How CMA Has Inspired Me to Be a Physician that Imitates Christ
July 16, 2024
By Dr. Brooke Gensler
How has the Catholic Medical Association’s vision to inspire physicians to imitate Jesus Christ impacted me?
In my final days of family medicine residency, I find myself reflecting on the doors God opened and the people He placed in my path, which have shaped my formation in ways only He could have designed. Physician mentors and peers I have encountered through CMA are among these impactful influences. By walking with fellow CMA members, I have been strengthened, grounded, and inspired to authentically live my faith in my practice of medicine.
As a teenager, I attended a youth conference and received words that clearly left a mark on my heart. A speaker there urged us to “get uncomfortable,” to get outside of our comfort zone as we explored how God was calling us to use our gifts. More than a decade later, I continue to feel convinced that I am called to creatively and confidently pursue the path that actually feels a little scary. There are still moments when isolation and self-doubt threaten to creep in, and in those times especially, I have found strength in connecting with other CMA members who are walking a similar path. For example, the Lord provided a prayerful, service-oriented group of peers in CMA with whom I could ask big questions and know they shared my values. Through weekly lunch meetings, adoration, speaker events, and social gatherings in medical school, I felt strengthened to hold fast to my Catholic faith even though, or perhaps precisely because, this led me to “get uncomfortable.”
The Catholic Medical Association has also been a grounding influence during medical school and residency. The medical education process can make us feel, well, like wine at times – crushed, pressed, and squeezed until hopefully a more refined and sweeter product is left. As I progressed through residency training, I needed reminding of what, and whom, defined my identity. Through encounters with CMA members, whether through conversations with experienced physicians or through its written content, I was reminded to remain grounded in the truths of our faith. I gradually took to heart that this work is not about me, and that the Lord is using me as a vessel. Through this lens, I have been freed to hold in balance what is and is not within my power as I care for patients.
Finally, I have been inspired by CMA physicians who are boldly living out their faith – in their families and communities, clinical work, leadership, and advocacy. I praise God for the number of ways He has gifted Catholic physicians and guided us to a particular mission within the Church and medical sphere. I have been especially inspired by other Catholic female physicians in primary care, who remain true to their pro-life values in settings where this is an unpopular viewpoint. With their intellect and hearts attuned to the movement of the Holy Spirit, Catholic physicians bring something so special to their care of patients. I pray that we may all continue to strive to imitate Christ in our work, with the particular gifts He has given us.
Brooke Gensler is a family physician and medical consultant for the Creighton Model FertilityCare system, who will begin her practice this fall in St. Paul, MN. She also serves as an At-Large Board Member for the Catholic Medical Association (USA).
