On merging his medical passion with global health advocacy:

“I loved the science of medicine, but I wanted something more out of it than caring for sick people.”

On treating refugees whose primary concerns were not medical, but with finding food, shelter, and work:

“You feel like you’re banging your head against a wall for days on end. You can’t just be a physician; you also have to be an advocate.”

On the importance of relating to patients within a broader social, historical, and cultural context:

“Medicine is not apolitical in and of itself. The very act of listening becomes political.”

On his vision to teach medical students to become patient advocates:

“For me, medicine is a stepping-stone. I don’t think it’s all I want to do with my life.”