Cameron Hines, MD
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
PGY3, Internal Medicine Primary Care
In which program year of residency are you currently in?
I am currently a PGY3 in the UCLA Internal Medicine Primary Care Program.
Why did you choose internal medicine?
Internal medicine for me is the perfect blend of intellectuality and humanity. Training in this field has afforded me the opportunity to dive deeper into acute and chronic disease management in adult medicine. In addition, I have the great privilege to learn all about my patients, not only about the issues that have brought them to me but also important details about their lives that play a role in who they are and what makes up their health. My love for these two features of internal medicine is what brought me to primary care specifically and to my amazing residency here at UCLA.
What lesson(s) did you learn in residency that can help you for the rest of your career?
I've definitely learned that a person's health is so much more than the diagnoses that they have. So many of the patients have taught me how much of their personal lives impact their health. A person’s living situations, income, family dynamics, education, and other factors can all play enormous roles in how “healthy '' someone is. I've learned how important it is that I pay attention to these aspects of my patients' lives so that I can better serve them.
What are your plans for after residency? Are you becoming a chief, going into fellowship, or starting as an attending? What factors or advice from mentors contributed to your decision?
I had the incredible privilege of being awarded a Primary Care Chief position here at UCLA for this next year, an award that I can truly say is the greatest achievement I've had in my young medical career. However, my wife has matched into an internal medicine residency in Riverside County, and I'm very excited that I've decided to follow her there, to support her as she starts her journey and to continue building our lives and family. So, I will be starting as an attending primary care physician this fall. This was an incredibly challenging decision for me, but it’s one that I've been supported to make by both our family and all of my amazing mentors here at UCLA.
How has being a member of ACP helped you in your professional life? What resources have been most helpful to you?
ACP for me has been an amazing resource through which I’ve networked and found wonderful colleagues and mentors in internal medicine. These individuals have been integral in my success throughout residency. They’ve not only guided me in some of my major decisions but also have inspired me to reach further as I progress in my medical career.