Kobetz, also the director of Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative. “She started with my team as an undergraduate at Tulane and she has consistently contributed in measurable and meaningful ways to our work addressing cancer risk and outcomes in the many communities that we serve. I’m especially proud of her efforts to better appreciate how the distribution of green space across the Miami metropolitan area contributes to variability in melanoma incidence. This work can ultimately influence policy to reduce the impact of environmental determinants on cancer burden.”
Environment and Melanoma Risk
For her M.P.H. capstone project, Kaiser is designing a project with Dr. Kobetz that will use SCAN360 data to assess melanoma risk, tree canopy coverage and the urban heat island effect in Miami. She hopes to secure funding to address the intersection of environmental exposures and melanoma risk.
In the coming months, Kaiser will also be joining the Firefighter Cancer Initiative on a project centered around skin cancer and the fire service.
“Firefighters are at a higher risk for various types of cancer,” she said. “They’re routinely exposed to carcinogens and increased UV radiation.”
As she looks ahead to her career in medicine, Kaiser is confident that public health will remain a central pillar of her practice. As a physician, she’ll continue to make health equity a priority.
“With the M.D./M.P.H., I’ll continue to analyze how the social determinants of health affect patients’ ability to seek and access care,” she said. “That kind of understanding is essential if we want to move toward true health equity.”
Tags: cancer research, Department of Medical Education, Dr. Erin Kobetz, M.D./M.P.H. Program, medical education, melanoma, student research, Sylverster Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative