For Isaiah Carter, his white coat represents change.
“I’m a first-generation doctor and a first-generation graduate student in my family,” he said.
He’s also a first-year medical student at the University of Houston.
“My interest in medicine really started at a young age,” Carter said. “I have a mother that’s a 26-year breast cancer survivor.”
Now, Carter is hoping to pay it forward. He’s one of 60 students that will be attending school at the brand new college of medicine building at the University of Houston.
“The mission for this school and what they’re trying to accomplish, it’s amazing,” Carter said.
The university began construction on the three-story, medical school building in July 2020. It was founded on a social mission to serve underserved communities and address a nationwide shortage of primary care physicians.
“This is a community-based medical school focused on improving the health of the community, and so we’re delighted to be in the community, located right here in the Third Ward,” Dr. Stephen Spann, Founding Dean of UHCOM and Vice President of Medical Affairs said.
That access was celebrated Wednesday during a preview of the new building
“When you have a medical school of this caliber, it puts us on a different level,” Tilman Fertitta, chair of the University of Houston System Board of Regents said.
“To see what you’ve been able to achieve is extremely special,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Carter is now looking forward to the day he can focus on disease prevention.
“We’re being trained to look at patient health holistically and being able to meet each of those areas of need,” he said.
Source: www.click2houston.com
