Rebekah Brown
What does a typical day look like for you?
I have different responsibilities which may vary based on the day or week. I have 3-4 half-day clinics a week in which I see pediatric pulmonology patients and children with cystic fibrosis. I have meetings related to administration of the cystic fibrosis center in addition to quality improvement or research work ongoing locally at Vanderbilt and nationally in cystic fibrosis. I also have weeks in which I am on call for the hospital when I see patients admitted to the hospital on my primary pediatric pulmonary service, consult on patients regarding a pulmonology issue and perform bronchoscopies.
How did your experience at Sewanee impact your career trajectory?
Many people in the medical field may advise college students to focus on pre-med and science courses and avoid liberal arts colleges. I feel that my experience at Sewanee through the liberal arts education and the high level discussions between professors and students prepared me for academic medicine in a way that other colleges would not. As an academic physician, the ability to communicate effectively through both written word and open conversations is critical when communicating with patients and families, colleagues across the country or world, and in publications within one's field. Sewanee prepares graduates to excel in this type of communication while also providing a sound academic background which has been critical to my career journey through academic medicine.
What advice would you give to someone who would like to go to the field you’re in?
Be open to new opportunities and projects. Every opportunity, even if it does not directly relate to your ideas about your future career, will provide knowledge and experience which will affect your career path in a positive way. I love pediatric pulmonology and cystic fibrosis because of the patients in addition to the opportunities to work in quality improvement, clinical research, education, clinical care guidelines development and team building. Much of the work I perform on a regular basis all started with my saying, "Yes," to opportunities earlier in my training.
