PERSONAL STATEMENT Born into a middle class family in India, I was fortunate to have parents who made sure I had no shortage of opportunities when it came to education . I began to have a fascination for life sciences and this inspired me to continue with the higher levels of three main science groups in high school: biology, chemistry and physics. I initially struggled with physics, but gained motivation from my dream of becoming a doctor. This was a dream I wasn't ready to sacrifice, so I worked many extra hours to understand physics concepts. I started to see improvement and eventually my grades were good enough for me to compete with hundreds of thousands of students applying to medical school. Thanks to this determination, I was accepted into medical school and therefore one step closer to realizing my dream. My time in medical school at Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College in Karnataka, India had a huge impact on my life, as I was fortunate enough to call some exceptionally gifted doctors my mentors. As I moved between various departments during my clinical years, I felt an immense attraction towards Family Medicine for the variety it offers in terms of difficult cases ranging from newborns to the elderly, the research opportunities, the bonds created with patients and families. This reawakened not only a desire to pursue family medicine where I could establish long-term relationships with my patients, but also an interest in health policy. Family medicine offers the opportunity to focus on comprehensive care for patients of all age groups and to provide quality mental and behavioral health care in primary care settings. During my clinical years, I worked in a primary care setting. The patients were of all ages with acute and chronic physical, mental and social health problems, including long-term disorders, which helped me gain a wide range of knowledge in many areas. I am a person who enjoys interacting with patients because I believe that getting to know my patients well and understanding their behaviors will have a positive influence on their health. My goals are to practice Family Medicine which includes adult medicine, pediatrics, women's health, which will allow me to address and care for patients of all age groups. Clinical rotations and research experience have led me to believe that I can make a valuable contribution to this dynamic field and also fulfill all the responsibilities of a resident and enhance my previous clinical skills if given the opportunity to work in the your program.