Aspiring Docs Diaries

Meet the author:

Sarah Mongiello Bernstein

Sarah is a pediatrics resident at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a graduate of Emory University School of Medicine. She graduated with a B.S. and Masters in Health Administration (M.H.A.) from Cornell University and has worked as a healthcare consultant in the population management division. She is passionate about global health and enjoys working with high acuity patients in resource-limited settings. At Cornell, Sarah served on the Public Service Center’s Leadership Council and as founder and president of Cover Africa, an organization dedicated to eradicating malaria in Humjibre, Ghana. Today, Cover Africa has over 800 members and has donated over $100,000 to the fight against malaria. Throughout medical school, she has sustained this passion for global health – serving as Vice-President of Public Relations for Emory Health Against Human Trafficking (EHAHT) and a researcher with Operation Smile in Guwahati, India where she helped to develop and validate a new tool that would allow physicians to objectively assess the severity of pre-surgical cleft lips and palates internationally. Long term, Sarah hopes to combine her passion for global health with the skills she has developed as a patient, consultant and clinician to improve patient access and eliminate costly inefficiencies in healthcare systems worldwide. In her free time, she enjoys acting, drawing and exploring new cities and cultures with her husband, Gehrig.

Stories by Sarah

Jul 22, 2016

Why Black Lives Matter to a White Pediatrician

My heart hurts. Sometimes I find it hard to reconcile all the beauty in this world with all the hatred […] Read More

Jul 14, 2016

Remember Why You Started

Sarah Mongiello Bernstein

I shifted uncomfortably in the abrasive, starched, blue hospital gown. The sheets were itchy. The pillow was lumpy. There was […] Read More

Oct 13, 2015

Medicine is a universally spoken language

Sarah Mongiello Bernstein

Lately, there seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding the practice of medicine. From the staggering student debt, to […] Read More

Jul 15, 2015

Hold On to What Makes You Whole

Sarah Mongiello Bernstein

Blackness covers the paper in its entirety. Hunched over, charcoal stained fingertips splayed out in front of me, I exhale […] Read More

Apr 27, 2015

Life does not stop the day you decide to become a doctor

Sarah Mongiello Bernstein

An earlier version of this post was originally published on KevenMD My brother wears a scar around his neck. It […] Read More

Mar 17, 2015

When “I don’t know” is your only answer

Sarah Mongiello Bernstein

As I reflect back on the last four years of medical school, I am reminded of the ghosts of patients […] Read More