Creating Lasting Bonds
Curtis, pictured with fellow medical students, credits the support of his family and girlfriend with helping him reach his goals to become a physician. “They’re the ones who initially taught me the important values I aspire to exemplify as a physician,” he says.
First-year medical student Dru Curtis has seen firsthand the power of patient-physician relationships.
When Dru Curtis reflects on his first year of training at the UF College of Medicine, one lesson remains top of mind: great patient care requires more than what can be learned in textbooks.
While volunteering at the Equal Access Clinic, a network of free clinics staffed by UF College of Medicine students and faculty, Curtis initially found himself preparing by studying the pathology of each and every disease he could find.
With time, he realized there was a key component not mentioned in his books: the patient-physician relationship.
“Through working at the Equal Access Clinic, I learned to keep the patient in mind and build a relationship with them,” Curtis says. “It’s a balancing act between providing the best clinical care for your patient and having the knowledge to properly treat them.”
Curtis continues to perfect that balancing act with help from the William W. and Marie Wolff Scholarship Fund. Established by Marie Wolff as a tribute to her husband, William, the fund supports students who demonstrate commitment to principles of kindness, charitable service, sincere interest, and trust among doctor and patient. Curtis says the scholarship has provided much-needed peace of mind.
When he’s not hitting the books, second-year medical student Dru Curtis competitively powerlifts. He says the gym provides a sense of balance and wellness. “The gym is how I stay sane, a way for me to take a break from my studies while still staying goal-oriented,” says Curtis, pictured here with his girlfriend.“It’s a whole different ballgame dealing with the financial stress of medical school. As soon as that stress enters your mind, that’s what you’re focusing on,” Curtis says. “Having this support allows me to focus on becoming the best physician I want to be instead of stressing over finances.”
Curtis says medicine has long been a focal point for him. Before he was born, a surgeon treated his father for life-threatening gunshot wounds. That story left an impact, and though he’s keeping an open mind, he aims to enter a surgical specialty after completing medical school.
He was also influenced by his time spent as an undergraduate student shadowing South Florida-based family medicine doctor Rhea Ramlal, M.D.
One incident in particular stands out. Ramlal was preparing to move to a new town, and she was telling each patient that she would match them up with a new doctor, Curtis recalls. “They were struck by the news and upset,” he says. “I had never seen a physician-patient relationship like that. It showed the impact you can have as a physician.
“An appointment can be a 15-minute interaction for you,” he says, “but it can change your patient’s whole life.”
He has three years of medical training left, but Curtis has already found the UF College of Medicine to be an inspiring and motivational environment.
“I look around at our professors and my classmates, and I’m in awe every day,” he says. “They’ve done so many outstanding things. To be able to collaborate with them, learn from them and maybe teach them something is a wonderful thing.
“They drive you to want to be a better physician.” 
