In this new Vital Signs series, we feature 4th-year UNC School of Medicine student Adèle Bernard. Born in Montreal, Canada, and partially raised in Asheville, NC, Adèle calls the Triangle her home after moving to Durham in 2010. She shares more about what she loves most about attending medical school at Carolina and why her career goal involves full-spectrum reproductive and gynecologic care.
UNC School of Medicine 4th-year medical student Adèle Bernard knew she wanted to practice medicine and is planning for her career to involve reproductive and gynecologic care. She shares more about her experiences working in healthcare and plans for residency.
Q. What interested you the most in high school and college? Did you always want to be a doctor?
I was interested in everything! Ultimately, I found my people in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, where I completed a BSPH in Health Policy and Management. I wasn’t pre-med and didn’t plan to become a doctor until after undergrad.
Q. Why did you choose to become a doctor?
My personal experiences with medicine paired with working as a healthcare consultant and volunteering as a patient health navigator and birth doula woke me up to how I wanted to spend the rest of my career. I learned how much I value direct people interaction and fast-paced environments from my first jobs in the service industry. I missed that in my consulting role, so I decided to go back to school and complete medical school pre-requisites by transitioning to part-time consulting and later returning to my bartending roots.
Q. What is the most interesting part of medical school at Carolina?
The ability to choose your own adventure. I completed most of my clinical rotations in rural areas of western NC, had the opportunity to create my own 4th-year research elective in urogynecology, and used a lot of my 4th-year free time to continue service and research projects while also exploring non-medical interest like participating in a yoga teacher training program (shoutout to the Franklin St. Yoga community!) All of my friends at UNC SOM had their own unique experiences here.
Q. What do you plan to focus on after med school (residency in what and where)?
I’m thrilled to be staying at UNC for OB/GYN residency!
Q. What is your career goal?
I hope to be a generalist OB/GYN who provides, while also teaching future providers, full-spectrum reproductive and gynecologic care. It’s an honor to become an OB/GYN and I look forward to work as an educator, advocate, clinician and surgeon.