2011 Match Day Blogger Biographies

Renee Betancourt: Matching in Primary Care

Renee writes:

My name is Renee Betancourt. I am from Havertown, PA. I graduated from Brown University in 2005 with a BA in Ethnic Studies, focusing on Health Disparities. I wrote my senior thesis on how the stigma of HIV affected the scientific and public discourse on the disease during the early epidemic in the United States. After graduation from Brown, I moved to Boston and became a research assistant at the Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Policy where I worked for both Dr. David Blumenthal and Dr. Alexandra Shields.

While at Penn Med, I've enjoyed working with students at local Sayre High School to develop and share presentations on healthy relationships and safer sex. I had two amazing global health experiences. In the summer between first and second year, I went to Guatemala with UPENN's Guatemala Health Initiative. There I interviewed health care providers and patients to understand their perspectives on the different types of health care -- from the government-sponsored clinics, to the volunteer-run hospital, to traditional midwives, herbalists, witchdoctors, and bone-setters. Then in the fall of fourth-year, I traveled to Botswana as part of UPENN's Botswana-UPENN Partnership. There I rotated on the female medical ward of the government-run tertiary hospital. I was also fortunate to spend some time with Dr. Doreen Ramogola-Masire who runs the country's only cervical cancer screening clinic for HIV positive women.

I applied for residency programs in both Family Medicine and Internal Medicine - Primary Care programs. I am very excited about a career in primary care. My areas of interest include women's health, adolescents, global health, HIV medicine, health policy, behavioral change, and chronic diseases.

Danielle Brown: Matching in General Surgery

Danielle Brown is a fourth-year student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  She graduated from Stanford University in 2003 with a BA in Psychology. Upon graduation, Danielle was employed as a Teaching Assistant at a special education school in Palo Alto for middle school children with developmental disorders.  It was during this time that she realized her desire to become a physician.  She subsequently decided to complete a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Pennsylvania.  Danielle also worked full-time for 3 years as a Research Coordinator on a longitudinal study investigating the genetic and environmental contributions to childhood obesity. 

As a medical student, Danielle has remained active.  She has worked for Kaplan Inc. throughout medical school and is employed as both a MCAT teacher and as a Teacher Trainer.  She has also been a member of the University of Pennsylvania medical school admissions committee for 3 years.  She was elected as the President of the Agnew Surgical Society, the country’s oldest student run medical student society.  Ultimately, Danielle plans to pursue a career in academic surgery and will be applying for a general surgery residency.   

Katie Baratz Dalke: Matching in Psychiatry

Katie Baratz Dalke graduated magna cum laude from Haverford College in 2007 with a major in Classical Literature, entering Penn medical school that fall. 

During medical school, Katie has pursued an interest in advocacy for patients and families affected by Disorders of Sex Development, speaking at medical schools, Grand Rounds, and in various media outlets.  Katie has explored advocacy academically as well, co-coordinating the 13th annual Thomas Langfitt, Jr. memorial symposium on physician-patient partnerships in advocacy for stigmatized diseases.  She is also earning a Masters in Bioethics and is a member of the Penn Center for Bioethics' Consortium on Bioethics, Gender, and Sexuality.  Katie loves to perform, singing lead vocals in the all-Penn Med funk and soul band the Freaks of Nurture.  She has also been involved onstage each year in Penn Med's annual parody musical, Spoof, and is this year's co-director.  In her free time, she loves to knit and play ultimate frisbee.  She is the recipient of the John J Mikuta and Samuel E Bellett scholarships.  Katie is matching in Psychiatry.