Skip to Main Content

Himmelfarb Headlines: Student Profile - Nicole Gunawansa, Winner of the Himmelfarb Spring Blossom & Flowers Photo Contest

Himmelfarb Headlines Banner

Student Profile - Meet Nicole Gunawansa, Winner of the Himmelfarb Spring Flowers & Blossoms Photo Contest

Photo of the winner with Himmelfarb staff
Watergate in Bloom, by Nicole Gunawansa, Winner of 2024 Spring Flowers and Blossoms Photo Contest

Himmelfarb Library would like to congratulate Nicole Gunawansa, MPH, the 2024 Spring Flowers & Blossoms Photo Contest winner! Himmelfarb's Healthy Living Committee had their work cut out for them by judging the many excellent entries to this year's contest. With so many fantastic submissions, it was extremely challenging to select a winning photo. Nicole, a graduating fourth-year medical student, stopped by Himmelfarb last week to receive congratulations from members of Himmelfarb's Healthy Living Committee, and to pick up her prize -- a coffee mug showcasing her winning photo.

Photo of the winner with Himmelfarb staff
Left to right, Laura Abate, Valerie Bowles, Nicole Gunawansa, Deborah Wassertzug

Let's get to know Nicole!

Can you share your journey to GW? What led you to pursue an MPH in addition to an MD?
It has actually been a while since my journey at GW started. I graduated from Washington and Lee University in 2014, moved to Japan for a fellowship program where I did research in Sendai (the area affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami) for about 1.5 years, then came back to the States to work for a bit as a medical scribe because I wanted to make sure that applying to medical school was the right fit for me. Overall, I took 4 years off before coming into medical school in 2018. Actually, I was recommended to apply to GW by a professor from college, because of the focus on public health and advocacy! I had done work with AmeriCorps and had also worked with a 501c3 non-profit in college that focused on addressing food deserts, so going to a medical school that focused on public health was a good match for me.

Honestly, I was on the fence about the MPH at the start of medical school, because it is already such a long journey and because I had taken so much time off before school. However, being a part of the class of 3rd years who got thrown into the hospital/clinic right as COVID was starting in 2020 was what made me ultimately decide to take time off after clerkships to pursue the MPH. Doing rotations during the height of the pandemic made the gaps in our healthcare system glaringly apparent and kind of made me doubt if you can truly be a good doctor within a broken system.

In the end, I did the MPH because I wanted to explore the world of public health and its interaction with medicine, and also because I really needed some time to do some soul-searching about what I saw myself doing in the future within the medical field. I am so happy and grateful that I did end up doing the MPH and taking a little extra time off in medical school to figure out what I wanted, because it ultimately led me to the decision to pursue family medicine, and I have found an amazing community of passionate doctors with similar goals about mitigating health disparities within this space.

How long have you been taking photographs, and what are your favorite subjects?
I have always enjoyed photography, especially of natural landscapes. I remember getting my first camera in high school before I went on a school trip to Italy and Greece. I don't think I am a pro at all though; very much an amateur photographer who has never taken a photography class but has always wanted to. My favorite subjects are flowers (nature) and animals! I have been told I take pretty good pet photos.

How did you hear about the Spring Flowers & Blossoms Photo Contest?
I found out about it through an email that was sent out to the student body, and thought it would be fun to enter given that I already take so many pictures of flowers and greenery.

You'll be graduating and heading off for residency soon! Where are you headed and what is your specialty?
I am going to be going back home to the Tidewater area of Virginia. Specifically, to Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA for Family Medicine Residency! Thinking about FMOB or possibly a palliative medicine fellowship in the future.