Alumni Spotlight: Dr. John Martin, M.D., B.A. '09

Spanish – Latin America (Study abroad: Uruguay) – Social and Cultural Identity

I graduated Croft in Latin American studies, with a concentration in Social and Cultural identity. My thesis explored examples of effective healthcare delivery in Latin America, with implications for impending U.S. reform (this was 2008-2009, in the lead-up to debate and passage of the ACA).

After Croft, I obtained my M.D. from Tulane University. Today, I am the Surgical Education Research Fellow at Indiana University, and I am completing a Masters in Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Through the American College of Surgeons, I continue to advocate for my patients and for health policy reforms at the state and federal levels.

I live and work in Indianapolis, where our city-county health system serves large migrant populations from South and Central America and Southeast Asia. Every day, I rely on the language skills and intercultural experiences I gained through Croft to communicate with my patients and their loved ones. I am more able to listen, more able to understand and make a correct diagnosis, more able to teach and offer comfort, and more able to improve my patients’ health. I cannot emphasize this point enough: Croft’s investment in me is directly impacting my patients’ lives.

If you would like to be included in the Senior or Alumni spotlight, please contact William Mahoney at mahoney@olemiss.edu.