Rebecca Edgeworth is a doctor with a clinical mind and a community heart, who is steadfast in her mission to help those with limited access to health care. She now engages students not only in appropriate medical care, but also in caring for those most in need in our community.
Why this career? I chose medicine because I felt it brought together many of my skills and interests. I’ve always loved talking to people and helping them overcome obstacles and accomplish their goals. Additionally, I enjoy learning about how health and disease affect people and how I can help to intervene and improve lives.
How has COVID-19 impacted your work? COVID-19 has significantly affected my two main jobs—teaching and caring for patients. As a professor, I’ve had to convert to online teaching to keep students engaged and on time for graduation. As a primary care provider, I have mainly switched to telemedicine. Touro faculty and students have gone into the community to help screen homeless and underserved residents of Las Vegas. I have volunteered to go with student volunteers to help screen our most vulnerable patient populations. These are populations who don’t have access to common hygiene and are unable to isolate, and we are very committed to caring for this population.
Best advice received? I’ve always been very moved by the quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Anyone can look around and see things that need to be improved or reformed, but it takes real and intentional action to bring changes to reality.
Advice to young women entering the workforce? Follow your passion. So often we become focused on paying student loans and caring for family and we lose sight of why we went into medicine in the first place.
Favorite thing about living in Southern Nevada? The cultural diversity and how so many different people have come together in our community to make it a vibrant and constantly evolving community.