For Immediate Release:

Monday, June 12, 2023

A successful physician is advocating for public health by being a medical news correspondent and writer who promotes healthy living and wellness.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, June 12, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Dr. Deborah Houk is a mother, wife and a groundbreaking physician. Deborah graduated from Stanford University in four years with a bachelors and a master’s degree in biology and graduated from medical school at George Washington University with a concentration in community and urban health. This prepared the future doctor for her internal medicine residency at Yale, and now, she is a successful internal medicine hospitalist. For as long as Deborah can remember, she always knew she was going to become a doctor. The reason for that is early on, her parents told her a story about the day she was born. They said a woman came into the hospital room, saw Deborah and said, “that girl is going to be a doctor.” That simple statement became a prophesy for Deborah's life, and she took it as fact. The decisions that followed, which college to go to, which major to study, what classes to take, all were made easier for her, in a way, as she believed she had the overarching destiny to become a medical doctor.

Liana Zavo: What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

DH: Throughout my training and career I have been exposed to intense emotions including grief, anger, frustration, and sadness. I have witnessed patients suffering and can’t help but feel responsible for my patient’s health outcomes. It’s been extremely helpful that I’ve learned to manage these emotions and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Everything I do as a physician relies on my communication skills. Effective communication is essential for building trust with patients and their families and for delivering high quality care. I’ve been trained in effective communication techniques in the hospital setting, including active listening and empathy to ensure that my patients are heard and understood, and also, to ensure that my recommendations are carried out by the patient care team. Medicine is a constantly evolving field, and as such, I have to keep up with new research developments to provide the best possible care to my patients. The COVID Pandemic was a challenge for everyone, but as a doctor, it was particularly challenging because I can’t not know how to take care of my patients, no matter how novel a pathogen is. Medical training is lengthy, in total I spent 11 years in training before becoming a medical attending. Not only is it lengthy, but it was also extremely expensive! In fact, I attended the most expensive medical school in the United States during my 4 years at George Washington University School of Medicine. I wish someone told me how important it was to carefully consider the financial implications of a medical career, which even though it wouldn’t have dissuaded me from becoming a doctor, it would have helped me plan better. As a doctor, I focus on caring for others, and during my training, I admit that I neglected my own well-being in favor of the external demands I was under. I didn’t prioritize self-care, and I suffered because of it. Now, I treat self-care like I treat health-care, it’s too important.

LZ: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

DH: One funny mistake I made early on in training happened my first day of my medical rotations in the hospital as a third-year medical student. My first rotation was obstetrics and gynecology, and on my first day, I was assigned to the labor and delivery floor. I was so excited to assist with giving birth and was quickly ushered into the operating room for a patient who was having a C-section. Everything was going well, I was watching every incision, taking note of all the layers between the skin and the uterus, focusing intently, until my vision started to go black. It was as if I was entering a tunnel, as the periphery of my vision was slowly closing in with darkness. My skin began to get cold and clammy, and I noticed feeling faint and nauseated. Someone asked me if I was ok, but I couldn’t answer. It turns out, I had locked my knees, which is a no-no for anyone standing for a prolonged period of time, and I was about to pass out! Luckily, the surgical techs knew it was my first day, so they already had a stool ready for the medical student who couldn’t hang on their first day in the OR. Thankfully, my near lapse of consciousness didn’t have any effect on patient care and I can laugh about it today.

LZ: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

DH: Becoming a successful doctor requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and a lifelong commitment to learning and improving, but it also requires help along the way. I have benefited from the support and guidance from numerous mentors, colleagues, family, and friends during my quest to become a physician, all of whom I’ve personally thanked and continue to be grateful towards on an ongoing basis. Aside from them, however, I would like to use this opportunity to express my tremendous gratitude towards my patients, as throughout my practice, they have provided me with a sense of purpose and motivation to provide the best care possible, which has been integral to my achievements. My patients are the ones who have helped me strive to improve the practice of medicine as a whole.

As a physician, Deborah recognizes the importance of access to healthcare for overall global health and well-being. If she could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, it would be a movement to improve global access to healthcare.

Liana Zavo
ZavoMedia PR Group
+1 2128147176
hello@zavomediapr.com