Three Questions for Joyce Sanchez, MD

From the 4/3/2020 newsletter
Three Questions for Joyce Sanchez, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)


1. What moment made you realize that COVID-19 was unlike a routine outbreak?

"This was a slow realization. Like watching an accident unfold in slow motion. Given my travel medicine practice, I began following the situation when reports described a cluster of people diagnosed with a mysterious viral pneumonia in Wuhan at the end of December. Every week thereafter, things appeared more severe and closer to home. On March 7th , we made the incredibly hard decision to cancel our medical trip to Kenya, less than one week before our departure. That was the day I stopped denying this was going to hit our community in a drastic way."


2. What has surprised you?

"This virus has infiltrated every aspect of my life. It is the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. It has put the usual day-to-day tasks of my life on hold. No, that’s not right. It has turned the previous structure of my days completely upside-down. It has worked its way into nearly every conversation with family, friends, patients, colleagues and trainees. It has squeezed its way into every project that I am involved with. It has taken over my Twitter and Facebook news feeds. It has caused my screen time to double. It has kept my family members from returning to the United States. It has forced the hospital system that I am proud to serve to its knees."


3. How has COVID-19 impacted you?

"It has encouraged me to become more transparent with the limitations of my expertise. It has made me more honest with those around me about my anxieties of where we will be left when this chapter is over. It has made me practice what I preach when I say “wash your hands.” It has given me motivation to empower those around me to pursue new ideas, develop innovative solutions, and embrace creativity to cope with this new normal. It has accelerated the speed of scientific inquiry, information dissemination, collaboration, and discovery. It has caused me to re-evaluate what is truly important in my life. It has given me new purpose. It has validated my choice of medicine as a vocation and infectious disease as a career. It has made me see more good and humanity in people. It emboldens me to share my story because just as we are all affected, we are all connected."