Hana Grobel shares how she grapples with changes in the medical field.
During my childhood, I never fit into a specific group. Being of mixed backgrounds, with a Japanese mother and an American father, I was always aware of my differences. I remember during high school lunch, looking out into the cafeteria to find a place to sit, and noticing how everyone seemed separated into groups based on looks, culture or social identity. Now, I am a family doctor and again, I don’t fit in.
After completing my 7 years of medical school and residency, I took an additional fellowship year to hone my skills in integrative medicine, a field that combines conventional, traditional and lifestyle medicine. I spent years going to conferences, reading books, becoming a yoga teacher, all to learn more, to deepen my understanding of the body and the ways it heals, knowing there was more than what I learned in medical school.
Years into practice, I see the polarization of various medical communities, with many feeling skeptical about differing forms of treatments. Whether treating with pharmaceuticals or natural therapies, it often feels like there needs to be sides, as if only one way is the right way. I realize some of this hesitation by healthcare practitioners is fear of the unknown. When we don’t understand why or how things work, we tend to dismiss them all together. Being in the middle, trying to integrate many forms of therapies, I see the beauty in all sides.
My hope in medicine is that we all can stay humble and open to new (or old) ideas, listen to one another and collaborate rather than separate. Over the years, I have learned to embrace who I am as a person and a doctor and stopped trying to fit in. I acknowledge what I know and don’t know. And I continue to ask questions and stay curious to find out more. Medicine is forever changing, and it’s up to us to adapt to the times. With a Perspective, I’m Hana Grobel.
Hana Grobel is a family doctor who practices in the Peninsula.
ctices in the Peninsula.