Carmen Pajarillo, MPH

I am a Yale medical student who is currently pursuing a research year with the Vascular Medical OutcomeS (VAMOS) lab, where I investigate how social determinants of health impact carotid revascularization outcomes. In addition, I currently sit on the Yale Safety and Security Committee as a Student Representative. My current career goal is becoming an academic medicine cardiologist who conducts clinical outcomes research while providing mentorship to underserved/underrepresented medical students.

My premedical, public health, and clinical endeavors have largely been shaped by working with Hispanic/Latino and uninsured/low-income populations. I have also worked with Hispanic/Latino populations through premedical mentorship, serving as the premed liaison for YSM’s Latino Medical Student Association / National Medical Student Association as well as leading the MD cohort for the inaugural Yale PATHS program, where Yale MD / PhD / MD-PhD students provide longitudinal, individualized mentorship for underserved/underrepresented premedical students across the country. I also serve as a medical school Personal Statement Reviewer at the Yale Office of Career Strategy, and advise premedical students in my own time.

As Student Representative on the Yale Safety and Security Committee, I help the committee identify and manage safety/security projects such as traffic safety. Prior, I served as YSM Traffic Safety Representative, where I brought classmate concerns to respective committees, advocated and wrote letters/letter templates for local hearings concerning traffic safety, and educated/updated peers on local traffic safety issues. Traffic safety/design is often treated as an afterthought in both the medical and public health realms, when in reality it is a key player for many of the medical/public health disparities we face. Through my endeavors, I hope to make New Haven a safer, more walkable/accessible city.