Rahimy was curious, and rotated there simply for the sake of learning more about it. She attributes this to its lack of presence in most medical oncology curricula, meaning a majority of medical students simply lack the exposure needed to develop an interest. At the time, radiation oncology had a reputation for being a “black box,” something that mystified patients and sometimes those in the surrounding fields as well. It was at Yale that she ventured into the world of radiation oncology through medical oncology rotations. But it was a welcome change, buoyed by the allure of new people, experiences, and culture. Subsequently, Rahimy attended Yale for medical school.The move was a stark contrast from the mild SoCal climate, and left her very far from her family. It was there that she first got a taste of oncology, getting involved with a research laboratory that focused on cancer stem cells. Today in the clinic, she gets to see these results first hand.Īfter high school, Rahimy’s family moved to sunny San Diego, where she attended University of California, San Diego, obtaining her undergraduate degree in biochemistry. Being able to explain things to patients to quell their anxiety can take a lot of time and it can be difficult, but it’s so rewarding,” Rahimy said. “With a lot of patients, the majority of anxiety and fear comes from not knowing what to expect throughout the process of treatment. That is, understanding the prognosis, the surrounding terms, and the nature of the disease/condition the individual is dealing with. She hypothesizes that many traumas we experience in life are health related, and can be eased with the power of understanding. There wasn’t one particular “a-ha moment” that led to her decision to pursue a career in science medicine, but life’s unpredictability instead. I liked mechanisms, they just made sense.” “I really liked science, and even though my dad is in science, there was never much of an influence from that,” she remembered. Her father, involved in pharmaceutical research, was the reason for this, but not for Rahimy’s eventual path in healthcare. Growing up, Rahimy and her family frequently moved (she spent the better part of her adolescence spread across seven states). To her, a career in science medicine seemed the default her natural instinct to help people and a love of science made it so. In school, Rahimy strayed away from the humanities, appreciating the steadfast logic behind scientific subjects instead. “In terms of bettering the patient treatment experience, something as simple as providing them with education on radiation makes all the difference.” “It’s such a simple thing to improve the patient experience and quality of life,” Rahimy said, referring to equipping patients with the proper knowledge surrounding their treatment. Radiation oncology is a complicated field, especially to a patient who might have limited knowledge on the subject of cancer treatment, let alone radiation. Her two facets of research include resident education and patient education, with an emphasis on the latter.
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