MEET LOCAL LEGENDS: By State

"I was curious. My father was a physician, my mother a nurse who didn't go to medical school because it was the 1940s—and told me never to be a nurse."

"I'm a great believer in balance. Strive to be balanced in your life; to be passionate about your work but broad and open in your professional and personal life. That balance makes you a better physician."

"I always liked science. As far back as I can remember, I wanted to study cancer and what causes it, and then prevent it."

"For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be involved in healing people. I love the idea of serving the community, and in public health you can help large populations, and get to have a bigger impact than a physician in private practice."

"I wanted to go to medical school when I graduated from high school, but my college did not have a "pre-med" major... so, eventually, I moved to New York City and had the opportunity to run residential facilities for mentally ill homeless people for seven years. I decided I needed more education to have more power to help people, and that becoming a physician would give me that power."

"My father was a surgeon, a charismatic and well-respected man. He served as an inspiration for me. But it was an undergraduate college course in the structure of the cell that motivated me to become a pathologist."

"I have always had a burning desire to make the world a better place, and preventive medicine is the key to helping people in powerful ways. My advice to girls, especially, is to think big: through medicine and public health, you'll have the power to transform the way the world looks."