Author- Abby Sapadin PGY1
Why I love my neighborhood: Pilsen, located on the lower west side of Chicago, has long been home to immigrants of many backgrounds, most recently Mexican families that were forcefully relocated here in the 1950s. The result is an area rich in history, food, art, and cultural events that I have enjoyed exploring. There is a strong sense of community here; from personal experience, people often go out of their way to help strangers and say hello to their neighbors. The pull-up bars at Harrison Park, useful since COVID-19 has closed all the gyms, are a nice bonus!
Photo 1: This mural, entitled “Gulliver in Wonderland,” was created by Mexican artist Hector Duarte and also marks the location of his art studio. This piece, depicting a man caught in barbed wire, metaphorically shows the struggle for true freedom that immigrants to America face.
Photo 2: After standing as the St. Vitus Catholic Church for over 100 years, this building was transformed into the Guadalupano Family Center in the mid-1990s. It now provides educational services for children in several neighborhoods, and is covered in beautiful paintings and graffiti on all sides.
#TheACMCDifference: While I was aware of Advocate Christ as an institution before med school, it was only after speaking with an MS4 who matched at ACMC that I became interested in training here. She talked up the high trauma volume, supportive faculty, excellent teaching, and a culture of having fun while getting great work done, all of which I learned are true! While auditioning here, I noticed senior EM residents fluidly running the room, balancing attention to detail while masterfully managing a high volume of patients on each shift. I also found the 1:1 pairings of residents with attendings on shift to be more effective for learning. When ranking my top program, above all I wanted training that would prepare me for any work environment and allow me to have a blast with hardworking colleagues throughout – I’m so glad I found that at Christ!
ACMC Emergency Medicine 