Pursuing a career in the medical field may seem daunting, but guidance from someone who has experienced the process can provide direction.
Patricia DeLaMora graduated from Binghamton University in 1995 with a degree in biology and currently works as an infectious disease pediatrician, dealing with ailments that stem from bacteria, fungus or parasites. She was invited to BU to talk to students about medical career paths.
DeLaMora currently works as an associate attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and is an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medical College. She was asked to speak at BU by Harpur Edge, along with the pre-health professions advising office and the Harpur College Dean’s office.
Leah Joggerst, the director of constituent relations for Harpur College, said that she thought DeLaMora was someone whose unique career would be a good perspective for students to hear.
“She’s been on our list for a while,” Joggerst said. “I saw what she does for a living and thought that that was interesting and that we haven’t had a speaker that’s done that topic before.”
DeLaMora originally came to BU with the intention of becoming a veterinarian, but then decided to go to medical school. One of her reasons for choosing pediatrics specifically was so she could develop a meaningful relationship with her patients.
“I really enjoyed that continuity of care,” she said. “I didn’t want to see a patient just once then never see them again. I liked seeing people grow up.”
After graduating from BU, DeLaMora went on to earn her MD from New York Medical College. After completing both her residency and fellowship, she got her current job in New York. She said that she believes BU provided a good start to her education.
DeLaMora said that two classes in particular that she took at BU influenced her and made her realize that there were many different topics to be studied within the medical field.
“The medical anthropology class and the medical ethics class were a big click for me,” DeLaMora said. “[Those were] a big mind opener for me with medicine; that it could be more than just medicine and chemistry and biology.”
Despite saying she loves her career, DeLaMora cited some obstacles that she has had to face that she said prospective students should keep in mind. She said the ability to speak up for yourself is a very important, and it can be hard to go far in the field without being assertive. She also discussed the financial difficulties that go along with putting oneself through college.
“I think also, financially, it’s very, very difficult for many years,” she said. “And I hate to keep talking about that, but it’s such a thing that you really have to realize.”
Andrew Silverman, a senior majoring in biology, came to hear about the field from a different perspective than he was used to.
“My mom’s a doctor too, and she’s told me about this,” Silverman said. “But it was nice to hear from a different source the perspective of what residency and fellowship is like.”