Vibav's Michigan Answer: Coming to Michigan, I wanted to learn how to not only become an effective, empathic physician, but also a leader looking to constantly improve healthcare systems and the lives of patients. UMMS has provided me incredible tools, resources, and mentors to start on this very path.
Vibav Mouli, he/him/his, (pictured far left above) comes from Reisterstown, MD, and graduated from Harvard University in 2016. He was drawn to orthopaedic surgery and discovered a great appreciation for the clinical experiences and peer mentorship offered at Michigan.
Vibav joined a team within the Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy at Michigan, where he helped evaluate the financial burdens of surgery on patients and honed his passion for improving patients' quality of life. During a four-year intermission from his studies, Vibav was hard at work participating in healthcare consulting, earning a post-baccalaureate Master’s degree, and conducting research. He found that the wide range of students with varying backgrounds and experiences at Michigan makes the school incredibly unique and greatly enriches his time here, whether that's collaborating with supportive peers on campus, participating in musicals or frequenting local restaurants with friends.
What is one thing you wish you would have known before or while going through the medical school application process?
There are so many individual paths to medicine, and each of them is “right” for the right person. Whether you knew you wanted to be a doctor since the age of two or, like me, had a series of smaller, formative moments that led you there, there’s a place for you to thrive in this field. I for one took four years off after college prior to coming to Michigan to work in healthcare consulting, complete a post-baccalaureate Master’s degree, and conduct research. The University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) is unique because it inherently draws students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, which has only enriched my time here.
How have your experiences at Michigan led you to choose your specialty for residency and what advice do you have around choosing a specialty?
I was first drawn to orthopaedic surgery through an experience in my immediate family, but I have since only strengthened that initial impression thanks to clinical experiences and mentors at UMMS. The field is hands-on, engaging and evolving constantly through innovative surgical techniques and technology. Fundamentally, I appreciate the ability to (relatively) quickly and efficiently improve patients’ quality of life. My only advice (if I am at all qualified to provide any) would be to find a specialty in which your days seem to go by quickly because the work is interesting and where the people around you make you genuinely excited to learn every day
Share the research activity(ies) you’ve become involved in at Michigan.
It was important to me to find an institution that supported my desire to conduct impactful research during medical school, particularly within health policy and economics and in my eventual specialty of choice. The mentors I have found at UMMS have allowed me to do just that. As an M1, I was genuinely shocked at the yield on “cold emails” I sent to faculty inquiring about their research areas. What was unique to Michigan is that even when our interests did not necessarily align, faculty went out of their way to introduce me to a colleague or contact who may better support me. This was exactly how I joined a team within the Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy (CHOP) at Michigan, where I have helped to evaluate the financial burdens of surgery on patients, such as long-term medical debt, out-of-pocket expenses or delays in medical care due to high cost. My mentors, Dr. Pooja Neiman and Dr. John Scott, supported me in learning new statistical tools, honing my writing and always considering my audience. I couldn’t be more grateful to them for allowing me to see projects through from end to end, from design to dissemination, with eventual published works in JAMA Surgery and Annals of Surgery.
With my prior professional background in health systems delivery and operations, it matters to me to ultimately improve financial transparency in healthcare and access to timely services.
What are the ways in which you’ve been able to explore your passions during med school, and what resources or people have helped you do so?
I started learning classical, South Indian (“Carnatic”) vocal music at the age of three and trained in various styles for 15+ years, always finding outlets to continue this interest. In high school it was choir and opera; in college, jazz a cappella and a 90s/2000s cover band; at UMMS, it was the Smoker and UMMS Athletics. During my M1 year, performing in a modified Zoom version of the annual student-written and directed “Galens Smoker” musical roast brought me closer to students during COVID. Starting during M2 clerkship year, I have been fortunate to perform the national anthem for Men’s and Women’s games at the Crisler Center and at Yost Ice Arena. Even during our busiest year, UMMS encouraged us to continue exploring our passions and doing the things that made us people outside of medicine!
How do you manage your personal wellbeing as a med student, or, how do you reset/recharge?
One thing I did not expect to do during medical school was join a cult-like following of fitness friends. Yet here I am, an avid fan and participant in local Orangetheory fitness classes, just a short jaunt from the medical school. I can safely say that attending Friday evening classes after a long week at the hospital with a group of friends, our favorite instructor (Mandy!), and incredible music continues to be one of my most cherished experiences. We also run the annual Ann Arbor 5K race which ends at the Michigan football stadium (the Big House)!
What is your favorite place to go in/around the Ann Arbor area and why?
Funny enough, it’s a restaurant that comes to mind, associated with a series of great memories – Tomuken on East Liberty Street. This is the place where a group of my friends met religiously almost every 6 weeks during our M1 year for nearly all-you-can eat korean barbecue, which left us tachycardic and diaphoretic (in the best ways). It’s also the place where I took my best friends from college who visited for a memorable reunion and where I now take my little cousin who is a freshman at the college. Great food and drink, family vibes, right in the heart of Ann Arbor.
What are some of the things you like about going to medical school in a college town? Anything unexpected?
People will mention this frequently, but it deserves emphasis: the school spirit and genuine excitement to be at Michigan is like nothing else. This is my first time in a true college town, and there is always a unique energy just walking downtown and around main campus. The city has something for everyone and it’s constantly changing in positive ways – new restaurants, attractions, and seasonal things to do. Really, what has been unexpected has been the sheer number of people that say “Go Blue” to me in random parts of the world, on seeing my Michigan sweatshirt.
How have you been able to connect with faculty mentors and/or peer mentors and how has that been important to your med school journey?
The best example of the culture of mentorship here at Michigan comes from my closest M4 peer mentor, who throughout medical school has answered (innumerable) panicked, late-night phone calls when I had difficult days on my clerkships, introduced me to his own faculty role models and provided me my first pair of trauma shears for my sub-internships (horrifically cheesy but meaningful and symbolic to me). With his example and in this UMMS learning environment, I am excited to now have discovered my own passion for informal and formal mentorship, i.e., paying it forward whenever possible. Check out all of the official support systems that Michigan has to offer.
