Henry | Neuroscience
Biography
Henry is in the PLME Class of 2026 concentrating in neuroscience. At Brown, he is involved in neurosurgery research, DesignXHealth where he serves as treasurer and media chair, and club squash. Within the PLME, he is the president of the Community Health Advocacy Program (CHAP) and a violinist in the Providence Medical Orchestra (PMO). His favorite hobbies include playing in the pit orchestra for musicals and biking around Providence!
I feel incredibly grateful to be able to design a personalized undergraduate experience through the PLME. I have always been interested in many subjects beyond medicine, and where it would be difficult to fully satiate this curiosity in a traditional pre-med path, this was possible and even encouraged within the PLME. From building models in a modern architecture course to dissecting a scene in an acting course, I aimed to take full advantage of Brown’s Open Curriculum and focus on my personal growth and learning beyond a medical school application.
The PLME offers an unparalleled opportunity to shadow, discuss, and work with different physicians. By looking past the knowledge, experience, and manual dexterity required of physicians and professionals in many other fields, physicians show us that just being human goes a long way. I was able to witness first hand the importance of empathy, sensitivity, and responsibility for human life. It’s a privilege to offer guidance to those at their most vulnerable, and the clinical opportunities offered by the PLME has allowed me to appreciate this.
Accessible healthcare education for the youth is incredibly important to me. Healthy communities are built on the foundation of health awareness and education, and this begins at all ages. Through PLME’s CHAP, and specifically the Child Health Education branch, I work with other PLME students every week to teach health and science topics to elementary school students in the Providence community. CHAP has been a pivotal piece of my time in PLME, and allows me to shape the community with a positive footprint. I am also passionate about aging and improving older adult care, and learning about the US healthcare system / rising healthcare costs.
My go-to study spot has changed every year, but my favorite spot on campus has to be the Main Green. I enjoy being outside, and there’s no better spot on campus to read, relax, or people-watch than the Main Green. I’ve had a lot of core memories here - movies on the green, snowball fights with friends, and just walking through from one class to another. It’s really the heart of campus and it’s always fun to hang out with friends here.
Something that is easily overlooked or underutilized in the PLME is the support of the advisors and mentorship from upperclassmen in the program. I always knew I wanted to maximize my experience in the program, but how to do so was often unclear. The flexibility offered by the PLME felt like a double-edged sword, and it often seemed like other students in my cohort knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish. My advisor (shout out Jang gang!) and upperclassmen I met through groups like CHAP were immensely helpful in laying out the opportunities that were available and best for me to try. The diversity of experiences of others in PLME has challenged me to think differently and has inspired me to create my own experience.