Primary Care Population Medicine

Jack Sullivan says he wanted to practice family medicine for its broad scope and focus on patient-centered care. That’s also part of what attracted him to Brown and the PC-PM program, which felt like a natural fit from day one.

“The idea of having a cohort of people within the Medical School who are learning all of this clinical knowledge, but at the same time they’re diving into aspects of social medicine, was a big draw for me,” he says. “Medical education doesn’t always incorporate that approach.”

Sullivan says the LIC and the opportunity to foster long-term relationships with patients was also a major draw. At first, Sullivan worried about the prospect of carrying out research and understanding the intricacies of the health care system, but his one-on-one interactions with patients and mentors reinforced his confidence. 

“I approached my third year intimidated by the clinical environment,” Sullivan says. “It was a very steep learning curve. Not only are you navigating this newfound clinical knowledge, but also this new dynamic of understanding workflows and different expectations.”

However, Sullivan had vital help from LIC fellows, who gave him essential feedback on how they navigated life both inside and outside of a clinical setting. During weekly meetings, he and his PC-PM cohorts would strategize with fellows, share the highs and lows of their studies, and learn how the fellows advocated for their own learning.

“So much of our time in medical school is like an apprenticeship, and so much of how we grow depends on that type of feedback,” he says.

That experience propelled him to become a fellow himself, which he says further motivated his academic and career pursuits. Serving as a fellow was both enriching and challenging, and he’s grateful he had the chance to share his knowledge with third-year PC-PM students facing similar obstacles.

“It’s interesting to be on the other side of it,” Sullivan says. “Though not all of us are best friends, I feel like all of us in PC-PM know each other very well just through talking about difficult topics and engaging in conversations about the values that are important to each of us.”