MD WANNABES sits down with second year Rhodes Scholar Vijay Ramasamy to discuss his experience of tackling COVID-19 while working in Kansas government, how doctors can engage more with public health, pre-med culture, and life at Oxford.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro/Background on Vijay

1:27 - Why not medicine?

7:27 - How can physicians get involved in the community?

10:46 - What did former Baltimore PHD leaders Dr. Beilenson and Dr. Wen teach you? + Needle Exchange pushback

16:57 - Government vs. private organization funding differences + taxes

20:31 - Why are you interested in public health?

23:25 - What did you work on in Kansas government?

26:03 - How did the Kansas government work with doctors during the pandemic?

29:40 - Differences between Baltimore and Kansas public health?

32:28 - Most important public health issue in Kansas?

35:15 - What are resources like in rural communities?

38:00 - What would you tell someone who wants to switch out of pre-med?

42:06 - Why Rhodes? What was the application like?

46:13 - Don't make rigid life plans

49:21 - Evaluating the pre-med checkbox process

53:18 - Cultural shift from moving to the UK

57:57 - What are your co-Rhodes scholars like?

1:00:24 - Spike in med school apps/Fauci effect

1:03:46 - What's next for you? + Conclusion

Music: Flavour by Wataboi