Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our alumni both near and far. We asked alumni on the front lines to share their perspective and experiences during this unprecedented time.
Saumil Oza ’95 Cardiologist, Ascension St. Vincents
Working during the COVID epidemic was certainly eye opening. Although Jacksonville has been spared from the worst of the pandemic so far, we completely changed the way we practiced medicine. We switched all of our clinics from in-person visits to teleconsults. We cancelled all but the most necessary procedures. We had to make difficult decisions regarding which patients to hospitalize and which to keep at home despite their medical problems. Through it all, however, we learned to be more efficient and focus on ways to minimize patients as well as our own time in clinic and the hospital. In the end, I think this will be a paradigm shift in the practice of medicine. My normal hours are quite long and it was a breath of fresh air to be able to work from home and spend more time with my wife and 5 year old son. I hope that there are some practices that we will take forward
regardless of the presence of COVID. We are safely sending home patients earlier after procedures. We use telemedicine and remote monitoring devices to check in on patients and monitor heart conditions. This will be far more convenient for patients in the future and likely lead to better outcomes as people heal much more quickly when they are in familiar environments. In the hospital and in the community, we are more cognizant of washing our hands and wearing masks in public. This will undoubtedly stem the spread of other infectious diseases in our community going forward if we retain the lessons that COVID has taught us. During the early stages of the pandemic, we were running critically low on PPE (personal protective equipment) at St. Vincent’s. I was surprised to hear from several of my former classmates from St. Johns who reached out to me and connected me to suppliers of PPE after they heard of our need. We even had students from St. Johns make 3D printed face-masks and deliver them to our hospital for our front line workers! The academic rigor at St Johns is second to none and will certainly prepare students for the next stage in their lives. What truly has endured in the 25 years since I left St. John’s is the compassion that is taught and displayed by the students and faculty. It shows in the concern from my classmates so many years later and is evident in the students there now.
Ramzi Shaykh ’08
Third Year Pediatrics Resident at New York Presbyterian Hospital
Deep breath in, deep breath out - I focus on my breath and the task at hand instead of the uncomfortable heat and sweat brought on by my N-95 mask and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Discomfort has become the new normal in this pandemic, and in no place is this more apparent than in New York City.
S T. J O H N S C O U N T R Y D AY S C H O O L M A G A Z I N E
SUMMER 2020
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