Karam Hamada

Karam as a medical student

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Karam as a child

• What kind of identities do you inhabit?

  First-generation medicine (No family in medicine), Child of Diaspora (Palestinian refugee), 2nd generation immigrant (parents are only college-educated family members), Arab-American, Religious minority (Muslim), Eldest Child

• The path to medicine is not easy. Can you tell us why you decided to pursue it?

  It started with the stereotype of immigrant parents pressuring their child to pursue medicine or engineering at first, but it took me time to actually make the conscious decision to pursue medicine. I had a good relationship with my pediatrician over the years, who was from a Latin immigrant population and always went above and beyond during appointments to address the external factors that impact our health and provide us with resources to possibly address them. Having had no family in medicine, the only time any of us sought care was when we were physically unable to do our work or "duties." When I received a scholarship to a private high school and also in undergrad, I finally began to have experiences in medicine. I love the ability of medicine to not only improve the function and health of our patients but also use our expertise and knowledge to support community efforts. I am inspired to help bridge the huge gap between the community and physicians as an overwhelming majority of my own family and community do not trust the healthcare system and medical guidelines given a plethora of negative experiences in our community.

• Can you describe a challenging moment in medicine that made you rethink your career path?

  Obviously, a big one for many people is how helpless you can feel in medicine when you look at the big picture. A large amount of healthcare nowadays seems to be run by politicians, insurance companies, and medical supply companies that have a monopoly on how much things will cost, who will get paid, and what will get covered. This significantly limits the treatment options we can provide patients, as it can feel like the choice is being made for the patient by people who have limited expertise in the field and did not go through extensive medical training. This was challenging for me, as I do not want to work personally in either suburban or more privileged, wealthier communities. I felt that these regions may be the only ones who can afford the recommended and encouraging treatment options. However, I was able to overcome my fears to some extent by taking a step back and focusing locally. Yes, in the big picture, everything can feel overwhelming. There are great people in each and every community in this country who are putting in the work to build a better life for their people, we just have to go and seek them out. These people continue to work on putting together affordable, low-cost resources for patients, including housing, transportation, medical supplies, medications, and food. As a physician, being able to immerse myself in and gain an understanding of these resources can make our patients health care experiences significantly more manageable. I could now recommend an exercise regimen and diet with food for the patient to take home and free to low-cost community therapy classes. Obviously, this is community development, but I see great progress when I look locally rather than when I look nationally.

• How do you see a career in PM&R as advancing equity? Or alternatively - why are you interested in this organization? Why equity and PM&R?

  As alluded to earlier, this field draws me largely because of its focus on improving function for our patients and our communities. A large portion of this country only seeks medical care when their physical function is impaired. Patients are motivated when their physicality is at stake. This is when you see people maybe making the decision to cut back on smoking, modify their diets, increase activity, etc. I want patients to stop feeling sorry for the only lives they have and increase their capacity for self-improvement so they can feel comfortable pursuing their passions. PM&R directly plays a role in all of these components, in my eyes. Representation in Rehab has the ability to work closely with students, faculty, and patients from populations similar to my own who can share their experiences, and we can all work together to discover ways to ensure appropriate cultural understanding and adjust our treatment modalities to best fit the societal, structural, cultural, and personal needs of the patient. I am very excited for the ability to meet a lot of new people and hear their stories.

• Can you tell us a little bit of your aspirations - either for your career or for the field of medicine (if you’re a medical student?)

  I may have answered this in previous questions, but I have a passion for bridging the gap between under-resourced communities who have a mistrust of the healthcare system and the medical world. It takes a lot of time and money to have the privilege of becoming a doctor, and a large number of my friends I grew up with were not able to pursue their passions due to these barriers. A large portion of the communities I find myself in have found a growing disconnect with their personal healthcare providers due to their inability to have their concerns properly understood and addressed while feeling like they are being belittled and blamed for their current health. Word for word, people I am close with have told me, "I would rather not know I have a health problem and feel good about myself than go see a doctor who tells me everything is wrong with me." Diversity is key towards proper understanding and key to my personal interests. Having grown up in an underserved urban environment, I plan to practice in a similar setting. A personal interest of mine is the realm of post-trauma care. I have noted through my experiences that there is a large unmet need for rehabilitation, mental health, proper follow-up, and overall life morbidity management in people who recently had a traumatic injury. They may receive the care or surgery they need in the moment but are often unable to follow up due to information system issues, transportation issues, or not feeling truly supported during their post-traumatic care. I plan to explore the role Physiatry can play in this.

• Find me on social media

  Twitter: @KaramMHamada

  Instagram: @karamjames

Last updated 8/2023