Chloe is a public health researcher, a mentor for emerging scholars, and an aspiring physician, shaped by her experience as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and her commitment to serving underrepresented communities. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at Vanderbilt University, on the global health track. This summer, she is interning at the Tennessee Department of Health, for the Traumatic Brain Injury Program, and at Comma as a PCOS Clinical Research and Cohort Development Intern.
My journey into STEM has not been a straight line but a dynamic and fulfilling path shaped by a deep curiosity about the human brain, the social systems that connect us, and the opportunity to create change in communities that have long been overlooked. My passion for medicine didn’t begin in a lecture hall. It began in rural clinics in Ghana and Guatemala through my work with Global Medical Brigades. There, I helped research local health trends, created patient education materials, and delivered presentations to demystify symptoms and illness. I saw how knowledge could transform fear into agency and how culturally competent education could prevent illness before it became a crisis. That formative experience showed me that real care doesn’t end with a prescription. It begins with understanding.
But my most defining lesson in medicine came from my own body. At age fifteen, I was hospitalized with a ruptured ovarian cyst. Over the next five years, I experienced irregular periods, severe cramping, acne, and weight fluctuations. Despite seeing multiple providers, my symptoms were repeatedly dismissed until I was finally diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at twenty. It wasn’t the healthcare system that led me to answers. It was my own persistence. These experiences are not rare, they are what many women, particularly women of color, encounter regularly. I am determined to become the kind of physician who listens the first time and brings a lens of compassion and cultural humility to every clinical interaction.
That determination led me to pursue a Master of Public Health at Vanderbilt University, where I’ve explored how social determinants of health shape long-term outcomes. My research and community work have been driven by the belief that healthcare is a human right, and that physicians must be accountable not just to science, but to the communities they serve.
This belief led me to Comma, a femtech startup, where I became the company’s first PCOS Clinical Research and Cohort Development Intern. In this role, I contribute to research that challenges outdated assumptions and works to close the gap in PCOS diagnosis for younger patients. Patients like me, who are so often overlooked. I am not just gathering data. I am helping reimagine what PCOS care can look like. Even as I work at the intersection of public health, research, and innovation, I have come to realize something deeper. I want to be the one sitting across from the patient. I want to help them understand what’s happening, what comes next, and how to take control of their health. No other role offers the same opportunity to blend science, trust, and systems-level change as being a physician.
As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, I carry with me the stories of my family and my community. I hope to become a doctor who rewrites those stories. One who makes healthcare more accessible, more compassionate, and more just. After completing my Master of Public Health, I plan to apply to medical school next spring. My journey has been fueled by lived experience, academic rigor, and an unwavering drive to serve. I am ready to become the kind of physician I once needed. One who doesn’t just treat disease but empowers people.
Connect with Chloe on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
My journey into STEM has not been a straight line but a dynamic and fulfilling path shaped by a deep curiosity about the human brain, the social systems that connect us, and the opportunity to create change in communities that have long been overlooked. My passion for medicine didn’t begin in a lecture hall. It began in rural clinics in Ghana and Guatemala through my work with Global Medical Brigades. There, I helped research local health trends, created patient education materials, and delivered presentations to demystify symptoms and illness. I saw how knowledge could transform fear into agency and how culturally competent education could prevent illness before it became a crisis. That formative experience showed me that real care doesn’t end with a prescription. It begins with understanding.
But my most defining lesson in medicine came from my own body. At age fifteen, I was hospitalized with a ruptured ovarian cyst. Over the next five years, I experienced irregular periods, severe cramping, acne, and weight fluctuations. Despite seeing multiple providers, my symptoms were repeatedly dismissed until I was finally diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at twenty. It wasn’t the healthcare system that led me to answers. It was my own persistence. These experiences are not rare, they are what many women, particularly women of color, encounter regularly. I am determined to become the kind of physician who listens the first time and brings a lens of compassion and cultural humility to every clinical interaction.
That determination led me to pursue a Master of Public Health at Vanderbilt University, where I’ve explored how social determinants of health shape long-term outcomes. My research and community work have been driven by the belief that healthcare is a human right, and that physicians must be accountable not just to science, but to the communities they serve.
This belief led me to Comma, a femtech startup, where I became the company’s first PCOS Clinical Research and Cohort Development Intern. In this role, I contribute to research that challenges outdated assumptions and works to close the gap in PCOS diagnosis for younger patients. Patients like me, who are so often overlooked. I am not just gathering data. I am helping reimagine what PCOS care can look like. Even as I work at the intersection of public health, research, and innovation, I have come to realize something deeper. I want to be the one sitting across from the patient. I want to help them understand what’s happening, what comes next, and how to take control of their health. No other role offers the same opportunity to blend science, trust, and systems-level change as being a physician.
As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, I carry with me the stories of my family and my community. I hope to become a doctor who rewrites those stories. One who makes healthcare more accessible, more compassionate, and more just. After completing my Master of Public Health, I plan to apply to medical school next spring. My journey has been fueled by lived experience, academic rigor, and an unwavering drive to serve. I am ready to become the kind of physician I once needed. One who doesn’t just treat disease but empowers people.
Connect with Chloe on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
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