The DGSOM Student Improving Human Health on a Global Scale

DGSOM medical student Bethel Bayrau at her White Coat Ceremony
By Ashley Bell
3 min read

Meet Bethel Bayrau 

Growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Bethel Bayrau's naturally protective nature put her on the way to becoming a doctor. 

"Trying to protect my loved ones from preventable health issues drew me into medicine," she recalls. 

Determined to be an advocate for her community, she immersed herself in learning everything she could. As an elementary-school student, she got in the habit of reading through every prescription leaflet she could find. 

This medical literature—practically unintelligible to many laypeople—made perfect sense to a young Bethel. She felt exhilarated and empowered. 

She'd found her calling. 

Growing up, Bethel continued educating herself and doing her own research on medical issues. She wanted the people in her community to receive appropriate, effective treatments. She wanted to help them understand how to take better care of themselves. 

"I learned you can make a huge impact in someone's life by advocating for them and even just listening to their concerns."

Bethel developed into a strong community health advocate. Still, she says she didn't fully appreciate the significance of and need for her advocacy work until her grandmother was misdiagnosed with a gynecological disease. 

Her true ailment was heart disease.  

Bethel coped with the tragedy by learning about cervical cancer and spreading awareness about screening and prevention. Around this time, she decided she could maximize her positive impact by going to the United States to advance her education. 

"I realized just how big of a problem these preventable conditions were across under-resourced neighborhoods," she says.

"Seeing that, I knew I'd need to get multifaceted training to help as much as I could—to have the biggest impact."

Fun Fact: Bethel has been terrified of live chickens ever since one chased her as a child. (The experience failed to suppress her appetite for cooked chicken, which she loves eating.) 

DGSOM medical student Bethel Bayrau, pictured when she lived in Ethiopia

The Life of an International Medical Student 

Bethel started her U.S. education at Stanford, where she studied human biology and expanded her global health outreach during a service trip to Ghana. 

She excelled in her undergraduate studies but knew getting into medical school would be challenging as an international student. 

"I was even told that as an international student, it would be next to impossible for me to go to medical school," Bethel recalls. 

DGSOM medical student Bethel Bayrau during a service trip to Ghana

She refused to feel discouraged. Instead, she found inspiration and determination by focusing on learning, conducting research, and caring for patients. 

"The connections I made with patients, the findings we were discovering in the lab—those were things that kept validating and motivating me. I have never looked the other way." 

Today, Bethel is a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM). She has a reassuring message for aspiring international med students hoping to follow in her footsteps. 

Getting into medical school as an international student is challenging, but not impossible—especially if you build a strong support system.

"I got through college as an international student by building a community with other international students and just being there for and supporting them." 

DGSOM medical student Bethel Bayrau during a training exercise

Growing into a Multifaceted Healer

At DGSOM, Bethel has enjoyed opportunities to combine her passion for public service, research, and clinical medicine. 

"I really love that at DGSOM, we're able to grow and learn as multifaceted physicians, which was the reason I wanted to come to the United States to pursue my education in the first place." 

Bethel wants to keep an open mind about what specialty she sees herself practicing in the future. However, infectious disease holds her interest for multiple reasons. 

"Infectious disease is fertile ground for addressing health inequities, for doing prevention work, and for promoting health education on a global scale," explains Bethel, who leads the infectious disease interest group within the Student National Medical Association. 

"It's kind of like detective work, which I enjoy. With enough experience and knowledge, you can help anyone from around the world." 

Bethel has crossed many milestones toward becoming a doctor since her childhood days poring over prescription literature. 

She's thrilled to continue her journey at DGSOM, knowing every day brings her closer to becoming a global healer, a champion for under-resourced communities, and a physician who strives to have the greatest positive impact on every patient she sees.