Student Spotlight: Madeleine Blazel

Tell us about yourself.

I’m originally from a rural town in Wisconsin. I studied molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before coming to CCLCM. As of this month, I’m officially a CCLCM graduate. Next up, I’ll be doing my residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

How did you get into medicine?

While I was at UW, I worked as a student assistant for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. I would conduct cognitive tests during subject visits and accompany patients to procedures like MRIs and lumbar punctures. The more I talked to patients, the more I became interested in how clinical research and medicine fit together to help people live better lives. Being there for those study participants was a meaningful experience. I knew I wanted a career that felt just as fulfilling.

What are some standout moments from your time as a medical student?

The experiences that stood out to me the most were those that took place beyond school walls. I loved getting to see people in the community. For example, I spent some of my free time volunteering at a local reproductive health clinic, where I would help patients safely enter the building and comfort them in what was often a tense, protest-heavy area. Seeing people of all backgrounds who came to that clinic looking for safe care reminded me that medicine can be a powerful force for good outside of hospitals and medical centers.

Congratulations on graduating! Can you tell us about the graduation festivities?

Graduation was such a special experience. We had two events: one exclusively for CCLCM graduates and one celebrating the entire Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine graduating class. On May 17, CCLCM students, faculty and administrators gathered in the InterContinental Hotel Cleveland. We got to walk across the graduation stage and receive our Cleveland Clinic-branded diplomas. At the May 18 ceremony, I was hooded by Stacey Jolly, MD, an internal medicine physician and Director of Career Advising at CCLCM, who has been an amazing mentor to me. My favorite graduation moment was reciting the Hippocratic Oath for the first time together with all the other CWRU medical graduates. To read those words out loud felt like a full circle moment.

Do you have any advice for new medical students?

Follow your thread no matter how curvy its path. Don’t worry about how each class or activity you choose is going to fit together in the end or whether it makes sense in the context of a larger goal. Follow whatever seems most interesting to you. It will be much easier than you think to pull your experiences together and forge a cohesive, unique story of what you did as a medical student and where you hope to go as a physician.

Tell us something people may not know about you.

During my research year, I did a 200-hour yoga teacher training course and became certified. I did the course right here in town and met some great friends. I would love to teach my new co-residents and other healthcare providers if an opportunity presents itself.