Miriam Rigas wants to pursue a career in pediatric oncology and hematology
Carlos Ortiz/RIT
Volunteering in her community led RIT physician assistant student Miriam Rigas to pursue a career in pediatric oncology and hematology.
When RIT student Miriam Rigas sought volunteer experience as a high school junior, she found a calling and a career path working with children touched by cancer.
The physician assistant (PA) major from Syracuse, N.Y., is an active volunteer with her local branch of Camp Good Days and Special Times. Rigas currently sits on the organization’s advisory board and helps plan fundraising events, camper activities, and volunteer outreach in the Syracuse region.
Her eight-year affiliation with Camp Good Days began with monthly activities and progressed to summer camps and program management for children with cancer or whose siblings or parents are affected by the disease. The children have taught Rigas how to listen with her heart and to see the person beyond the disease.
“My interactions with the campers are something I hold dearly,” Rigas said. “It shaped what I wanted to do in PA school and the kind of provider I want to be.”
As a fifth-year PA student, Rigas has spent the majority of her time off campus, working under supervising physicians in different practice areas and gaining hands-on experience with patients. To graduate, PA students must complete 10 clinical rotations, each lasting five weeks. Rigas recently completed an elective rotation in pediatric hematology and oncology at Upstate Medical in Syracuse that confirmed her long-term goal to specialize in this area.
Pediatric hematology and oncology is a niche field with some opportunities for new graduates that Rigas will explore now or work toward in the future.
One of the benefits of the physician assistant field is the flexibility that enables providers to change specialties without required recertification, she said.
“I always knew I wanted to go into medicine,” Rigas said. “I was interested in the science and the disease processes, but I wanted to have a good amount of patient interaction, which landed me perfectly with the PA role.”
Her experience interacting with pediatric cancer patients, survivors, and family members at Camp Good Days has enhanced her RIT education with interpersonal skills that are difficult to learn through textbooks, Rigas said.
“At Camp Good Days, you’re working with kids who have been through more than you can even imagine,” she said. “Being able to learn from their resilience and the joy they have for life—despite what's going on in their situation—it’s just something that I think anyone could benefit from, but especially someone who's going into the medical field.”
Rigas is deeply interested in how disease shapes the children’s life, how they interact with people, and how illness affects their sense of self and self-esteem. She delved into these aspects with her graduate research project, “Psychosocial Outcomes in Childhood Cancer Survivors: Well-being beyond Medical Treatment.” She shared her results earlier this year during an RIT-Rochester Regional Health Alliance poster presentation held at Rochester General Hospital.
“I think it’s really important to approach people with empathy, not sympathy, to remain present and to listen,” Rigas said. “That’s something Camp Good Days has taught me and that I’ve been able to keep in mind as I have more and more patient interactions and get closer to becoming a provider myself.”
