Recently, we caught up with ’22 ethnic studies alumna Sanila Math. Here’s a bit of our conversation:

What are you up to now?

I am in the midst of my third year of medical school at the University of Utah School of Medicine!

How has your degree from the School for Cultural and Social Transformation prepared you for this?

To me, public health and social advocacy are important tenets of medicine and lay an extensive but necessary framework for studying health care. Both of these elements are impacted by a variety of social determinants of health, and ethnic studies has allowed me the opportunity to craft my approach to medicine by teaching me about critical race theory, social and cultural impact, and how our health care systems operate and are guided in a society that is driven by profit.

How do you feel your degree impacts those around you and the field that you are pursuing?

For me, ethnic studies reminds me of the reason I chose to pursue medicine. It continues to foster a desire for social awareness, growth, and advocacy that I am not always able to obtain within my immediate medical curriculum. Ethnic studies has taught me that the transformative power of medicine can be even more impactful with a comprehensive education that exists both within and outside the classroom. I believe it is a field that should be more directly ingrained into all curriculums because no career is exempt from the influence of history and social structure, nor the need to rewrite narratives and overcome barriers.