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Dr. Helen Flippin, MD

Ms. Helen FlippinOccupation, Area of Specialty, and Institutional Affiliation

Dr. Helen Flippin, M.D., earned her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, May 2011. Dr. Flippin is pursuing further graduate science academic work at IU School of Medicine.

While at Indiana University Medical School, Helen was appointed National Convention Planning Committee Co-Chair of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA). Her duties included planning the SNMA’s 47th annual convention  in 2010. She was co-chair of the IU School of Medicine’s Westside Health Fair and the Annual Medical Education Conference, which brings more than 1,500 students to Indianapolis for a series of medical programs. (From the Indianapolis Recorder)

Highest Degree Earned

M.D. Medicine, Indiana University, School of Medicine

B.S. in Biology Alma mater: Xavier University of Louisiana

You practice one of 330 great occupations that require years of preparation. What things most helped you to succeed in training for your profession and in practice of your profession?

My story begins with the most important focus of my life, my relationship with God. I was told at a very young age that I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me. Those words are as true to me today as they were when I was a little girl. My faith in God and my faith in myself allowed me to dream big and set the goal of becoming the first physician of my family. Another important asset to stress along my path and anyone’s path to success is perseverance. We all know that big dreams require big determination. For me, one of the first steps to my success was realizing that the path to my dream would be a long, paved road of education and examinations. I knew from high school that I wanted to become a doctor so in high school I took courses that I thought would help prepare me for undergraduate studies with a pre-medical focus. While I knew from a young age the profession I wished to pursue, I realize that many people develop their career goals later in life, especially during their undergraduate work. No matter when you come to your decision, thorough preparation for that goal is imperative. To summarize, in order to achieve my goals I followed the three P’s: preparation, perseverance, and prayer.