Heart Behind the White Coat | Sickle Cell Expert Dr. Seethal Jacob
More Programs and Publications Featuring Dr. Seethal Jacob
In this program:
Sickle cell disease expert Dr. Seethal Jacob shares what inspired her interest and fostered her building patient relationships in this Heart Behind the White Coat (HBWC) program. Watch as Dr. Jacob explains how mentors helped in her medical training and how she encourages her patients.
Transcript
Dr. Seethal Jacob:
Through that time, I know I was influenced to build this passion in sickle cell disease through many of the mentors that I had. So my first exposure to a sickle cell clinic was in medical school, and the Director of the Sickle Cell Program there showed me what it was to have these beautiful relationships with those patients and their families that really span many, many years of their life. And what that meant to incorporate compassion into the medical care that you provide every day, and that same feeling was sort of repeated into residency here at Indiana University, my chief residency here, and then into fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, where I had mentors like Dr. Gregory Kato and Dr. Krishnamurthy, who showed me that if you're passionate about what you're doing and if you believe in what you do, really anything is possible and that motivation, that impression has not left me and has been a huge motivator for the work that I do today.
Believe it or not, I'm actually a very shy person. I think I'm fairly outspoken when it comes to advocating for my patients and for sickle cell disease and in sharing with my patients and families in clinic.
But generally speaking, I'm kind of a shy individual, I think a little bit more personally. I actually just learned how to ride a bike about three years ago. My husband taught me, and I share that with my patients and families so that they know that it's never too late to try something new, to learn something new. Any day can be sort of the day that you decide to change something, and I think that's important to remember.
Don't give up, keep working towards wanting to make that difference, surround yourself with individuals that support you, that lift you up, that share your passion. If there's no one around you that is excited or interested in sickle cell disease, find someone that is. Reach out to others who are sickle cell physicians or who are sickle cell advocates throughout the world, throughout the country. We're here for you, the way that we are for patients. We know how important it is to help this new generation be as excited and passionate about advocating for our patients as we are.
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