Tag: underrepresented minorities

Dominic Moog, BA Dominic Moog, BA (1 Posts)

Medical Student Guest Writer

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis


Dom Moog is a fourth-year medical student at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a transfeminine individual of nonbinary experience. Dom hails from the Twin Cities of Minnesota and attended the University of Southern California, where they received a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Sexuality Studies. This educational background and a lifetime of personal experiences inspire their interest in psychiatry with emphases on marginalized peoples, economic justice, substance use disorders, and community building as a pillar of psychiatric wellness work. Dom co-founded The Shades Project St. Louis in 2022, a grassroots non-profit organization focused on the intersections of health, community, and art, and serves as Director of Development at the School of Opulence in Chicago. Dom also sings with the St. Louis Chamber Chorus and is an avid participant and budding leader in the queer Ballroom community.




Our Haus, Our Humanity: Lessons from the Queer Community that can Help Heal Medicine

Both Dominic Moog and Chase T.M. Anderson are co-authors of this piece. Yet another early morning spent meticulously examining my face in the mirror—I must look perfect. Of course, that means later I’m racing to meet my attending on time; thank goodness speed walking is a queer sport. I rehearse responses to comments on my appearance I always fear could come: unprofessional, extra, colorful, or some other thinly-veiled iteration of “too much.” I craft bulletproof …

Do Individuals from Low-Income Families Belong in Medicine? (Yes!)

Recently, several attending physicians sparked controversy on Twitter by implying that low-income medical students or trainees should not pursue careers in medicine. While these tweets have since been deleted, the systemic injustices that they echo still ring in the highest levels of modern medical education. As a medical trainee from an impoverished household, I have spent almost my entire post-secondary education and medical training as part of an invisible demographic.

It Is Right to Leave: Rank List Decisions as a Minoritized Medical Trainee

My fingers tense. Frozen not of my own accord. I want to do this, but I can’t. I need to do this, yet the anxiety grips at my mind and throat, stalling what should be an easy decision. As a Black, gay medical student in my fourth year, what I’m about to do has so many repercussions and permutations. So much so that I feel stuck, unable to be decisive when decisiveness is necessary.

Michael A. Belmonte, MD Michael A. Belmonte, MD (1 Posts)

Resident Physician Contributing Writer

Indiana University School of Medicine


Michael is a PGY-3 in obstetrics and gynecology at Indiana University in Indianapolis. He completed his BS at Northwestern University and his MD at University of Illinois in Chicago. He is dedicated to minority medical education, reproductive justice and health equity. In his free time, he enjoys all things travel, food, and games. He is currently applying to fellowships in family planning.