Dr. Renee Salas

Medicine seemed like the perfect way to combine both. A series of sports-related injuries led to interactions with the healthcare system. It solidified my decision to become a doctor. 

Certain memories stick with you forever. For me, our first day at the Lerner College of Medicine is one of those. Walking through those doors was special. I remember a palpable sense of excitement among my classmates. We were pioneers, entrusted with helping to shape this new approach to medical education. 

Previously, I was driven by external motivations when I learned — to achieve an A on an exam. But there are no grades within the CCLCM program, so you needed to be internally motivated. This transformed how I learned and developed skills that I still use to this day. What do I know? What don’t I know? And how do I fill those gaps? 

The extra year of research also aligned with my goals. I worked on breast cancer research at Michigan State University during the summer when I was an undergraduate at St. Mary’s College.

A change in plans  

Initially, I planned to specialize in oncology, but a required rotation in emergency medicine changed everything. I ended up loving the diagnostic challenges, the critical nature of the work, and the emphasis on serving anyone who needs care at any time. 

After my residency in emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati, I went to Massachusetts General Hospital for a fellowship in wilderness medicine. 

I was working in Nepal when the devastating earthquake struck in 2015. It was a time of great heartache and sorrow. However, I feel blessed to have served during the disaster-relief efforts as people from around the world came together to help those in need. As humans, we can be unstoppable when we’re joined by a common cause and committed to serving one another. 

Three months into the fellowship, I read a report by the Lancet Commission. It knocked off my rose-colored glasses in terms of how climate change would impact not only my patients, but my ability to provide care. That started me down the path that is my calling. 

Up and down the river  

In the emergency department, it can feel like I’m pulling patients out of a river, one at a time. Working on climate change, I’ve ventured upstream to figure out why people are falling into the river in the first place. Upstream, you find the burning of fossil fuels, which is driving climate change and producing air pollution, as it harms health and our ability to care for patients. We artificially put a dam on that river and call things upstream “public health” and things downstream “medicine,” but it’s all one continuous river for our patients. We need to focus more on upstream solutions. It’s the most impactful way to prevent harm downstream, where too often we find ourselves putting on Band-Aids instead of getting to the root of the problem. ◼