M1 student Tristen Slamowitz is a future physicianeer of all trades. The Virginia native has dedicated her time at EnMed fully immersing herself into remodeling health care. Finding room for growth and innovation in medicine, Slamowitz has set her heart on changing the future health care, reinventing it for the better. With initiative and drive on her side, what can’t she do?
In January 2023, Slamowitz begin her Innovation Project that held a personal spot in her heart. She wanted to focus her project on the advanced care planning for patients with neurodegenerative disease. When asked why this meant so much to her, Slamowitz explained, “I have personal experience with challenging complicated end-of-life decision making with my grandmother.” After recounting the memories of seeing the difficulty her family had in making such monumental decisions, she knew she wanted to dedicate her project to helping with such issues.
“I think that a tool that easily lays out the legal documentation required as well as informs people of their options with ability to consult experts on demand would reduce caregiver burden and promote patient autonomy,” Slamowitz said.
Recently in June of 2023, Slamowitz has also begun to dedicate her time to a four-week surgical innovation elective. Working alongside Dr. Warren Ellsworth, Slamowitz has taken a new awareness to plastic surgery. The opportunity has allowed her to strengthen her surgical practice skills and challenges whilst allowing her to research other needs needed in health care that she has witnessed with this elective. Slamowitz, explained, “The ultimate goal is to determine a feasible concept to begin prototyping and testing.”
Due to her upbringing in a household that prioritized wellness, Slamowitz found a passion for health. “During my sophomore year of college, I worked on a project that leveraged human-centered design to help a patient in the community that struggled with medication self-management,” she recalled. This is when her call came. Slamowitz knew her calling to be a doctor had been reassured.
After graduating from the University of Virginia, she spent some time volunteering with Houston Methodist Hospital’s emergency department to gather experience. “There one of the nurses told me about the EnMed program,” she said. “After some research, I learned that this program was the perfect fit for me,” Slamowitz explained.
The class of 2026 president knew that this had to be the school for her due to the merging of medicine and engineering. Her passion for change and educational experience has allowed her to improve in her studies and learn more to become a physicianeer. Although she does not know what her future will consist of, she looks forward to completing her next steps here at EnMed.
Slamowitz stated, “I can not wait to apply what I have learned in the classroom, in the clinic and hospital, learn from some of the best doctors in the country at Houston Methodist Hospital, and begin to make an impact in patient care.”