Student Spotlight: Michael Bagg, MS3
Michael Bagg graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in international studies. He is currently in his third year at McGovern Medical School. His current specialty interest is pediatrics (inpatient).
What is your favorite thing about McGovern Medical School?
I have been fairly successful with my time here and really enjoyed the opportunities presented to me. I think there is a lot of opportunity to follow your interests, and there’s a lot of freedom given to students to identify mentors who will help them find projects that they’re really passionate about. I think that McGovern Medical School is uniquely supportive of that – that ability to really identify where you want to go. Whatever you’re interested in, there is somebody here for it. If you look, you can find a mentor who can help you pursue an area that you’re interested in. For me, that topic is advocacy. There are some really fantastic individuals like Dr. McKay, who has opened up a lot of doors.
Another thing I love about McGovern Medical School is that you can see everything. After our cardiovascular block, I shadowed in the PICU and I saw every single congenital heart defect that we learned about. That’s not something that every institution gets. I have gotten so much exposure to all the different types of pathologies and I think that’s really giving me an unparalleled foundation for wherever I go to residency. I feel that I have been very well prepared, and I’m really excited to apply that knowledge.
Tell us about some of the things that you are involved in at McGovern Medical School?
I think my biggest involvement has been in gun violence prevention. For the last three years, I’ve been working in gun violence prevention and using my voice as a medical student to try and continue conversations about how we can decrease gun violence in our communities. I’ve had the chance to write two opinion pieces for the Houston Chronicle. I am from El Paso, and while no one I know was injured, that mass shooting really impacted me. Writing is one of my ways of coping, and continuing that conversation. I also worked on developing a gun violence prevention class that’s being replicated at other institutions. We’ve prioritized addressing gun violence in a very neutral way at McGovern Medical School.
The other thing I have really enjoyed is being a speaker about Prader-Willi syndrome. My younger brother has Prader-Willi syndrome, so I’ll go speak to the first-year class after they have their team-based learning [about Prader-Willi] and walk them through what this syndrome actually means to the patient and their family. I really love the opportunity to talk to first-years about what it’s like to be a family member of somebody who’s living with this chronic condition that is going to be managed, but not cured.
Why did you choose medicine?
I was not planning on going into medicine at first. International studies is not necessarily something that I’m ignoring. I think it’s still something I could integrate into medical practice. I was originally planning to finish ROTC, go to the state department, and go into diplomacy. I had an experience working in a Congressman’s office in Texas District 16. I had the chance to work in the district office where I was interacting regularly with the VA and I realized that I really loved being able to help individuals. I wanted to put myself in a position where I could treat people in a very personal way in the clinic, but also help them access care. I feel like as a physician, you’re putting yourself in a position where you have a very unique voice – you are treating your patient, treating their ailments, trying to prevent them from getting sick, but you also have an obligation to ensure they can access that care.
I’ve always been very interested in policy and politics, and I feel like those are intricately linked with medicine. It’s ⅙ of the US GDP, so if physicians don’t speak up, then somebody else is going to be dictating how we take care of our patients. When I came to medical school, I was intent on using my experience to get more involved in TMA, AMA, or the Harris County Medical Society, because I recognize it’s incredibly important that we be involved in organized medicine.
What is your favorite part about third year clinical rotations?
Third year has been so much fun. Previously, on my preceptorships, I was shadowing. This is very different than the experience you have third year where you have your own patients, you’re going in, getting the history, doing the exam, and presenting to the patient. You’re doing your best and you play a role on that patient’s team. It is so incredibly rewarding to get to a point where you feel like you’re contributing to their care. You fill a very important role on your patient’s team and it just takes a little bit of time to realize it, but once you do it’s the best feeling in the world.