Skip to main content
AUC Med Logo

Mobile Main Nav

  • About AUC
    • Why AUC
      • Residency Outcomes
      • Accreditations & Approvals
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Facts & Figures
    • Our Locations
      • St. Maarten Campus
      • UK Track
    • About
      • Request Information
      • Blog
      • Viewbook & Factsheets
      • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
      • Medical School Guides and Resources
  • MD Program
    • MD Program
      • Medical Sciences Curriculum
      • Clinical Sciences
      • Hospital Teaching Sites
      • USMLE Preparation
      • Academic Calendar
    • Student Support Services
      • OFFICE OF CAREER ADVISEMENT
      • Class Profiles
    • UK Track
    • Medical Education Readiness Program
  • Admissions
    • Admissions
      • Admissions Requirements
      • MCAT Information
      • Admissions Assessment
    • Information For...
      • Transfer Students
      • Career Changers
      • International Applicants
      • Canadian Student Applicants
      • Premed Advisors
    • Tuition & Aid
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
    • How to Apply
      • Start Your Application
      • Continue Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
  • Student Life
    • About St. Maarten
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Virtual Tour
      • Clubs and Organizations
      • Housing
      • Spouses Organization and Families
    • COVID-19 Response
  • News & Events
    • Alumni News
    • Events
    • On-demand Webinars
    • News & Publications
    • Blog
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Call
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers

Utility Navigation

  • REQUEST INFO
AUC Med Logo
  • About AUC
    • ABOUT AUC

      Our medical school offers a collaborative learning environment that features a multitude of student organizations, small class sizes, international training opportunities, and a team-based learning culture.

      VIEWBOOK & FACTSHEETS

      • Why AUC
      • Residency Outcomes
      • Accreditations & Approvals
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Facts & Figures
      • Our Locations
      • St. Maarten Campus
      • UK Track
      • About
      • Request Information
      • Blog
      • Viewbook & Factsheets
      • Meet Our Faculty & Staff
      • Medical School Guides and Resources
  • MD Program
    • MD PROGRAM

      A US-modeled curriculum designed to prepare you for practice in the US, Canada, and beyond.

      Learn More

      • MD Program
      • Medical Sciences Curriculum
      • Clinical Sciences
      • Hospital Teaching Sites
      • USMLE Preparation
      • Academic Calendar
      • Student Support Services
      • OFFICE OF CAREER ADVISEMENT
      • Class Profiles
      • UK Track
      • Medical Education Readiness Program
  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS

      Our medical school admissions team is eager to assist you as you embark on your journey to become a physician. Our goal is to provide you with all of the information and guidance you need to explore AUC as a medical school option.

      Take the Admissions Assessment

      • Admissions
      • Admissions Requirements
      • MCAT Information
      • Admissions Assessment
      • Information For...
      • Transfer Students
      • Career Changers
      • International Applicants
      • Canadian Student Applicants
      • Premed Advisors
      • Tuition & Aid
      • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • How to Apply
      • Start Your Application
      • Continue Your Application
      • Submit Your AMCAS Application
      • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
      • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE

      Learn what it's like to be a student at AUC, including living in St. Maarten, opportunities for community involvement, and clubs and organizations.

      TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR

      • About St. Maarten
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Virtual Tour
      • Clubs and Organizations
      • Housing
      • Spouses Organization and Families
      • COVID-19 Response
  • News & Events
    • DISCOVER AUC

      From our alumni news, to informative blogs, and virtual tour, discover all that AUC offers.

      Learn More
      • Alumni News
      • Events
      • On-demand Webinars
      • News & Publications
      • Blog

Main Navigation Apply Now

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Application
    • Submit Your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit your TMDSAS Application
    • Continue Your Application
Pattern Two
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Alumni News

Share

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

Breadcrumb

  1. About Us
  2. News & Publications
  3. Class of 2021 Graduate Carolina Fonseca, MD, Combines her Passions to Help Patients and Local Communities

Class of 2021 Graduate Carolina Fonseca, MD, Combines her Passions to Help Patients and Local Communities

Brazil native and Class of 2021 graduate Carolina Fonseca, MD, has found a way to combine her passions of teaching, research and environmentalism through recent academic opportunities.
Carolina Fonseca and Family

This past March, Dr. Fonseca matched into the pediatrics program at Ascension St. John Hospital in Southfield, Michigan. Dr. Fonseca entered medical school as a nontraditional student with five years’ teaching experience under her belt, having worked as a science and math specialist at a California elementary school and part time teaching faculty for biology at California State University in Sacramento before deciding to change careers. “When I was deciding which specialty to enter, I thought maybe internal medicine, but I realized I love working with children and parents, so I chose pediatrics,” said Dr. Fonseca.  

As a daughter of a physician, Dr. Fonseca was always curious about medicine and ways to help others. Along with teaching, Carolina used research to work towards improving the quality of life for patients. During her surgery rotation, Dr. Fonseca was reading a medical journal and became interested in an article that highlighted the increased incidence of colorectal cancer in patients under 50. Looking to investigate further, she reached out to a research advisor at Ascension Providence who assisted with finding a research mentor (Dr. Amir Damadi, who is a colorectal surgeon) and a resident, Dr. Peter Ali, to help her with her study. Two fellow AUC students, Rebeca Ruthberg and Alicia Heidenreich, contributed to data collection.   

Dr. Fonseca virtually presented the research project, Colon Cancer Deadlier in the Young?,  as first author for the Michigan chapter of the American College of Physicians. Co-author Dr. Ali will be presenting the research project at the upcoming Midwest Surgical Association Annual Meeting. Their findings support the American Cancer Society’s recommendation to start colorectal screenings at the age of 45, instead of the current suggested age of 50. 

Dr. Fonseca said her greatest passion of all, however, is environmentalism.  She earned her bachelor’s in biology from University of California – Davis and her master’s in ecology from California State University. Looking to continue exploring this field as a medical student, Dr. Fonseca reached out to physicians involved in this area and was connected to like-minded students who together founded the Medical Students for a Sustainable Future (MS4SF) organization. She became the founding research chair and one of the only Caribbean medical students involved. Dr. Fonseca hopes to inspire more students to join the network, where they can bring environmental projects to fruition. 

Recently, Dr. Fonseca launched the Repurposing Blue Wrap project, where she worked with volunteers to repurpose landfill-destined operating room blue wrap into durable sleeping bags for the homeless. In addition, she is in the process of developing a six-lecture series on the intersections between climate change and health/healthcare for her residency program. Dr. Rebecca Philipsborn, the first author of Climate Change and the Practice of Medicine: Essentials for Resident Education, is her mentor for this project.  

Related News

News
Shanique Ampiah
A Pediatric Psychiatrist's Journey with Shanique Ampiah, MD '14

Jamaican-born and raised in south Florida, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) alum, Shanique Ampiah, MD '14, understands the importance of resil

News
Steven Jackson
Steven D. Jackson, MD ’06, Fulfills His Calling by Promoting Health Equity
Addressing healthcare disparities and advocating for patients
News
Sandip Saha intro image
Sandip Saha, MD ‘10 Wins International Award for Bronchology Care, Research and Innovation

Congratulations to Sandip Saha, MD, an AUC Class of 2010 graduate and codirector of thoracic oncology at Buffalo General Medical Center/Kaleida Health, who recently received the Heinrich Becker Young Investigator Award for Research and Clinical Innovation.

Top
AUC Med Logo

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Careers
  • Student Email
  • Colleague Email
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

10315 USA TODAY WAY,
MIRAMAR, FLORIDA, 33025.
PHONE: 305-446-0600

TOLL-FREE: 866-DR2B-AUC
(866-372-2282)
FAX: 305-444-6791

ST. MAARTEN CAMPUS

1 UNIVERSITY DRIVE AT JORDAN ROAD, CUPECOY, ST. MAARTEN

PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

FAX: +1 721-545-2440

PRESTON, UK PROGRAM SITE

VERNON BUILDING ROOM 64, SIZER STREET PRESTON, LANCASHIRE PR1 1JQ

PHONE: +1 721-545-2298

FAX: +305-444-2440

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM, www.accredmed.org), which is the accreditor used by the country of St. Maarten.

 

© 2023 American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. All rights reserved.   
Privacy Policy | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility | Catalog and Student Handbook | Office of Equity and Access

 

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
  • Alumni
  • Faculty
  • Students
  • Parents
  • Careers
  • "Chat Now"