Primary Care Population Medicine

As an undergraduate at Kenyon College, Mackenzie Bruzzio double majored in Spanish literature and biochemistry. She says medicine was a “perfect combination” and a natural choice for someone with twin loves for science and the humanities.

During her gap year in Mexico, putting both degrees to use with the NGO Partners In Health, Bruzzio identified a clear passion for global health. She found that the PC-PM program was the perfect place to develop that interest as a medical student.

Bruzzio focused her thesis on fetal malnutrition in the Philippines. “Writing a thesis in the global health sphere gave me skills not only in population-level data analysis, but also international collaboration, all facilitated through the PC-PM program,” she says.

The program also connected her to her thesis adviser, Jen Friedman ’92 MD’96, PhD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology. Bruzzio credits Friedman and her thesis research with shaping her love for pediatrics. “I saw what a large impact that global health can have on children's health, and how gratifying it is to be an advocate for children globally,” she says.

The LIC allowed her to grow and develop confidence as a clinician. Bruzzio also acknowledged the role that Jeff Borkan, MD, PhD, assistant dean of the PC-PM program, and Daria Skwarzko, DO, MPH, a PC-PM course leader, played in instilling a “physician-plus” mindset in the students. In addition to population medicine, Bruzzio hopes to develop her diverse interests further as she explores multidimensional clinical care.

“Primary care is the foundation of health,” she says. “It’s how most people enter the health system.” Bruzzio believes the PC-PM program has given her excellent insight into “what it means to interface with primary care doctors” and promoting primary care in the patient population she’ll soon be caring for.

She shared these perspectives as an LIC fellow in her fourth year. Serving as a tutor for shelf exams and mentoring students who were exploring areas of interest was something she says she truly enjoyed. 

One memorable moment came during an ob/gyn rotation at the end of her own LIC experience, as she assisted an attending physician during a cesarean section. As she showed a first-year student how to scrub in, Bruzzio realized how much she had absorbed and had to share with newer medical students. “It was a remarkable moment of reflection,” she says. “And then we got to deliver a baby together!”

After completing her pediatrics residency at UCSF, Bruzzio hopes to pursue a fellowship in pediatric cardiology or neonatology, while integrating her passion for social justice into the clinical process.

“If you notice something is wrong with a system, you can advocate for change,” she says. Her advice to aspiring students? “Don’t be afraid to seek out opportunities that bring you joy!”