Jonathan Lee, MSIII
Age: 24
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
College: Pomona College
Major(s): Molecular Biology
Highlights of Pre-Med Career: 3 years of research in genetics; worked as a senior director of a social casework volunteer organization; received classical voice training for 7 years, competed in opera competitions in high school and college, and was a frequent soloist in my college choir and chamber choir.
Why medicine?
I want to be in a position to affect systemic change for those trapped in perpetual poverty in America and abroad. Among the many factors leading to and resulting from perpetual poverty is a lack of mental and/or physical well-being and the access to basic health care necessary to recover and pursue a life beyond daily survival. I felt called to learn how to best care for these people.
Why Pritzker?
First, few medical schools showed the kind of commitment to teaching medical students about underserved populations and the failings of the current health care system. Secondly, Pritzker excels at all the endeavors of a medical school: teaching, research, and patient care. Lastly, Pritzker is surrounded by the legendary University of Chicago institution as a whole. Pritzker is incredibly supportive of students wanting to take advantage of the multi-disciplinary resources. The medical education system thus far has given me the freedom and flexibility to continue to fully pursue my interests in other fields, such as entrepreneurship, economics, and health policy, and I believe my ability to treat patients in the future will be better for it.
Advice for a successful first year
Make absolutely sure that you make time to pursue your other interests. Studying medicine all day every day will be too taxing and mind-numbing. It could be as simple as reading every night before you go to bed, learning how to play guitar, playing Call of Duty 4 on your Playstation 3, or watching tons of streaming movies and tv shows online. Whatever it is you think you need to quit doing now that you’re in medical school- keep doing it!
Best part of medical school (so far…)
Getting to know the amazing classmates I’m surrounded by. I not only highly respect each and every one of my classmates, but I also sincerely like each and every one of them as well. I may not know every person in depth, but I can see that my classmates truly care about each other, and it’s a privilege to go through these next four years with them.
Though made up of unique individuals, our small class size allows us to be a cohesive and supportive group.
Summer plans
Pritzker’s commitment to student research led our school to receive one of the few NIH-funded student research grants, which gives almost every single student the option of doing a research project with a U of C faculty member with a stipend of approximately $5000. Thus, like most of my classmates, I will be enjoying the sunny Chicago summer at Pritzker while doing research. My project, under the mentorship of Dr. Elmer Abbo, will consist of University of Chicago Medical Center cost-shifting data analysis. I hope it will lead to a better understanding of how cost-shifting at the level of the hospital affects quality and access of care for patients.
I also plan to play lots of golf with my classmates at the nearby public golf course.
