Careers

“I wanted a broader experience than just a traditional biology or chemistry major,” said Winkler, who majored in Arts and Letters pre-health and economics and did a year of service in Guatemala before attending Duke University School of Medicine. “I seriously doubt I would be where I am today had I not taken the liberal arts track at Notre Dame. Every day, I rely on the ways I learned to critically examine academic papers and studies. And the academic writing I did in many of my economic classes, I still do today. Writing concisely and clearly and being able to integrate multiple concepts and ideas—that is very much a liberal arts skill.”

“The liberal arts education opened my mind to all sorts of things, particularly serving others, and that’s how I ended up choosing what I was going to do beyond Notre Dame,” he said. “In the same way that I wanted a broad experience by choosing the College of Arts and Letters, I wanted a broad exposure to the world before continuing on in medical school. There are so many options available, and I think being able to take advantage of them comes from having that exposure to various ways of thinking and doing things. My Arts and Letters experience really gave me that.”

“I’ve got to constantly confront death and the meaning of life,” said Dr. James Gajewski, who majored in Arts and Letters pre-health and government. Over the course of his nearly 35-year medical career as a hematologist, Dr. Gajewski has specialized in stem cell and bone marrow transplants and cancer treatment and serves as an advocate for healthcare access. “I want to care for the poor, I want to care for people with the best care regardless of their income status. But I also have to make tough decisions when society has finite resources. My Notre Dame education makes me a better doctor because I have to question values and try to think of what’s important for the circumstances."

“Sometimes with a limited drug supply, I’ve had to decide who got a life-saving drug and who didn’t. How do we prioritize those life-saving drugs? Those were difficult decisions, and they’re very much about values. The ability to make those decisions doesn’t come from being a science major. The ability comes from the discussion of values that happen as a liberal arts major.”

 

While Lisiak enjoyed her math and science coursework, she soon felt that something was missing. “The classes were so technical in nature that I was missing this other creative component of myself,” she said. “I had found a way to make my life at Notre Dame well-rounded in other aspects, and I realized I was looking for that in my major as well.” She switched her majors to theology and Arts and Letters pre-health and began exploring a new question—how to help people in a way that would have as great an impact as being a doctor.

“Health care administration requires knowledge from both my theology and Arts and Letters pre-health majors,” she said. “It’s important to understand the psychology of business—how people work, how people think, how we can problem-solve in a way that best fits everyone. And that’s where my theology major fits in perfectly. It allows me to step back and see the bigger picture, the purpose to why we’re all here. My work also requires concise and effective communication and writing. Were it not for my honors thesis and the numerous papers I completed, I would not be the confident writer I am today. ”

Dr. Patrick Lyons studied pre-health and English. “This seemed like a perfect hybrid,” he said. “It let me take the pre-med course requirements, but it gave me time to take a full curriculum of English and to study abroad. English prepared me well because I have the ability to think critically and organize and analyze the information in front of me. Word choice and the way you’re addressing patients can be really powerful.”

Looking at how he practices medicine now, especially in his interactions with patients, Lyons realizes his English studies have had a profound effect on how he communicates. “Patients tend to be vulnerable at transitions of care. They’re meeting new providers and people who will be engaged in their care, and proper communication is vital in improving their conditions. With patient-level data, looking for patterns and being willing to re-evaluate a hypothesis is important,” Lyons said. “There are a lot of similarities with my work in English. One has had a big effect on the other.”