
Emerging Voices
David Masolak,
Psych MD
What was your path to mental healthcare?
My path to mental healthcare was influenced strongly by my medical school rotations and personal experience of seeing one particular family member struggle with mental illness. I originally entered medical school with the goal of becoming a Hematologist/Oncologist. However, I was quickly swayed to change directions when a family member experienced a psychotic break while I was in school. I was able to view the experience as a family member and watched someone close to me go from a fantastic student with ambitions of being an attorney, to someone who became reclusive and had trouble making sense to me. Over the years, the person I knew before would appear before me again when stabilized on an antipsychotic medication, but would quickly lose insight and stop taking their medications.
After witnessing how difficult mental illness is to treat within my own family, the psychiatry clinical rotations I had the opportunity to take part in as a medical student opened a whole new area of passion for me that I did not know existed prior. I decided to apply for a Psychiatry Residency position in order to treat the family members of others the way I imagine my family member should have been treated.
How will this scholarship help you?
Ideally, I hope this scholarship will give me the ability to attend this conference and gain knowledge in areas of psychiatry that may not be covered in as much depth during my residency training. My goal is to become a fully independent well rounded psychiatrist. By having the opportunity to listen to and rub shoulders with leaders in the field, I hope I am able to follow in their footsteps. If I am to improve and add to the field of psychiatry it is vital for me to understand all the basics and building blocks first!
What are your academic and/or career goals?
I am currently the Associate Chief Resident at that University of Kansas Psychiatry Residency in Wichita. Besides advocating for patients I also have an interest in Forensic Psychiatry, which I believe can go hand in hand. I plan to apply for a forensic fellowship this spring. After completing a forensic fellowship I plan to contribute to the community by providing evaluations and testimonies. However, I also plan to continue clinical work with patient's in an inpatient setting.
What does “exceptional patient care” mean to you?
Caring for a patient as if they are your own family member! Regardless of the diagnosis or situation I believe putting yourself in the patient's shoes always creates a more "exceptional" environment. For this reason, I find that one of my strengths is empathy, which is one of the large contributing factors in building a strong therapeutic alliance. Studies have shown that even without medication that alone can be a great start in treatment and I believe that is a building block to exceptional patient care. In order for the therapeutic alliance to progress however, the patient needs to have a voice in their care as well and a full biopsychosocial approach must be used. That way no angle or factor of patient care is being neglected.