Meet Devyn Rigsby, WHRY Undergraduate Fellow

Devyn Rigsby is a premed student and senior in Pierson College majoring in Global Affairs. Through Women’s Health Research at Yale, she currently works under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa Freed, a cardiologist at Yale New Haven Hospital and director of the Women’s Heart and Vascular Program at Yale.

Thanks for your time, Devyn. I know how busy you are.

It’s no problem. I’m happy to talk. This has been an exciting year so far.

What initially drew you to WHRY’s fellowship program?

I think that WHRY offers a really unique opportunity for strong female mentorship in medical science. I’m grateful to be working with people who possess the expertise I seek and who understand the need for quality female role models.

As a Global Affairs major, I was also intrigued by the possibility of gaining insight into alternate perspectives of health and medicine — combining underlying biological issues with social and behavioral factors.

What were your expectations going in?

I didn’t really know what to expect, but Dr. Mazure did a really good job matching me with my mentor, Dr. Lisa Freed. I guess I was expecting to be a research assistant or observe in a clinic every once in a while, but Dr. Freed very much exceeded my expectations. Once a week I go to her community clinic and shadow her for about four hours.

What’s that like?

It’s really interesting to see a cross-section of local community members at the clinic, because most people have some kind of risk factor for heart disease or a history of a cardiovascular episode. Everyone has similar issues, yet they all require their own individual treatment. It’s been fascinating to be able to experience that and to learn more about cardiovascular disease prevention and treatments.

Has anything surprised you?

When we hear “women’s health,” many people think about reproductive health or pregnancy. But in working with Dr. Freed in a cardiology clinic, I’ve learned that there are some very specific ways that women are more at risk for cardiovascular disease. And how after a heart attack, women have some risk factors that men don’t. Or how women might require a gender-specific treatment regimen that makes more sense for protecting against different mechanisms that can lead to heart disease in women. I’m quickly learning that women’s health isn’t just reproductive health. It’s every aspect of health.

What else about women’s health have you learned so far?

Well, I never knew there were so many medications for cardiovascular disease! I was also surprised by the differences in how to approach a female versus a male patient, whether in a preventive care setting or after they’ve had some kind of cardiac issue such as a heart attack. But even more shocking was how seldom if at all such differences are discussed in classes — even, as Dr. Mazure says, in medical schools. I know that WHRY is working to change the curriculum to include medical findings related to sex and gender. But in the meantime, it seems very concerning to me that that there are all these doctors out there treating to a standard of care that they were taught, but who are missing a huge component of care that is essential to making sure women are being treated appropriately.

So what have you worked on with Dr. Freed?

In addition to shadowing Dr. Freed, I also work a few hours a week with her research nurse, Stefania Levesque, on clinical projects. One of our studies is about barriers to women taking their statin medications, which are used to lower levels of artery-blocking cholesterol. I’ve never had a clinical research experience like this before, and this is definitely something I can see myself pursuing. I really enjoy interacting with patients and talking to them about their experiences.

What is Dr. Freed like as a mentor? How is she helping shape your career?

Over the course of a day, Dr. Freed shares so many small insights that that are very meaningful. One day I was in the clinic, and one of the patients said, “Oh, you look so young!” I wasn’t sure how to react, but a knowing look on Dr. Freed’s face said it all: Don’t say anything. When Dr. Freed and I had a chance to talk after the patient left, she said that patients told her the same thing for the first 20 years of her medical career, since many people don’t automatically trust that younger-looking female physicians know what they’re doing. She said that sometimes, even when she was the person in charge in the clinic, a patient would look to a less experienced male physician to confirm what she was saying or ask for a second opinion. Dr. Freed told me not to take such comments personally, but to have confidence in my abilities and to know, once I’ve completed my training, that I have all of the qualifications to be there. Then, act accordingly. As an aspiring physician, I’m so grateful to have Dr. Freed as a mentor.