Inspired by the care she got when she experienced a serious sports injury, Fadwat Bazzi’s dream is to serve under-resourced communities as a primary care physician. Many of the opportunities she’s created for herself at UM-Dearborn have put her right on track to do just that. Alongside her best friend, she helped start a student organization to reduce stigma around chronic pain issues. And working in an organic chemistry lab gave her a chance to fight through tough challenges for which there was no playbook — while mentoring others in how to do the same.

Fadwat, in her own words

On why I want to become a doctor. “I was always interested in science, and I knew I wanted to do something in medicine from a young age. Growing up, I was an athlete, and unfortunately, during my high school career, I had a few serious injuries requiring a few surgeries and a whole lot of rehab. It was a really difficult situation for two or three years, but through that journey, I met people who’ve been such an inspiration to pursue medicine. For example, my own surgeon gave me an opportunity to shadow and observe him, and I’ll never forget that experience of seeing what it’s like to give someone an aspect of their life back. For me, I see myself as a primary care physician because I realize that’s where I can build great relationships with people. I see myself working in an underserved area, hopefully providing individuals with a clinic and being part of a team to deliver preventative healthcare, so individuals can not only treat their issues, but create new habits that allow for a better lifestyle.”

On shining a spotlight on those living with chronic pain. “My best friend and I started an organization on campus called Coping with Care. We strive to provide education and raise awareness for chronic pain conditions and related issues. I think, for me, it was about, one, diminishing stigma associated with chronic pain; and two, also to help individuals get the education they needed to tackle issues like this. It’s become such a prevalent issue throughout the state of Michigan, as we’ve seen through the opioid epidemic. Seeing that domino effect that can come into play for someone who doesn’t have resources or proper healthcare inspired us to help anybody who wants to learn about these topics, have reliable sources and have their voices be heard.”

On takeaways from the research lab. “I was given the opportunity to work in an organic chemistry lab and through that, I’ve been able to learn so much about myself. In a lab, you have to understand that research doesn’t always go as planned and you have to learn how to recover from that. Are you going to assess the situation and modify something, or do you have to completely scratch something and move on? I think that’s something I can apply now to life in general. As I got more comfortable in the lab, I was also given the opportunity to train new students and help them get the same experience I was getting. That was a great learning experience for me, because I learned how to adapt to how people learn or approach something differently. And that’s been really rewarding.”