Alumni – Ellie Cochran
2020 Graduate
I am currently a fourth year medical student at Brody School of Medicine. I am applying for a Pediatrics residency in order to fulfill my dream of becoming a pediatrician. Prior to attending medical school, I taught high school English. For this reason, literacy promotion in the pediatric population has been a personal initiative by teaching reading skills to low socioeconomic students and by increasing book distribution in local primary care offices. I am also involved in the local community as a Co-Director of the medical student-led free clinic, Greenville Community Shelter Clinic, which primarily serves the homeless population. The ERHD program has given me a deeper understanding of the existing health disparities and ways to inspire positive change within one’s community. As a future pediatrician, health disparities in social determinants of health, from nutrition to housing to education, affect one’s health during childhood and impact the trajectory of his or her life. The pediatrician can improve his or her community through individual relationships and larger advocacy movements. I look forward to applying this knowledge within my practice as a resident and physician!