Participating in ACE in India 2018 helped prepare former Duke Women’s Track and Field team member Kate Kutzer to study medicine at Duke University Medical School five years later. While in India, Kutzer learned important lessons about the impact of social determinants on healthcare and her passion for service. In addition, she made relationships and connections that were valuable through her medical school application process.
What are you doing now? How did ACE influence your career pathway?
This past summer I started my first year at Duke University School of Medicine! I was admitted to the Primary Care Leadership Track, which is a pathway that prepares medical students to be leaders in primary and preventative fields. I am interested in pursuing OB/GYN but am remaining open-minded to other specialties
“ACE strongly influenced my path to becoming a doctor because it exposed me to the many factors that influence health and wellbeing.”
– Kate Kutzer, ACE in India 2018
I am also planning to pursue a Master’s of Public Health in my third year at Duke. ACE strongly influenced my path to becoming a doctor because it exposed me to the many factors that influence health and well-being. It allowed me to engage with the social determinants of health for the first time and it solidified my path to medicine as I realized my passion for service.
ACE demonstrated to me the impact a small group of people can make while working as a team. Since my ACE experience, I have continued to volunteer, both in Durham and my hometown, and I look forward to serving communities throughout my career as a doctor.
Share one lesson from ACE that still holds true today.
One lesson I learned from my ACE experience was that communication is the foundation for collaboration and understanding. I have carried this idea throughout various settings in my life (school, work, moving to another city), and it has helped me humbly engage with new experiences, teams, and communities.
Describe your ACE experience in as few words as possible:
Teamwork, service, and growth
How have you kept in contact with people from your ACE program?
While applying to medical schools, I was accepted to Stanford and reached out to Valerie and Blake from my ACE in India team because they were both still on the Farm pursuing graduate degrees as well. It was great knowing that I have a community 3000 miles away from my home university.