Our H.E.R.O. Award -Honoring Excellent Resident Observations – was launched to highlight the personal sacrifices and educational commitment during a medical resident’s professional adult life. We realize, considering the fast moving changes in healthcare, how courageous medical residents are to embark upon a career in medicine with such an uncertain future. This award is our way of recognizing that courage.
We wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our nominees individually:
Rose Taroyan
Rose decided that she was going to leave the country to study medicine. She went to
St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. She left behind her family and friends to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Rose grew up in a very strict household with set rules; the most difficult part of her decision was telling her dad that she will be moving to a foreign country by herself with no one to take care of her; she was determined and she stood up for what she believed in. Rose left the country and came back very well rounded person with 2 degrees…MD/MPH.
Being the eldest of five, Rose naturally undertook the role of a caregiver. Her father worked as a long-distance truck driver that required months of absence. Her mother attended community college to learn English to reinstate her teaching credentials. For this reason, she sacrificed many childhood activities to attend to her siblings by cooking, helping with homework, nurturing wounds, and enforcing hygiene care.
Rose chose to pursue a career in family medicine because she wanted to provide comprehensive care for patients and their families within the community. For her, family medicine allows an opportunity to provide patient care of all ages and culturally diverse backgrounds. This career path enables her to interact and treat family members, and watch their family grow and expand. To be the sole provider of the whole family gives her joy and satisfaction. She establishes patient rapport by demonstrating empathy, confidence, and respect. Because she see patients from their first presentation, this allows her to provide education, counseling, and continuity of care. As a family physician, she is continuing the foundation of preventing and managing diseases established throughout my experiences and education.
Despite continuous adversity in the life of an immigrant, Rose remained strong and motivated against individuals who claimed that her dreams of becoming a doctor were unfeasible and impossible. Ever since she was young, the intricate complexities underlying the human body have fascinated her. Specifically, she wanted to learn the functions of each body part and how the brain controls all the signals traveling to the body. Her interest in the anatomy of human body further intensified when, unfortunately, her grandma was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme. Because her grandma was 72 years old at the time of diagnosis, she and the family struggled with the idea of surgery to remove the tumor. She stood by her grandma’s side during each consultation with various doctors, each time in awe of the intelligence and care doctors exude. This allowed her to appreciate an array of possibilities within the field of medicine, including procedures, research, and treatment.
Born under the oppressive rule of the communist regime in Armenia, where the ideal of equality was skewed by greed and corruption, she and her family experienced a life of struggle and injustice. Realizing the seemingly irreversible damage such a tyrannical government could cause for their growing family, her parents made the decision to leave all of our belongings and immigrate to United States. Upon arrival on August 16, 1988 her parents set out to accomplish the American dream without a place to live and without any knowledge of English. She considers myself to be among the most fortunate because she is on the brink of accomplishing what most people in my background could not imagine.
In addition, Rose is a very self driven and ambitious individual. She was determined to pursue her future goals. As a result, she left the country to study medicine all by herself without any hesitation. She sacrificed her freedom and personal relationships to obtain ongoing knowledge in order to accomplish her dreams.
Vote for Rose here.
If you know a resident that deserves to be recognized,
please nominate your candidate here. 
