Organization
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Personal Statement
I developed a keen interest in the field of cardiology very early in my childhood owing to the suffering of someone I hold very close my heart. My younger sister dreamed of becoming a long distance runner when she grew up. However, her dream shattered prematurely when she was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease. A girl who wished to develop the strength, stamina and endurance to run marathons was incapable of enjoying the simplest playtime activities with her friends – something that every child is privileged to take for granted. Further, my sister had to be hospitalized multiple times, each hospitalization taking away from her physical ability to perform tasks that others her age would consider ‘normal’. The intense desire to help my little sister ignited my interest in the field of medicine, particularly in the study of cardiovascular ailments and their treatment. Although becoming a doctor was considered by many to be too ambitious for a young man from rural Ethiopia, I was able to join medical school after passing the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination with great distinction.
On completion of medical school education, I was able to begin my medical profession as a general practitioner in rural Ethiopia. As no cardiologist was available at the hospital, the burden of all cardiology patients fell on my shoulders. Needless to say most modern technologies such as MRI/CT scan or Echo were not easily available and this presented several challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular ailments. As a result, I had to base most of my medical decisions on patient interviews and physical examinations. Despite the tough working conditions, I gained tremendous exposure to a broad variety of heart disease patients each facing their unique challenge, allowing me to gain invaluable field experience. Although I was thankful for the prospects that being a general practitioner provided me with in Ethiopia, I always felt the need to further develop my skills attain expertise in the field of cardiology.
As a step towards this goal, I am attending residency training in the US. This has given me the opportunity to amalgamate my education, basic skill set and experience with the new technologies and medical advances that I now had access to. I have focused my efforts on cardiology and have been working hard to learn everything I can about cardiovascular diseases and treatment. Simultaneously, I began to develop my research skills by actively participating in data collection, compilation and literature review of a study titled ‘Past and Future Systolic Dysfunction is Common in Patients Diagnosed with Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction’. Holding a Masters degree in Public Health and having a strong background in statistics, I able to make a noteworthy contribution in designing and calculating sample sizes for two ongoing researches that are awaiting institutional board review and approval. My experiences during residency have fully cemented my aspiration to become cardiologist
On personal level, I am often perceived as humble and reserved while on professional level I am confident and goal oriented. With regards to my long term professional aspirations, I envision three things. Firstly, I would like to become a highly competent cardiologist. Secondly, I would like to remain committed to an academic career. Finally, I intend to advance my career in clinical research. I believe that I have the right combination of motivation, solid medical knowledge and research skill with strong statistics background to become an excellent academic cardiologist. I believe my association with your esteemed institution will be mutually beneficial.
I thank you for consideration of my application to become part of your program and look forward to your response.
