Deidrya Jackson
Hometown: Windsor, CT
Undergraduate college: Brown University
Majored in: Community Health
Knew you wanted to be a doctor when… I was 8 years old and my mother bought me a mini-anatomy kit and a mini-chemistry kit.
Favorite subject in high school: Spanish
Favorite class in college: Cultures and Health (a Community Health course)
Chose Alpert Medical School because…of the PLME program, AMS’s small class size, the opportunity to participate in the Scholarly Concentration program, and the support that AMS students get from both faculty and fellow students.
My sense of diversity at Alpert Medical School is ... AMS is very supportive of diversity in any form, whether it is increasing the percentage of minorities enrolled in each class year or supporting community service programs in the minority community at large. I especially appreciate the fact that AMS students are asked to share their input with administration in order to continue to increase diversity at our medical school.
What’s your weak spot? Overcommitting myself.
What’s your forte? Perseverance and dedication to any task with which I am challenged.
What keeps you up at night? Making sure that I’ve completed all of my responsibilities to the best of my ability.
What puts you to sleep? My white noise machine. Works every time!
What kind of doctor will you be? I plan to pursue a career in academic medicine. By supporting the recruitment of minorities in medicine and working as a mentor for minority students, I hope to encourage future physicians to be more cognizant of the disparities that minorities face. I have not decided on a specialty as yet!
What’s a cool thing you’ve done since coming to Alpert Medical School? I had the opportunity to travel to the American Academy of Family Physicians National Residents and Student Conference held in Kansas City, Missouri this July. Alpert Medical School’s Family Medicine Interest Group won a Program of Excellence award!
Jonathan Hernandez
Hometowns: Miami, FL, and Barranquilla, Colombia
Undergraduate college: Harvard
Majored in: Economics with minors in Chemistry and Health Policy
I knew I wanted to be a doctor when… I was an observer at the Division of Endocrinology of the University of Miami for a summer in college and I realized that through medicine I could help others and also feel academically fulfilled.
I chose Alpert Medical School because… it had everything I was looking for – caring and prepared faculty, organized curriculum, a variety of health care delivery settings.
What keeps me up at night is…not wanting to disappoint those whom I admire or care about.
What puts me to sleep is…a job well done.
The kind of doctor I want to be is…a personable and prepared one that will be able to offer information, hope and peace of mind to his patients.
My advice to first-year students: Be disciplined about school but invest time in making friends with your classmates. You can do both!
A cool thing I’ve done since coming to Alpert Medical School: Helped organize a bilingual health fair for more than 500 underserved children and parents.
Something I’d like to do here but haven’t done yet: Find out what specialty is my calling. And go to Block Island in the summer.
Bryant Faria
Hometown: Queens, NY
Undergraduate college: Drew University
Majored in: Neurosciences, Spanish
I knew I wanted to be a doctor when…I participated in a summer pre-med program at Oxford University.
Previous career: Research Assistant (Clinical Trials), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
I chose Alpert Medical School because…of its small class size, happy students, and the Grad Center Bar.
What keeps me up at night is…thinking of witty Facebook statuses.
The kind of doctor I want to be is…an internist (for the moment) preferably working with underserved communities at a teaching hospital.
My advice to first-year students: Seek the advice of upperclassmen ad nauseam.
A cool thing I’ve done since coming to Alpert Medical School: Served as a teaching assistant for So You Want to be a Healthcare Professional?, a program for inner-city high school students interested in a career in healthcare.
Something I’d like to do here but haven’t done yet: Eat at Al Forno.
What’s on my iPod: Phoenix, Justice, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Discovery, Feist.
Libertad (“Libby”) Flores
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Undergraduate college: Cornell
Majored in: Spanish
I knew I wanted to be a doctor when…I was 7, and thought I would cure both brain cancer and AIDS. I changed my mind during college, but came around after working for a few years, and it’s probably the best decision I made.
Previous career: Research manager for a health industry surveillance and forecasting service. My major responsibility was to design interviews for the general public, physicians, health insurance managers, employee benefits administrators, and congressional staff. The results were used by a team of consultants try to predict the future of health industry trends and legislation. It was a lot of fun and a great place to learn about the US health system. The service has existed for over 20 years, and has a pretty good track record for success.
Before that, I did market research on vaccines and drugs from chemotherapies to allergy and sleep aids. It’s great to be in medical school learning the science behind many of the products that I used to study from a business perspective.
I chose Alpert Medical School because… there are so many advantages to studying here. What stood out most when I visited was that everyone seemed very happy and relaxed compared to other places. One year in, that is still true. I like having the advantages of a large research institution with the smaller school faculty approachability factor.
The kind of doctor I want to be is… a trusted adviser. I know the right to play that role will require constant effort. Most important to me is the relationship I will have with my patients.
My advice to first-year students: Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb for your classmates. They will do it for you when you need it the most.
A cool thing I’ve done since coming to Alpert Medical School: Saw a RISD Nads hockey game at Meehan Auditorium. I really hope to catch a Brown/Cornell game next year.
Something I’d like to do here but haven’t done yet: Get involved in singing or performing again. There are lots of opportunities, as well as a half-baked plan to put on a show as a class next year. I hope to be a part of it!
Peanut butter or Nutella? Peanut Butter! The kind with honey mixed in practically put me through college.
Jenna Lester
Hometown: Syracuse, NY 
Undergraduate college: Harvard
Majored in: Sociology
I knew I wanted to be a doctor when… I dissected a cow heart in first grade.
Favorite subject in high school: Calculus
Favorite class in college: Leadership and Organizations
I chose Alpert Medical School because… all the students seemed so happy and I heard endless stories about accessible faculty members and great opportunities for small group learning.
Weak spot: Any food involving cheese.
Forte: Making lists.
The kind of doctor I want to be is…a doctor who makes her patients laugh.
I’m going to spend me next day off…conquering the next book on my reading list.
My advice to first-year students: Work hard but stay calm.
A cool thing I’ve done since coming to Alpert Medical School: Learned to sail! It is so fun.
Something I’d like to do here but haven’t done yet: Become a more regular patron of the Providence culinary scene. There are so many spectacular restaurants that I have yet to try!
What’s on my iPod: Jay-Z, Rascall Flatts, The Hood Internet, Tupac.