Working Together to Make an Impact
Author: Laura Karwoski (Program Coordinator, Scholar and Alumni Experience)
Victoria Wong Murray (left) with fellow Cooke Scholar Alums in Philadelphia
As a Young Scholar, Victoria Wong Murray became aware of disparities in healthcare affecting her community and underserved people of color. Her interests in addressing issues in healthcare led her to become a Cooke College Scholar attending Johns Hopkins to graduate with a bachelor’s in Biology and master’s in Health Science, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her interest in this topic not only influenced her college coursework, but also led her to befriend fellow Cooke Scholar Dr. Anna Fiskin at a Scholars Weekend event. They discussed Anna’s residency in psychiatry and both realized their shared interests in serving immigrant populations and working in mental health. As Cooke Scholar Alums, Victoria and Anna both went on to be Regional Chapter Leaders, and eventually found themselves living in San Francisco.
While in the Bay Area, Dr. Fiskin became an Assistant Medical Director at a community mental health clinic in San Francisco while Victoria was an Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco. Serendipitously connecting at a UCSF/Hopkins cohosted program on healthcare in unhoused populations, they began chatting about projects of mutual interest, such as investigating the racial disparities in psychotropic prescriptions. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Dr. Fiskin asked Victoria to work with a psychiatrist colleague on researching the barriers to getting telehealth care to people in lower socioeconomic groups.
Dr. Anna Fiskin (left) with a volunteer from Telehealth for Seniors, dropping off smart phones and tablets for senior patients to use during the pandemic for Telehealth visits.
What they found surprised Victoria. It wasn’t just the low-income patients who had trouble accessing telehealth care; the providers themselves were often unable to offer telehealth due to a lack of resources. Many providers offering assistance to patients with economic disadvantages were addiction counselors and social workers who often had no internet access; without these tools, they couldn't reach their patients, who often had similar barriers of their own.
Victoria co-authored a paper outlining the research findings, which is currently under review. Her work with Dr. Fiskin and the community health clinic in San Francisco officially ended in December 2021, but both have stayed in touch as Dr. Fiskin continues to mentor Victoria while she pursues her medical degree at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. Victoria credits the connection she has with Dr. Fiskin to the fact that they were both Cooke Scholars, and the common background lent itself to trusting each other with data and going the extra mile for each other.
Of the power of connection in the Cooke Scholar community, Victoria says, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity- and the Foundation set us up for both.” Dr. Fiskin feels lucky as a mentor and friend to her fellow Cooke Scholar Alum and says, “It was really lovely to work with someone who was so intelligent and resourceful as Victoria. She was able to think outside the box and suggest ideas and resources we wouldn’t have thought of at the clinic. Working with a Cooke Scholar is such a positive experience because of the really talented, smart, creative people.”
Oftentimes the real magic of learning comes from connecting with other people – by asking questions, being curious, seeking to understand, and offering to give of your services. For more stories of Cooke Scholars connecting with others, check out Connect with Others – Compass (jkcf.org).