On his first solo visit to his family’s native Ethiopia in 2023, public health science graduate Mike Bisrat ’26 saw how people navigated significant health and economic challenges. His experience transformed his understanding of health and strengthened his commitment to addressing public health challenges and healthcare inequities.
“Being Ethiopian played a big role in how I was raised and how I view the world and the career I chose to take,” he said. "I remember seeing just how different things were [in Ethiopia]. The poverty felt much more visible and much more serious. I didn't want to just sit there and watch everything happen without contributing somehow."
When both of Bisrat’s parents were diagnosed with cancer during his college years, his commitment to studying medicine and public health became even stronger. Shaped by a desire to contribute meaningful change, Bisrat aims to improve doctor-patient communication. He noted that many people in his community, including his parents, have not always felt comfortable going to the doctor due to language barriers and difficulty being fully understood in clinical settings.
Being Ethiopian played a big role in how I was raised and how I view the world and the career I chose to take.
As a geriatric medical assistant at Advanced Primary and Geriatric Care in Rockville, Maryland, Bisrat worked with many minoritized patients and has seen how patients’ fears can affect their access to care. In his role, he handled patient intake, taking vitals such as blood pressure, assisted physicians and helped coordinate patient care.
“There is a huge mistrust that I have seen,” Bisrat said. “I want to focus on building better communication between doctors and patients so people, especially my own people, feel heard and understood.”
The 23-year-old graduate transferred from Montgomery College, where he received his associate’s degree in General Studies STEM. At the University of Maryland, Bisrat served as a Public Health Science Ambassador and peer mentor, helping advise and assist prospective students throughout their application process. He also mentors as a youth soccer coach, a sport he loves to play as well.
“Mike possesses a rare fusion of maturity and grit that elevates everything he touches. He is the quintessential learner—one who seeks mastery over mere completion and answers adversity with unwavering personal accountability,” said Jeffrey Beans, a public health science adjunct professor. “He has earned this honor not by avoiding life’s challenges, but by allowing them to forge his excellence.”
Bisrat hopes to combine medicine and public health throughout his career. He is especially interested in global health and would like to return to Ethiopia one day as a physician, helping educate and work alongside healthcare professionals there.
“I want to be able to be a physician who does their best to meet the patient where they are,” he said. “I want patients to feel comfortable, and I want to be a physician who helps them feel heard and supported.”
— by Rachel Kebler
I want patients to feel comfortable, and I want to be a physician who helps them feel heard and supported.