On 24th September, we held the 55th Find-Your-Role-Model Session. We invited Dr Mark G. Shrime, the O’Brien Chair of Global Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Lecturer in Global Health and Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. This was our second online FYRM session.

Growing up, Dr. Shrime was given three choices from his parents; to become a lawyer, a doctor, or a failure. Choosing to pursue medicine, Dr. Shrime received his MD from the University of Texas, completed an otolaryngology residency, an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health, and a PhD in Health Policy (Decision Sciences) from Harvard University. Dr. Shrime’s academic pursuits focus on surgical delivery in low- and middle-income countries, where he has a specific interest in the intersection of health and impoverishment.

In this session, Dr. Shrime shared about his background and international experience, as well as advice on how to go about deciding a career (e.g. consider and compare the highest positions for multiple career paths of interest), and elaborated on his current efforts to improve access to surgical care in low- and middle-income countries, including the lack of medical personnel and infrastructure to perform surgical procedures. Dr. Shrime also shared about how best for students to prepare when deciding whether to pursue work in research, policy or at the grassroots level. Students also asked questions about Dr. Shrime's work-life balance and how to improve their quality of life as they pursue their careers.