Morgan Pierce is a student at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse through the Public Health Scholars program supported by the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), consortium of the medical schools in New York state. Pierce’s goal is to open a medical practice in a rural place like her hometown of West Davenport, New York.

Unfortunately, I know how hard it is to get medical care in rural areas. There are no doctors in my hometown of West Davenport, New York, something very common in most towns in the surrounding area.

There is a hospital about seven miles from my home, in Oneonta, with access to primary care and few other services, but seeing a specialist can often mean driving 45 minutes to an hour. Getting to a doctor is even more challenging for people like my grandparents and uncles who live further from Oneonta on small family farms. Farmers like them work long hours and often can’t take the time to seek medical care many miles away.

The result is that they get care only in extreme cases, when they’re unable to work. Then they want to get back to farming, which is their livelihood, and don’t always take the time needed to recover or follow the doctor’s instructions. I have an uncle who has had three shoulder replacements and he’s not 60 years old.

Since I was young, I’ve always liked science and eventually thought about becoming a doctor, but when I entered St. Bonaventure University, I had no idea how to go about it. No one in my family had worked in medicine. It wasn’t until my sophomore year during the Covid-19 pandemic that I realized what was necessary to get into medical school, but time was limited. I was majoring in biology and in my senior year of undergraduate, applied to 10 medical schools. I was waitlisted by one school, but ultimately, I wasn’t accepted by any of them.

Now, little more than a year later, I’m about to become a first-year student at Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. The Public Health Scholars program supported by the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) helped make that possible.

The program is a pathway to medical school for students who complete it successfully, which requires completing a master’s in public health. I was encouraged to apply after I was waitlisted at Upstate and last year was one of seven students accepted in the program that provided a stipend. I graduated in May with a master’s in public health and have applied for AMSNY’s Diversity in Medicine scholarship, which fully covers a year of medical school.

During my time in the Public Health Scholars program, I took courses in biostatistics, epidemiology and policy, which form the core of public health. A patient encounter was part of the program, demonstrating how to interact with patients and make meaningful conversations and change. Public health focuses on understanding the community and the people you are treating, and how that affects their health and well-being. What I learned in the program will influence the way I practice medicine.

The 2023-24 program year was the first time AMSNY provided financial support for the Public Health Scholars program at Upstate. I am grateful that AMSNY recognizes how important it is to understand all types of communities and train a wider range of potential physicians to provide care in these underserved areas, including rural communities. Getting into medical school is difficult and the process can be confusing. It’s good to know there are people who want to help.