Health Care Ethics Student Aspires to Create a Future Everyone Can Share

The Center for Global Health Ethics doctoral student from Nashville, Tenn., absorbs as much information as possible inside the classroom and out, and she’s always aware of what new knowledge can bring.
 
Noticing her passion for health care ethics throughout graduate school, Fayla’s professor, a Duquesne alumna, told her about the University’s strengths in this discipline.
 
“I really looked up to her and she spoke very highly of the program,” says Fayla. “I was able to see how she progressed in her career, and the understanding and leadership she taught me made me want to come to Duquesne and follow the same path.”
 
Throughout her education, Fayla has shadowed health care providers in Nashville, Cleveland and Pittsburgh and participated in rounds to foster better understanding of patient care, hospital operations and how all disciplines work together in the health care setting.
 
Driven by compassion and empathy, Fayla recognizes that these are the life-changing learning experiences that have allowed her to become a problem-solver who always think bigger.
 
“I’m learning the ins and outs of health care, not just from the clinical standpoint, but also the administrative standpoint,” says Fayla. “I'm seeing the little pockets of ethics all around.”
 
Fayla enjoys working with patients and realizes the importance of making health care more accessible, particularly in smaller communities.
 
“I’d like to work with people who might not even know ethics exist to help them with their care and increase quality of life,” she says.
 
It’s also important to ensure that patients know that health care, wellbeing and ethics are tied together. “That’s always the most important thing,” she says. “Seeing the support that you can provide them and expanding their vision and views is one of the most rewarding things about health care ethics.”
 
The new Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine and collaborations across campus will provide even more opportunities for students to break barriers and learn how they can help to improve health care access throughout their careers.
 
“When I first heard about the medical school, I thought it would help the next generation of medical students and people who want to go into the medical field reach that next level,” says Fayla. “And since being here at Duquesne, one of the things that people tell others about Pittsburgh is that it's one of the places where health care thrives.”
 
With a good sense of what she wants to achieve and the impact she can make on the world, Fayla plans to pursue a professional path with purpose in academia so she can inspire future students as her own professors have inspired her.
 
“Hopefully I can be involved in student lives to help them see what is ethical, what's not ethical, and how it applies not just to health care, but to what they see in their daily lives,” she says.