UVA School of Medicine

Can you tell us a little about yourself? i hail from Northern Virginia, and i went to the Naval academy for undergrad. as an officer in the Marines, i served as a helicopter pilot for nine years, including tours in iraq and afghanistan. One of my missions was flying wounded soldiers out of the combat zone and to a trauma surgical center. that experience was one of the things that led me to medicine. When i returned home, my wife and i went sailing for a couple years to reconnect after i'd been overseas. We bought an old sailboat and took off for a while. after that, i started prepping for medical school. Why did you choose the University of Virginia School of Medicine? it's nice to be close to home, for one thing. My mother is still in Virginia and my wife's parents are in Virginia, too. the school of Medicine here is beautiful, and i definitely thought about where i wanted to sit and spend a lot of my time. Plus, i think the curriculum is smart and efficient. and then the scholarship money was really nice and a bonus on top of those other things. What do you think of Charlottesville? We're really happy to be in Charlottesville. Northern Virginia has changed a lot over the last 30 years. We're enjoying being in a place that's a lot quieter, friendlier and has a better pace. We're also big into hiking and outdoors activities, so having the mountains and rivers close by is really nice. How did your military background prepare you for a future in medicine? i definitely learned a lot, especially life skills. One of the things i really loved about serving in the military was serving a cause. the whole focus of my work was something i thought was greater than myself. i saw that same draw in medicine – putting all of this effort into being a doctor and serving your patients and your community. also being a pilot is very technical and requires skills in managing a team of people with various personalities. i figured medicine would be like that – you use both technical skills and life skills. i thought my experience in that area would carry over to being a doctor as well. How important was it to you to receive scholarship assistance to attend the SOM? approaching the opportunity to study medicine at my stage in life was challenging. My wife had her own career that she would have to alter, and we were considering starting a family on top of it all. at UVa the scholarships were Patrick Marvil is a second-year student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. A former marine helicopter pilot, he now has his sights set on a future in primary care medicine and community health. Patrick Marvil, sMD '18 very generous and a large motivation and incentive for me to come here. During the application process, my wife got pregnant and then the scholarships became a bigger factor. it was nice knowing that i had this help and wouldn't have to drop out when other things came along. Where do you see your future in medicine? i'm in the Generalists scholars Program, which is geared toward creating leaders and thinkers in primary care medicine. i am very interested in community health as well and trying to change people's health at the patient and community level. i think there is always going to be room for people who want to contribute to that in some way. Anything else you'd like to add? Based on my age, i think it's safe to say i've come to med school with a little more life experience than many others. i'm the oldest guy in my class. But i am really impressed by the caliber of individuals who comprise the whole class. they are very thoughtful, intelligent people. this often strikes me when i interact with my classmates one-on-one and in small groups. it's humbling to be part of that group. 28 Vitals Fall 2015

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