The Community-Minded Triathlete 

The crunch of wet-soled sneakers hitting pavement echoes at a steady staccato as Molly D. Cohn inhales then exhales effortlessly between strides. Her leg and arm muscles tense then flex as she makes her way alongside The Hague at a comfortable jog. Ms. Cohn, an endurance sport enthusiast, is training for a triathlon and a career in medicine.

Ms. Cohn didn't run straight to medical school after completing her under graduate degree at the University of Virginia. Rather, the Hampton Roads native took two years off to find herself and to make a difference.

"My dad is an orthopedic surgeon, and he suggested I take some time off to travel before I started medical school," Ms. Cohn says. "I never doubted that I would be a student at EVMS. I just had some things to experience first."

And experience things she did. Ms. Cohn served as an emergency medical technician in western Albermarle before moving to New York to work for a non-profit that puts contemporary art in hospitals as therapy for patients. She interned in the emergency room at Bellevue Hospital and then traveled to the western tip of Africa to volunteer in a hospital to see international medicine at work. She worked with an athletic trainer in a physical therapy office, served as a tour guide in a museum and lived in three states. Despite all the traveling, Ms. Cohn knew that medical school was her next stop.

"I've always known that I can't sit at a desk. It's just not for me," Ms. Cohn says. "The field of medicine is constantly changing and evolving, so it can provide challenges while letting me help make a difference in people's lives."

Inevitably, it was the sense of family and community focus at EVMS that brought Ms. Cohn back to Virginia.

"The whole idea of community is really a true belief in action here at EVMS," she says. "There is an effort to help people in the community. Plus, everyone cares about each other and wants to help each person they encounter."

While many of her friends are already in their third year of medicine, Ms. Cohn is embracing every lesson that comes her way. She hasn't decided what her focus will be but is keeping an open mind.

"I grew up watching my dad and knowing that he loves going to work every day because he loves being a doctor," Ms. Cohn says. "I want that same rewarding experience, that same passion, and to make a difference while doing something I love."