Podcast: A Medical Student’s Journey of Resilience
We’re highlighting our Class of 2024 students in advance of Match Day 2024, taking place on March 15. Stay connected with the Miller School of Medicine on social media for more student profiles and to follow along for live Match Day coverage.
Medical student Pia Iribarren talks with Dean Henri Ford, M.D., M.H.A., about how her experience with health care has motivated her to change it.
Latina immigrant. DACA recipient. First-generation physician.
Meet Pia Iribarren, M.P.H., a medical student in the soon-to-be graduating Class of 2024. Pia joined the latest Inside U Miami Medicine episode to share her journey in medicine, which began at a young age.
“We were uninsured throughout my entire childhood. The interactions that I had with health care were in emergency situations,” she said. “Figuring out a new system as an immigrant family and also as an undocumented family, in particular, was always a bit challenging, but it motivated me to want to change it.”
These pivotal moments became the driving force behind Pia’s path to medical school, where she seamlessly blended her passion for science, public health and community advocacy. Despite encountering numerous challenges along the way, including starting medical school during the pandemic, her determination has brought her to the cusp of graduation. Soon she will attend Match Day and learn, along with the rest of her class, where she will be completing the next step of her training.
“I think any student who is pursuing medicine and has had similar experiences to me needs to know that there are people out there who want to help you,” she said. “I think that’s what surprised me the most. Especially here at Miller, there are so many people who are willing to help. You just have to look for it and be proactive about it, and it’ll happen.”
Tune in to the latest episode of Inside U Miami Medicine, where you can learn more about Pia’s story and discover how she is changing the future of medicine, especially for families like her own.
Tags: Dean Henri Ford, Inside U Miami Medicine podcast, Match Day, Match Day 2024, Medical Education Donors and Scholars Luncheon