Curriculum Vitae

CAREER SUMMARY:

Efficient, energetic and effective medical professional with six years of experience, with self initiative and leadership ability, who has good doctor/patient relationship abilities and a deep interest in residency in general surgery. Eager to apply surgical principles and knowledge to an educational and service environment.


EDUCATION:

George Washington University Hospital General Surgery Residency Program Washington, D.C., USA
General Surgery PGY-2 Resident (Preliminary)
July 1, 2006 to present

St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center General Surgery Residency Program New York, NY, USA
General Surgery Intern PGY-1 (Preliminary)
June 26, 2005- June 25, 2006

University of Panama, School of Medicine Panama, Rep. of Panama
Doctor in Medicine, 2000

Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
Bachelor of Science, Biology 1995
Minor in Chemistry


CERTIFICATIONS:

· Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Certification
Issued May 13, 2005
Certificate Number: 0-649-162-5
United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1: passed May 2003 grade of 211(86)
United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 3: passed Dec 2003 grade of 220 (89)
United States Medical Licensing Examination Step2-CS: Passed Dec 2004

· University of Panama National Residency Examination
Passed January 2004: Grade of 86 (96th percentile)

· American Heart Association
Advanced Cardiac and Life Resuscitation (ACLS) June 2005
Certification valid through June 2007

· American College of Surgeons
Course in Advanced Trauma and Life Support (ATLS) July 2006
Certification valid through July 2008

· Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL)
Passed Oct 03 grade of 633 and 5.0 on test of written English

· Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Rep. of Panama
Photography: Instrument for Scientific Investigation- 1998

· Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Rep. of Panama
Scientific Diving- 1993

LICENSE

License to practice medicine in the Republic of Panama: October 2002

WORK EXPERIENCE:

July 1,2006 - Present - George Washington University General Surgery Residency Program
General Surgery PGY-2 (preliminary) Washington, DC, USA

June 27, 2005- Present St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center General Surgery Residency Program
General Surgery Intern PGY-1 (Preliminary) New York, NY, USA

2004-2005 Clínica Hospital San Fernando Panama City, Rep. of Panama
Emergency Room physician

2004-2005 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City, Rep. of Panama
Researcher, Molecular Evolutions Laboratory

2003-2004 M.Y Amazon Express./Liquid Jungle Lab Veraguas, Rep. of Panama
Medical Officer

2001-2002 El Vigía Hospital (CSS) Chitre, Province of Herrera, Rep. of Panama
Government Service Medical Intern, second year

2000-2001 Metropolitan Hospital Complex (CSS) Panama City, Rep. of Panama
Goernment Service Medical Intern, first year

1995-2000 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama, Rep. of Panama
Research Assistant, Molecular Evolutions Laboratory

1994-1995 Baylor University Waco, TX, U.S.A.
Assistant, Human Physiology Laboratory

OTHER EXPERIENCE:

2002 Kiwanis International Club – Panama Canal Panama
Volunteer Medical Services

1996-2000 Medical-Scientific Journal, University of Panama, School of Medicine, Panama
Editorial Committee

1993 (May – August) Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute – Naos Marine Laboratories Panama
Volunteer Research Assistant for Dr. Paul Morris

1991 National Children’s Hospital Panama
Volunteer for Operation Smile International

LANGUAGES:

Complete fluency, both written and spoken in English and Spanish.

COMPUTER ABILITIES:

Proficient in Macintosh and Windows Systems as well as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Proficient in molecular genetics sequencing programs (Sequencher, Mac Clade, PAUP)
Knowledge in digital photography and Adobe Photoshop

AREAS OF INTERESTS:

Laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery
Reading, photography, deepwater fishing

COURSES/SEMINARS ATTENDED

January 2004 - American College of Physicians
Central America Region Scientific Meeting
10 CME credits
Panama City, Republic of Panama

October 2003 - American Heart Association
Advanced Cardiac and Life Support Seminar
Centro Médico Paitilla, Panama City, Republic of Panama

July 2003 - Centro Medico Paitilla and The Clevelend Clinic
XXVIII Scientific Actualization Seminars and Controversies in Gastroenterology and Surgery
Panama City, Republic of Panama

February 2003 – Canal Area Beneficiaries Program and the University of Panama
Symposium on Hypertension
6 CME credits
February 2003 – University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
27th Midwinter Symposium Surgical Challenges in Otolaryngology
Colorado, United States of America
20 CME credits

January 2003 – University of Panama School of Medicine
2nd National Toxinology Symposium
Panama City, Republic of Panama
24 CME hours

COURSES/SEMINARS ATTENDED - CONTINUATION

October 2002 – San Fernando Clinic-Hospital
X Medical Symposium “Dr. Jaime de la Guardia”
Panama City, Republic of Panama
12 CME hours

June 2000 – Panama Association of Family Physicians and Iberoamerican Confederation of Family Medicine
II National Family Medicine Congress and II Regional Iberoamerican Family Medicine Congress
Panama City, Republic of Panama
Presented Research Article

January 1999 – American College of Physicians
Central America Region Scientific Meeting
10 CME credits
Panama City, Republic of Panama

October 1999 – Latin American Society of Medical Students Scientific Societies and The University of Panama
XIV International Scientific Congress, VIII Panama Medical Student Congress and II International Medical Student Health Sciences Journals Meeting
Organizational Committee
Speaker: “Scientific Photography”
Participant
Panama City, Republic of Panama

May 1998 – University of Panama Medical School Student Scientific Committee
II Scientific Seminar
Panama City, University of Panama

November 1998 – Federation of Associations of Central American and Caribbean Pediatric Associations
XX Central American and Caribbean Pediatrics Congress
40 CME hours
Panama City, Republic of Panama

October 1998 – University of Panama Medical Student Association
Friday Scientific Lecture: Osteoporosis: Physiology and Treatment
Panama City, Republic of Panama

August 1998 – Panama Health Ministry, University of Panama and The Panama Infectious Disease Society
III National Infectious Diseases Congress
Panama City, Republic of Panama

January 1998 – American College of Physicians
Central America Region Scientific Meeting
10 CME hours
Panama City, Republic of Panama

OTHER CERTIFICATIONS/SEMINARS (NON MEDICAL)

October 2002 – Crocodile Specialist Group
16th Working Meeting Crocodile Specialist Group
Gainesville, Florida, United States of America

March 1998 – Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Photography: Instrument for Scientific Investigation
Panama City, Republic of Panama

September 1984 – National Association of Underwater Instructors
Scuba Diving Training Open water I
Panama City, Republic of Panama

PERSONAL REFERENCES:

· Paul Lin, MD
General Surgery Residency Program Director
George Washington University General Surgery Residency Program
2150 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, 6Th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20037
Tel: (202)-741-3151
Fax: (202)-741-3219

· Ann Rogers, MD
General Surgery Residency Program Director
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt General Surgery Program
New York, NY 10019
Tel. (212)-523-7719
E-mail: rogers@slrsurgery.org

· Eric Moore, MD.
General Surgery Attending Physician
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt General Surgery Program
Associate Program Director
Tel: (212)-247-6575

Personal Statement

In a rural village in the mountains of Panama, I found my calling. At that time, I was part of a group of 20 teenage high school seniors doing a month of community work as part of our school community service requirements. I was returning from evacuating a teenager who was involved in an accident while repairing his house. I, a teenager and the paramedic for our group, was the only source of “medical” knowledge for 40 miles around. Specialized care in this area was a luxury that none of the villagers could afford, but yet there was a great need for care for these almost forgotten people.

It was sitting in the back of an old four-wheel drive pickup on the dusty and rough road back to camp; I decided that I would try to make a difference in people’s lives. Maybe not exactly in that village, but I would strive to help those around me, especially those in greater need and this has been my motto throughout my life. I had recognized a need for physicians and specialists who could provide on the spot attention to problems beyond the scope of the general practitioner.

Subsequent volunteer experiences with medical projects have only strengthened my desire to be a surgical specialist. I have watched diseases devastate individuals, families, and communities because care has been inaccessible. I have seen the progression of blindness, the loss of limbs and the deterioration of mental illness due to lack of specialty care. In particular, I have been struck by the way that certain medical conditions that can be cured by surgical management go unchecked in developing countries. I have seen the human spirit broken one too many times. I aspire as a specialist to provide state-of-the-art care to patients financially prohibited from this basic care. I also plan to offer continuity of care to patients that need it.

Changing the world by myself is an unreachable goal, but I can change the world around me. I can change the world that I touch, through my touch. I am sincerely committed to general surgery as a means of preserving the gift of health in the people that most need this gift. General surgery provides the opportunity to treat, with old and proven as well as new evolving technologies, surgical pathologies. One of my fascinations with surgery is the ability to see in a short period of time the success (or failure) of surgical management of disease and the profound impact surgery has on people’s lives. My interest in general surgery also stems from the new advancements in the fields of minimally invasive surgery and critical care.

I have been prepared for the challenge of a general surgery residency through my rigorous academic curriculum. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree at Baylor University in the United States with high grades, I attended medical school in Panama because of the extreme difficulty of a foreign undergraduate to be admitted to an American medical school as well as the financial burden it would have placed on my family and me. I entered a medical school with very high academic standards, where more than 2000 applicants competed for 140 entering positions and graduated in a class of only 54. During my medical school career I was part of the editorial committee of the medical and scientific journal, helped in the organization of an international medical student conference, and worked as a research assistant at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Molecular Evolutions Laboratory project on freshwater fish genetics.


Working after internship as the private physician on a luxury yacht for an Italian billionaire in Panama offered me the opportunity to assist guests and international personalities to whom good medical care is a natural part of life, but also allowed me to provide free care to impoverished rural communities and deepen my sense of commitment to improving their lives through my care.

I am familiar and comfortable with the hard work, academic challenge and dedication required in a surgical residency, and I cannot wait to begin. These two years of general surgery residency have provided me with a strong clinical and technical background to the challenges to come. To my residency program, I will bring deep commitment to learn and expand my surgical basic science and technical knowledge and share this in an academic environment. I look forward to this next stage in my training with great anticipation.