Heather Sweeney, MD, (MED’20)

Specialty Interests
OB/GYN

What is special to you about BUSM?
A main reason why I chose BUSM, and why I continue to take immense pride in it today, is its affiliation with Boston Medical Center and its commitment to social justice. The sense of mission shared among students and faculty here is so palpable, and I’ve felt the camaraderie serve as a source of relief when facing feelings of burnout and helplessness in clinical situations. I also love BUSM’s willingness to embrace student ideas relating to advocacy and social justice in medical education. So much of what we encounter in medicine is beyond the physiology and pharmacology, and I appreciate every day having been able to train in a place that embraces the broader scope of healthcare and empowers us to change underlying systems of inequity.

How do you spend downtime or what do you do for wellness?
This year, I’ve gotten to fulfill my long-held dream of coaching a high school track team. I was able to arrange my fourth-year schedule so that I could coach every afternoon this winter and spring. I competed in track and field in college, but I haven’t gotten to embrace the track nerd inside of me for a few years. It feels amazing to get to share all of this random long jump and javelin knowledge that’s been cooped up inside my brain with a group of eager, motivated teenagers. I absolutely love it. Catch my coaching headshot photo below. Outside of that, I’ve been using my ample fourth-year free time to travel, sleep, watch Netflix, and volunteer for a presidential primary campaign with hopes of pushing forward Medicare for All!

Most memorable patient interaction?
(content warning: sexual assault)
On one of my OBGYN rotations, I had a patient who was readmitted shortly after being sexual assaulted. My resident and I sat with her for a while and just tried to let her know she wasn’t alone. She was also dealing with opioid use disorder and homelessness, as well as the feelings of isolation and stigma that accompany those things. She’d left and been readmitted quite a few times, but no one in the department was going to give up on her. I’ve done a lot of work with sexual assault prevention and advocacy in college and med school, so every survivor patient I’ve had is incredibly memorable to me. This patient stands out because I ran into her a few months later, and she gave me a big hug. She was doing amazing, and it made my heart so happy to see.

What has been an unexpected experience or revelation?
It was fun on the interview trail to meet applicants from different schools and see how they’re just like us, just studying somewhere else. It was weird and exciting and interesting and humbling to realize how many other people are out there doing the same thing that I am, just in parallel. Most of the other applicants I met were wonderful and caring and passionate about making the world a better place. It made me really excited for the future of medicine.

What’s it like to live in the MSR?
I don’t live in the MSR anymore, but it was fun to live there first year. It really allowed all of us to socialize and celebrate the victories of M1 together.

What unexpected challenges have you faced as a medical student and how’d you overcome them?
I had a particularly hard time during the winter of first year. The excitement of the beginning of school and all these new friends had sort of worn off, and I found myself missing my college friends and teammates, grieving yet another injury that left me unable to workout or participate in sports (my main source of wellness!), and I was burnt out from studying neuro for what felt like months straight. One day, I sort of lost it, and I called my mom crying. She encouraged me to reach out to friends outside of medicine, and they’ve been a big source of support ever since. I also saw someone at BU Behavioral Health, and that was a HUGE help. Since then, I’ve talked to lots of classmates who have also struggled and sought help. To anyone afraid to take this step, know you are not alone.

Any other thoughts to share?
Fourth year is truly the best year–hang in there! The light at the end of the tunnel is worth it!