Post by Santa Clara University

Madeline Patrick '26 is a pre-med student who paints anatomy. A cancer researcher who dances ballet. At Santa Clara University, she never had to keep those parts of herself separate. When Patrick arrived from Roseburg, Oregon, she knew she loved painting and wanted to pursue medicine. What she found was an environment that encouraged her to explore the connections between disciplines rather than keep them separate. As a pre-med student and studio arts major, she discovered that studying anatomy through art strengthened her understanding of medicine. Beyond the classroom, she developed film in the darkroom, collaborated with artist-in-residence Ana Teresa Fernández, returned to ballet, joined the Mission Choir, and conducted cancer research through MedRAMP. Her research on adenoid cystic carcinoma was accepted for presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago this month — a milestone on her path toward medical school and a future in reconstructive plastic surgery. "We're only laying the foundation for what I'm going to blossom into." ↓ Link in first comment