“Define the Limit: Assessing Physician Perspective
on the Social Authority of Medicine”

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Tell us about your Rudin experience. 
My project explored the intersection of health prevention and stigma. I sought to find out how clinicians decide how far to go when preventing illness requires behavior change. 

Who was your mentor?  Dr. Kathleen Bachynski

What was your topic? Specifically, I used pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as a paradigm that merges biomedical intervention, behavior change, and illness prevention in the highly stigmatized historical context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the medical marginalization of sexual and gender minorities. 

What was the research experience like? 
I conducted focused interviews with experts in HIV/AIDS and PrEP from across a range of disciplines including physicians, legal experts, community advocates, and public health officials.

How did the Fellowship impact your role as a physician and a writer? 
The Fellowship challenged me to explore a new writing style that was a departure from the strictly scientific approach I am used to from my public health and biomedical research experiences. It gave me a platform to reflect on my development in approaching my topic throughout my medical training. 

What publications and professional invitations came out of it?  
A personal narrative is currently under revision at JAMA Ethics, and I hope to publish an Op-Ed elsewhere later.

What are you working on currently? 
Revising my personal narrative manuscript and preparing my opinion editorial for resubmission.