LIZ POWERS The thing that would probably surprise you the most about Liz Powers is that she isn't at all conceited. She should be. Double major in biology and Hispanic studies...concertmaster of the Vassar orchestra...varsity diver for three years...four years of Rugby...sophomore year abroad in Madrid...Goldwater Scholar...Winner of the Phi Beta Kappa Prize and the Kate Roberts Prize in Biology. She graduated with honors in bio, got into Harvard, Mayo, and Dartmouth medical schools, and finally settled on Stanford. She is now completing her family practice residency at Oregon Health and Sciences University and doing clinical research in teenage obesity.
What was it like--medical school?
Med school was very challenging. Luckily, I enjoyed all of it--from being a student to doing research in neurobiology to being a T.A. (teaching assistant) in anatomy. My favorite part was clinicals, where I finally got to live out my dream to become a doctor. I'm almost there!
Are you planning to become a family practitioner?
I am. As a family practitioner, you see the entire family, and you see them over the course of their lives. You really know them--you know their history, you know their concerns. In our current health care system, I don’t like the tendency towards mechanization and depersonalization. I really hope I can make a contribution toward keeping health care focused around the whole person.
How well did Vassar prepare you?
Very well. Vassar taught me to think and gave me not only a passion for knowledge but an understanding of differing world views that has proven invaluable. Vassar didn't really change how I live my life, but it changed how I look at the world. The course I took on Eastern religious traditions, for example. I'm very comfortable with my own religion, which is Christianity, but I came to realize that there are so many other ways to view life and spirituality. And the same with the American culture course I took on Vietnam. I'm an optimist by nature. I like to think that if you approach life with a positive attitude, you'll have a good experience. But then you consider these people whose lives were totally destroyed by the horror of war--how does that fit with my look-on-the-bright-side approach? My life has been good, I've been really lucky, but it really hit home in an emotional way that not all people have had that experience. Becoming more worldly is understanding that there is a world, and it's not you.
Would you recommend Vassar to prospective students as a place to study science?
I think it's a great place to study science. The one-on-one contact with the profs is incredible. Freshman year, I began working as a research assistant for Dr. Hemmes, and I got to collaborate with him the whole time I was at Vassar. I had excellent profs--Chris Smart in chemistry is a great teacher, Bill Straus in bio is a great teacher, John Long, also in bio, is a great teacher. But if I had to single out one particular professor, it would be Dick Hemmes. It's just incredible, the time he's willing to put in, and his love for his profession, and his interest in students' projects.
Still playing rugby? Violin?
I was playing rugby with a women's club in San Francisco called the Bay Area She Hawks, a.k.a. B.A.S.H. But I got a serious concussion last spring, so I’m taking at least a year off. I'm still playing the violin and recently restarted piano lessons. I also spend much time outdoors with my husband. We've done multiple back-country treks, including 60 miles over the High Sierra, orienteering with no trail, just maps and compasses. We also go kayaking, rock climbing, ice climbing, caving, mountain biking...I am never bored.
What's the most fun thing you've done since you graduated? The most interesting? What has your biggest challenge been?
Most fun? That's a toss up between the backpacking adventures and doing a family practice rotation with my dad as the attending physician. Most interesting? Definitely med school. Biggest challenge? Coming across the mountains, through passes, over glaciers without a trail. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, that was the hardest thing I've ever done, and the most rewarding.