Carol Fernandez-Hazim, MD, medicine chief resident at Montefiore Einstein’s Wakefield campus, was among 10 out of approximately 1,400 residents system-wide to receive this year’s Staff and Alumni Association award for Outstanding House Officer. She is passionate about preventing heart disease before it starts and reducing health disparities, and will be pursuing a fellowship in cardiology at Jefferson Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia. Here, she talks about her passion for service and how Wakefield has shaped her.

Helping others runs in the family: I was born and raised in the city of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, the oldest of three sisters. My father worked at City Hall, including as treasurer for the local government. People were always coming to our house for his advice and assistance. “We want to give others what they don't have. Let's help,” he would say. At the same time, my mom was everything to everyone in our family—her children, our grandmother, and her three siblings. She anticipated our every need. She taught me the importance of looking after people, and giving of yourself.

Finding a calling: At age 14, through the bilingual Catholic school I attended, I had an opportunity to serve as a translator for doctors from the U.S., from the Midwest Medical Mission. For two to four weeks, they would provide consultations, dispense medications, and perform surgeries and procedures. I saw how fulfilled and happy they were, giving their time and working together as a team. I realized this was how I wanted to serve others. I continued to volunteer with them until I went to medical school.

An overwhelming need: Medical graduates in the Dominican Republic perform a mandatory year of service to receive their license. I chose to practice in a village about an hour from where I grew up. The reality hit me really hard—the scarcity of resources, equipment, supplies, and specialized training. I didn’t have the tools to help as much as I wanted to. I said, I want to be the best doctor I can be, and train with all the resources possible, so that one day I can go back and give the best care to my community. That is how I became a resident at Wakefield.

Learning from peers of different backgrounds can help you understand your patients better and you take that with you to the bedside.

Dr. Carol Fernandez-Hazim, chief resident in internal medicine at Montefiore Einstein’s Wakefield Hospital

Learning from our differences: The incredible diversity of our team at Wakefield is extremely rich in the way it makes you grow as a person. Learning from peers of different backgrounds can help you understand your patients better and you take that with you to the bedside. I’ve also had incredible mentors here. Dr. Leandro Slipczuk introduced me to cardiology research. Dr. Katherine Di Palo sparked my interest in quality improvement, followed by amazing mentors such as Dr. Sarah Baron and Dr. Sharon Rikin. My program director, Dr. Grace Kajita, and my advisor, Dr. Kristin Swedish, have guided me every step of the way. They are always asking, what are your goals? Let's work together towards that. It’s invaluable to have someone that believes in you and sees your potential.

Doing more, doing better: I got some very wise advice from a heart failure attending I met as part of the American College of Cardiology’s Hispanic/Latinx Internal Medicine Cardiology Program. She said, start with something small and see what bothers you. We have good medications for heart failure, but we as providers are not prescribing them. I said, let's see if we do better. A year ago I received the Department of Medicine’s Philip Lief MD Quality Improvement Program Award for Residents and Fellows for a project to increase use of SGLT2 inhibitors for outpatients with heart failure. It’s been amazing to start to see the results.

Lean on me: At Wakefield, we have 77 residents and two chiefs. Dr. Azucena Herrera, my co-chief, is originally from Ecuador. She and I have worked side-by-side, and we’ve supported each other through every challenge. She inspires me to do more than I thought was possible. I still remember vividly being a first-year resident and relying on others. If I can provide one piece of good advice, or help a fellow resident with one task, that's a source of satisfaction.

In my free time: I'm a huge sports fan, especially the NBA. Watching a really good game with my husband, Juan Moni, and our three-year-old son is just what I need at the end of the day. My husband supports me in my career whole-heartedly, with no hesitation in spite of all the demands. I wouldn’t be where I am without him. My advice is, know who and what are important to you, make time for those things, and go from there.