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Moving to a new city is never easy, but proves to be more difficult when one suffers from a potentially life-threatening chronic condition and does not have any family close by. When Cynthia Kos moved from La Jolla, California to attend Boston University, she not only needed to find a place to live, but also a physician who could treat deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT. A chance meeting based on a referral from her physician in California opened many doors not only for Kos, but also for Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, director, Venous Thromboembolism Research Group and director, BWH Anicoagulation Services.
“After my first consult with Dr. Goldhaber, I realized that we had common interests in getting the word out about DVT and pulmonary embolism,” recalled Kos, who has since partnered with him on several public education projects, including an interview for The New York Times.
Kos is currently completing her Master’s degree in Medical Sciences at the Boston University School of Medicine, and volunteers in the Pathology Department as part of the Medical Career Exploration Program here at BWH. Due to her personal experiences with DVT and pulmonary embolism and the passion to help others who have the disease, Kos is pursuing a career in cardiology. Who better to help guide the medical school application process than her physician-mentor Goldhaber! “Cindy plans to graduate in 2010, and I am helping her to strategize about her future. Medical school requires both an emotional and financial commitment and sacrifice, especially when some of her peers have their careers and are receiving salaries rather than building up tuition debt,” Goldhaber said.
Their mentorship is a two-way street, with each providing input and support in a number of different ways. “Cindy is helping me to understand and learn about what it’s like being a patient,” Goldhaber said, while Kos has benefited from Goldhaber’s world-renowned expertise.
Kos also shares with Goldhaber’s Harvard Medical School students the “patient perspective.” “I talk to them about my patient experience, and the students are often shocked when they see how young I am to have an illness such as DVT,” said Kos. “My age, combined with my academic background set up a dynamic conversation.”
The future is bright for both. They plan to stay in touch and continue working toward greater public awareness about DVT. “Brigham and Women’s Hospital fosters education and mentorship, and my work with Cindy shows how helpful the collaboration can be to both of us,” Goldhaber added.