Angela Schroeder

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to where you are now?

I'm currently a 3rd-year medical student at CMS. Before medical school, I'd already been involved in promoting awareness and advocacy around sexual violence. This passion started during undergrad, when I began volunteering as a sexual assault medical advocate. I initially got involved because it aligned with my passions and because I needed clinical experience for medical school applications.

Looking back, though, I think I was drawn to it because individuals close to me, and even myself, have unfortunately experienced sexual assault, and this felt like one way to give back. When I moved from CA to IL for medical school, I was looking for ways to get involved in the  community outside of school. This led me to volunteer with Resilience, a sexual assault nonprofit  in Chicago. It felt good to return to a space where everyone shared the same passions. Shortly after I started volunteering, I became a mentor, training incoming volunteers.

Around the same time, my M1 year had just begun, and I was completing my observership requirement  for CFOM. I had just stepped out of a patient's room with the 3rd-year resident when he turned to ask if I had any questions about the patient we'd just seen. Maybe he was expecting a question about physiology or treatment; instead, I asked whether he'd screened her for intimate partner violence. Without diving into too much detail, the patient's explanation for her chief complaint had raised a couple of red flags for me, which I explained to the resident. He took my concerns seriously, and we went back into the patient's room to ask further questions, during which she shared that she was experiencing IPV. We were able to offer support and connect her with resources. At the time, I was grateful I'd been there to recognize the signs of IPV, but the experience also made me reflect on the training we receive in medical school and across healthcare professions more broadly regarding sexual violence. This experience led me, along with the guidance of several mentors (Dr. Oggoian, Dr. Fasula, and Dr. Kotlyar), to develop a curriculum focused on educating and training medical students on understanding and responding to patients experiencing sexual violence. This curriculum was recently incorporated into our Clinical Skills course in M2 year, and it was rewarding to see the positive feedback from my class, a clear sign that other students also want to be better informed and equipped to support this patient population.

I was also very fortunate to work as an assistant in the Division of Community and Campus Outreach earlier this year. My responsibilities included planning Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which takes place every April. This year saw a great turnout, with events ranging from the Clothesline Project to a donation drive for a local rape crisis center, as well as a half-day event with guest speakers. I am still early in my clinical years and undecided on a specialty, but I plan to continue this work, whether professionally or personally.

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?

That’s hard to answer as my career technically hasn’t started, but I will say my mom made a huge impact on my decision to pursue medicine; she was the most unconditionally supportive person who made me believe I was capable of things I didn’t think I was. I’ve also been very fortunate to have amazing mentors throughout my undergrad and medical school career.

What is your greatest scientific accomplishment?

It hasn’t happened…yet!

What is one of your biggest failures in science and how did you overcome it?

Not technically a failure in science, but rather a personal one - to make a long story short, I had to withdraw from my dream undergrad university after my mom passed away. It was a difficult decision, and at the time, I felt like a huge failure. I'd been a student for two years, and after withdrawing, I essentially had to start college over. It worked out in the long run as I'm here in medical school now, but it took a lot of time to show myself grace along the way.

How do you balance home and work life?

I'm still working on this, but I try to set deadlines for myself (for example, I stop studying at 6pm) as a hard cutoff for the day. It's a bit more difficult during clinical years, but I make sure I still carve out time for things I enjoy. Having a supportive partner also makes the biggest difference.

Have you ever faced prejudices being a woman?

I have, but not as much yet, since my career hasn't really started. I've come to accept that I probably will more as I move further into my medical career. As I've gotten older, though, I've learned that says more about the other person than it does about me.

What are some fun facts about yourself that are not on your resume?

I am scuba certified and love being in the water any chance I get. My dream vacation is kayaking with orcas in the San Juan Islands of Washington.