Student Spotlight: Sarah DeCou

As Sarah DeCou (’23) embarks on her final year of medical school, she reflects on how the unique design of the CCLCM program has allowed her to discover her strengths and realize her dreams.

“I’ve loved my experience here. Honestly, the last few years have gone by incredibly fast. Every aspect of it has been exactly what I wanted in a medical school, from the small class sizes to the research programs. It’s been a great experience from that perspective.”

While studying at Washington University for her undergraduate degree, she found an appreciation for research and wanted to find a way to incorporate it into her career without making it her entire career. Finding the Clinical Research Scholar’s Program within CCLCM was the “perfect middle ground blend of research,” she says.

Her interest in pediatric oncology compelled Sarah to reach out to some pediatric oncologists within the Cleveland Clinic community and inquire about research opportunities. She was connected with Neha Patel, MD, and embarked on research on specific genetic conditions. Sarah recently had the opportunity to present her research on neurofibromatosis type 1 and the correlation between the patient’s clinical severity with their immunophenotype, sex and other demographic features at the Children’s Tumor Foundation Conference, noting that it was a great opportunity to learn, collaborate and share her project with other researchers.

While Sarah’s holds a particular passion for research, it’s her third-year clinical rotation that stands out as a medical school career highlight for her. She loved every single aspect of it, to the point where she found it difficult to choose a clinical specialty to pursue because she genuinely loved rotating through all the clinical specialties. She wanted to keep an open mind about choosing a specialty even though she has a passion for pediatrics. Prior to medical school, Sarah had worked at a children’s hospital as a research coordinator in pediatric oncology. Perhaps not surprising, Sarah eventually settled on pediatrics, saying, “Kids are so much cooler than adults, and I feel the most myself working with them.”

Another highlight of her third year in medical school was the professional growth she made. She’s proud to say her communication skills have increased dramatically, along with her confidence.

When Sarah matriculated at CCLCM, her goals were simply to get through medical school and become more comfortable with patients, both of which she feels are in sight. As for current goals, she is applying for residencies and working on her thesis.

Outside of her studies, Sarah enjoys the outdoors quite a bit. She likes biking and running and actually just completed her first 5k this past spring! During the pandemic, Sarah and her friends got interested in board and card games, and she’s continued to have a fond appreciation for them. She finds it hard to pick a favorite board game but says that Euchre is her favorite card game, and she plays it with classmates whenever she finds the time.