Personal Statement

Poopak Vafaii

Trying to articulate how events in my life have ignited my interest in pathology is likely to sound
contrived rather than profound. Nevertheless, I believe that discussing my specific exposure to
pathology is an effective way to express how my interest originally developed, and how it matured to a
level worthy of a lifetime pursuit.
Having a physician for a father and mother, who were both passionate for their careers and
empathetic towards their patients, sparked my initial interest in pursuing a career in medicine. With their
guidance I was able to further develop my interest by narrowing it down to an area most intriguing to
me. My passion for learning combined with my parents’ encouragement allowed me to grow
academically and achieve a ranking of 413 in a pool of 500,000 applicants, and thereby granted a seat
in Iran’s most prestigious medical school (Shahid Beheshti Shool of Medicine/Tehran). Admission to
this medical school was a significant accomplishment and the beginning of my journey to becoming a
physician. During my seven years of medical school, I made sure to remain conscious of the reason I
had chosen medicine: to make a difference in people’s lives and remedy their pain.

The decision to become a pathologist was established early during my 18-month internship in Iran
during which, I was responsible for patient care. Later I worked independently as a general practitioner
for an additional two years. During this experience I came to regard pathologists as the consultants in the
medical world, those who are referred to when establishing a difficult diagnosis, and on whose opinion
other team members rely. As important members of the clinical team, the diagnoses made by
pathologists determine how the patient will be treated, and ultimately, what the outcome for the patient
will be. The advanced technology, multimodality of pathology, the interaction with a multitude of
primary care and specialty physicians, and the pathologist as a clinical problem solver, made this field
intellectually stimulating to me. Additionally, I view pathology as a bridge between the clinical and
scientific realms where basic science, research, and the clinical experience are linked, a combination I
find truly appealing. I truly enjoy the laboratory aspect of examining live tissue and performing research
that is intertwined in the field of pathology, and I hope to one day serve as a faculty member in
contributing to this exciting research.

Although I knew it would be a challenging endeavor to find a residency position in the United States,
my strong desire to become a well trained pathologist coupled with the certainty I felt about my diligent
nature, led me to move to the U.S. to begin this challenge. Furthermore, coming from a country where
women’s rights are often lacking, I felt the many obstacles that lay in my path to educational growth and
becoming a leader in the medical field, a prospect which I feel I have the opportunity to attain here in
the US. I was given the opportunity to participate in research, (a pilot project involving analysis of the
expression of mesenchymal stem cell markers in archived bone marrow specimens) at the Biomedical
Research Center in Jackson Memorial Hospital, directed by Drs. Cote and Datar at the University of
Miami. Presently, I am engaged with this project while learning manual immunohistochemistry staining
techniques.
 Since January 2010, I have had the opportunity to observe as many sign-out sessions, conferences,
and journal club meetings as possible. I have observed the importance of methodical attention to detail,
commitment, dedication, persistence, self-discipline, and communication with other specialties as the
key characteristics of a skilled pathologist. These are the valuable characteristics that I will strive to
improve within myself throughout my career in pathology. I have also found while working for seven
months with the UM-Pathology group, that this experience has not only helped me improve my
knowledge in the field, but it has also had a positive effect on my personal life. For instance I find
myself more confident about my decision to pursue a career in pathology, as I find the qualities
necessary for a successful pathologist strengthening within me

I believe my observant nature, meticulous attention to detail, and profound love for research and
analysis give me the qualities necessary to pursue a residency in pathology. I believe the past 8 months
of research in pathology have only strengthened this desire and enhanced my knowledge in the field,
propelling me to work ever harder in achieving this long-held goal.

I am enthusiastic about being granted acceptance into a program that will facilitate my ultimate goal
of becoming a skilled pathologist who will make positive contributions in any work setting, academic or
private practice. Thus far, I have found this field to be a constant intellectual challenge. I am fully aware
of the demands placed on pathology residents and I optimistically anticipate the challenges ahead.