episode 5: alexandra brenin

January 12, 2021

If you ask my parents, they say the only word out of my mouth once I learned how to talk was “why?” That's it. “But why? Why is it like that? Why do I have to do it that way?” I’ve always been curious. I just want to know. I want to know because I gain awareness of different perspectives and it’s humbling. I'm always curious about what else there is other than what I know. I'm hungry and I always want more. It also makes me unafraid of failure. I'm comfortable with the ups and the downs of the learning process; I respect it, because you can't have the highs without the lows. You can't have those moments of the light bulb clicking without the struggle and messiness of weaving through it first. 

I've always known that I wanted to be a doctor.  It’s never been a question for me, so it makes it almost difficult to answer the question “what makes you want to be a doctor?” But I don’t want to only be a doctor. I always want to experience more. So, while I took all the premed classes in college, I was actually a comparative religion major. I really like literature analysis and with comparative religion, you get to read all of the different important religious texts, talk about them, and delve into the history and anthropology of the people living in those times. It’s a different perspective; on schools of thought, approaches to learning, and ways of living. 

When I graduated college, I put off studying for the MCAT and applied for an internship at the podcast, “Radiolab,” even though I thought there was no way I was going to get accepted. I grew up listening to NPR in my household, and public radio in general is very near and dear to my heart, because I believe in free access to knowledge and resources. Radiolab was working to incorporate music and sound with storytelling to make it accessible and more memorable for people with different learning styles. I just loved what they were doing there! I ended up moving to Manhattan and working for Radiolab for five months. I learned how to tell other people’s stories and got to work with very brilliant people, which was so humbling. I was so bad at it and I loved every second! 

After that, I wondered, well now what? I had never been to Colorado, so naturally I needed to move to Denver. I sat down at the dinner table one night with my parents (who actually met on M1 move-in day at NYMC!) and said, “I’m moving to Denver.” And they were like, “No you’re not. Why would you do what? Do you have a reason?”. I replied, “I don't really, but I'm doing it.” So, I moved to Colorado and I immediately knew that yes, this is right! Since I had no family or friends around, I decided to take an EMT class because what do I love more than learning? I actually met my partner in this EMT class, which is the last thing I thought would happen.

I spent time learning a lot about myself, doing things on a whim that were very fulfilling personally and mentally, and I felt very engaged with my life. I was ice climbing, volunteer scuba diving at the Denver Aquarium, running up mountains with my dog, and going rock climbing after work. But at some point, I wanted to focus back on my long-term plan, so I applied for more school. I completed a master’s program in biomedical science to hop back on the medicine train. I wrote my thesis on altitude medicine related to my interest in climbing 14ers (peaks above 14,000 feet) and altitude sickness. I get altitude sickness, so I have to take medication to climb 14ers and I've climbed around 30 of them. My partner gets above tree line and he's like a mountain goat. He is so amazing at climbing mountains and feels really vibrant and alive. For me, when I get up there, it’s hard for me to breathe. But I’ll tell you that standing on top of a peak that you’ve earned (think blood, sweat, and tears) and looking out into the vast, it absolutely offers a moment of clarity. There’s no confusing what’s important to you when you’re up there. 

After I graduated from my master’s program, I taught medical microbiology at the college level for a few semesters. That experience of learning how to work with students was really eye-opening because you realize how as a teacher, you need to be sensitive to everybody's different situation even when they don't want to be upfront with you about it. When you see that students are struggling, you try to pull them aside to have a conversation. But if they don't want to talk to you about it, then you have to respect that. 

I was also a clinical research coordinator in the NICU for years, worked at a dermatology office as a medical assistant, researched at Colorado Children's Hospital, and I actually spent five months studying abroad in Rwanda! I went there on a sustainable development program, even though I had never thought about studying that. The University of Virginia staffed one of the hospitals in Kigali, so I was able to connect with some physicians from my home program and trainees who had research projects going on. And what that meant is I got to help them access patient files and do chart review, but also got a ton of shadowing experience in the hospitals there. 

I’m aware of how privileged I am, and so I feel that my goal needs to be to give back as much as I possibly can in all of the capacities, because I have the time and ability and privilege to do that. I'm so excited to acquire the knowledge that allows me to make even more change and to help more people. I think that's why I'm here. 

What are your 5 Most Recently Played Artists on Spotify?
Brandi Carlile, Mipso, Lizzo, Kid Cudi, Nathaniel Rateliff

What has been helping you get through the pandemic?
Planning all the adventures I want to take when it’s over. So far I’ve planned a Grand Canyon backpacking trip and a few Colorado 14er trips and a diving with whale sharks trip.

What are some of your other hobbies?
Playing banjo, cooking, weight lifting, finding dream Airbnb vacation cabins.

What keeps you up at night?
Realizing that as you get older you really do turn into your parents.

What is your go-to bagel sandwich order?
Sesame bagel, scallion cream cheese, tomato, bacon.