Despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated,” it has, in fact, been a thorn in the side of presidents for decades.

“I love photography. During the summer of my freshman year, I wanted to buy a Canon DSLR but was short on cash, so I applied for job at a local dental laboratory.

Getting to UCSF was not easy. I took the 122 from my home to Stonestown, where I hopped on the M to get to Laguna Honda. There, I waited for the 43 to bring me to Parnassus. It was the summer of 2008 and I was a rising high school junior, participating in Program for Investigation and Training for Careers in Health (PITCH) at UCSF.

“I always wanted to work with women and babies. I trained as a labor doula and volunteered at SFGH. On my first volunteer shift, I peaked into the world of midwifery and was enamored by it all. The first birth I attended was amazing.

Only 1,318 students applied for the cost of living supplement (COLS) last year, yet 1,500 awards were available for the roughly 3,000 student currently at UCSF.

“It’s funny how a brush with mortality and debility can make you realize how fortunate you are. A couple years ago, during my last year of college, I was skiing with some friends near my hometown in Ohio. (What? You can ski in Ohio?

“Every year, dental students at UCSF organize a day of free dental care for kids in the community.

“I initially got interested in research as I wanted to have a broader public health impact beyond the bedside, and realized that research was one way of applying that.