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SAN ANTONIO
MEDICINE
Understanding
Patient Healing
By Edward Visnaw
Everyone is going through something and has a story,
whether it is externally apparent or not.
My first research project as a medical student explored the rela- My role in the project was to interview patients and collect data
tionship between social determinants of health and the subjective from their charts. However, my experience went beyond survey an-
and objective outcomes of diabetic patients. The subjects were pa- swers and numbers and became very intimate and personal. When
tients seen by providers within the Resident Research Network of a memorable patient opened up to me, I realized how truly honored
Texas (RRNeT), a collaboration of twelve different Texas family I was to be in this position and for her to share a very personal story
medicine residency programs. As a starting second-year medical stu- with me. I was humbled, and having completed only my first year
dent, this project provided my first real exposure to a clinical envi- of medical school at that time, I did not anticipate that a patient
ronment. I had not yet taken endocrinology and was eager to learn could leave such a lasting mark on my career.
through speaking with patients at the primary care clinic. I met her on a typical summer day in San Antonio. I was excited
28 San Antonio Medicine • November 2020
