11/11/2020

Rayli Pichardo, MD

3rd Year Fellow

It is a great privilege to be selected as a board member of MSHO. I am thankful for the great opportunity to continue serving as a healthcare advocate.

I developed an early passion for working with underserved communities whilst completing medical school in my home country of Venezuela. There, I witnessed the challenges that the patients had to endure, which included obstacles in accessing adequate healthcare and limited social, financial, and administrative support.  Upon my arrival to the United States, I was once again exposed to the lack of policies that protected minority populations while at the Institute for Minority Health Research at the University of Illinois in Chicago. This prompted me to pursue further medical training at Cook County Health, one of the largest hospitals in Chicago, that catered specifically to underserved populations. Since starting my Hematology-Oncology fellowship training at Henry Ford Health, I have also enjoyed participating in activities focused on uplifting fellow trainees serving in the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee.

As one of the fellows of the Michigan Society of Hematology-Oncology, I am grateful that this will allow me to continue my mission of fostering awareness and providing care to minority populations. I wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to Mary Kay and the rest of the board of directors, as well as Drs. Donthireddy, Dabak, Gadgeel and Kuriakose for being an integral part of my professional development. I truly look forward to having a leadership role in improving Hematology-Oncology patients’ care in Michigan.

I just recently married my husband Yazan, who is a hospitalist at the Cleveland Clinic. Him being from Jordan and me being from Venezuela has provided us with a great cultural exchange focused on having varied experiences. We enjoy visiting national parks and doing road trips together. This past year we visited Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and I highly recommend making the trip, particularly camping at Copper Harbor, and hiking the Porcupine Mountains.