Medical Student
Duke University School of Medicine
Amanda Del Risco is a fourth-year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine. A native of Miami, Florida and proud member of a Cuban-American family, she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Florida International University, where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. During her time in college, she witnessed the difficulties patients and families of children with developmental disabilities face in accessing resources and timely specialist care. She became interested in addressing the health disparities underserved populations face in accessing health care and began her medical education to help reduce the barriers families face in accessing care. In medical school, Amanda has appreciated how addressing issues of communication, hearing, and breathing have impacted this community of patients and caregivers and decided to pursue a career as an academic otolaryngologist to be able to address and improve quality of life issues affecting patients, especially those with developmental disabilities. Amanda just completed a dedicated research year that was sponsored by an R25 Otolaryngology Surgeon-Scientist Training Program under the mentorship of Drs. Kristal Riska and Sherri Smith. Her research interests include addressing health disparities, improving health literacy and identifying relationships that can lead to improvement of patient care. Amanda is a proud member of the Latino Medical Student Association, president of the Duke Associations of Women Surgeons organization, past Feagin Scholar, and a Rotarian scholarship recipient. Outside of medical school, Amanda loves dancing, watching musicals and sharing her love of her Cuban culture, especially Cuban coffee, with her peers. Her hope is to bring awareness through research into implementation and care gaps and help train the next generation of surgeons to be better equipped to provide equitable care to vulnerable populations.