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Himmelfarb Headlines: Student Profile - Basil Considine, Medical Student

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Student Spotlight - Meet Basil Considine, Medical Student

Student Profile

This feature lets us become better acquainted with the students that use the Himmelfarb Library resources on a daily basis. Meet Basil Considine, a medical student.

What brought you to GW?
Short answer: because of the university and the medical school’s international and internationally facing programs.

Long answer: I’ve lived in several countries in the developing world and saw first-hand how knowledge of your local health systems can profoundly influence patient outcomes and access to care. At Children’s National Hospital, we frequently see patients whose families have come to the U.S. to seek treatment, or whose parents are navigating a new-to-them healthcare system. I think training with physicians who take those needs into account is an invaluable experience wherever you end up practicing because those opportunities (and needs) to help patients navigate healthcare systems will come up everywhere.

Having lived in the tropics, I also had an interest in tropical medicine even before I started my pre-med track, and I of course knew about GW’s Infectious Disease program from its vaccination research.

Are there any memorable research or special projects that you’ve participated in while at GW?
In the same theme of helping patients connect to resources, I found a unique opportunity when the District of Columbia started clearing out its medical mask stockpile. Every disaster center needs to refresh its inventory periodically, and the District made its older inventory available for sale at a very low price. By being in the right place at the right time, I was able to acquire tens of thousands of masks, which we then redistributed to homeless shelters, food banks, service organizations, and community clinics in the greater DC area.

As you reflect on your time at GW, can you share a favorite Himmelfarb memory, or an experience you found to be most useful?
I quite enjoy the annual Himmelfarb Library Art Show – the array of talent and artistic interest that students, faculty, and staff bring each April is always impressive and fun to look at. 

For utility, I think the Orientation Week scavenger hunt is very important for letting students know about some of the special resources that they might need down the road. You might not need the skeletons and anatomy models in Foundations or I3, but it's very helpful to be able to handle them in MSK and Brain & Behavior.

In a similar vein, I sometimes make use of the 3D printers to produce anatomical models of organs and other structures for study. (You can download the models for free from the National Institutes of Health website).

What has been the most unexpected, surprising, or challenging experience as a GW student?
To me, the most unexpected thing has been the level of community support from outside the university. Whether words of support from strangers, advice and books given by doctors, info and networking sessions by a professional society, or large donations of food during finals from a nearby church, it’s been really heartwarming how many people and organizations have gone out of their way to help us in our educational journey.

What are your plans after GW?
I plan to go into primary care – ideally in the State of Hawaii, where I have family and practically every zip code is classified as medically underserved. I would like there to be some leadership and educational component, but I am sure that my future patients will keep me busy either way!

When you are not studying, what are your hobbies, interests, or special things you like to do?
I am an avid runner, photographer, and musician. I’ve written a few plays and operas that have been staged around the country (including one with singing cats), and have represented American culture overseas for the U.S. State Department, which has been a great joy and privilege.