Letter of Gratitude By Mei Mei Edwards to Karim Jamal, M.D.

Dear Dr. Jamal,

Often I am asked who my favorite professor is in medical school and my knee-jerk response is to say “Oh, that’s easy – it’s Dr. Jamal!”

Why this is the case stems from early on in my first year. You might not remember, but I had a less-than-stellar performance on the first Clinical Skills pre-exam and so I had to meet with you to discuss how best to move forward. I was terrified prior to the meeting. I was fully expecting to get threatened with expulsion if I continued to underperform, or perhaps even get ridiculed during the meeting. So, I set my jaw and walked into the room ready for the onslaught.

But the onslaught never came.

You see, in just that brief half hour, you made it very clear that even though I didn’t do so well, you still believed in me. Not only that, you made it clear that these exams and classes are not designed to trick or fail me, but are instead learning tools to help me become the best physician I can be. So, instead of internalizing this early failure, I was instead inspired to dig deeper and refine my physical exam and history gathering skills.

And then later that year, when it came time for the actual clinical skills exam, you were there to give me the pep talk of the century. I still remember how refreshing it was to joke and laugh off the nerves with you just minutes prior to taking that exam. As a result, I was able to walk into the exam room relaxed, focused and ready.

Unlike many professors I have had before, your mentorship didn’t end after your course’s final exam. You still took the time to reach out to me and my classmates by crafting and presenting high yield PowerPoints on a whole slew of topics ranging from cardiac arrest to infections in the immunocompromised. These crash courses have helped me shine in many of the clinics and hospitals already and will undoubtedly help me moving forward in my career. What blows me away is that you have done all of this despite being insanely busy with teaching medical school courses and saving lives in the Emergency Department.

Dr. Jamal, you have been a large part in making my medical school experience here an incredible one. I am truly grateful for everything you have done and want you to know that your hard work and dedication never go unnoticed. Thank you for being you.

Sincerely,

Mei Mei