Michelle Cowden

Michelle Cowden, MD

Class of 2008

Hello!

My name is Michelle Lynn Cowden. I'm a native of small town life, originally from McKenney, Virginia. I'm an only child, with my parents still residing in Virginia at this time.

Growing up, I was fascinated by all things scientific and mathematical. My college career began with enrollment at Richard Bland College, where I graduated with an Associate's Degree in Science in May of 1999. From there I went on to Virginia Commonwealth University to obtain a B.S. in Biology. During this time, I worked in a biochemistry lab in addition to volunteering in a local free clinic. These experiences solidified my decision to pursue a career in medicine, from an MD rather than PhD perspective. I found that, despite my native introvert personality, I enjoyed all that primary care could offer--the sense of yielding a great service to the community and also quite simply the interaction with people. With this sense of self, I began my medical training at the Medical College of Virginia (VCU) in 2001. Throughout medical school, I was fortunate enough to be involved with an inner city-rural preceptorship program. Consequently, I was exposed to all that practicing medicine in underserved communities can offer. That said, other medical points of interests include preventative medicine, obstetrics, nutrition, and end-of-life issues.

Now you may ask: Why family practice? Why Altoona, PA of all places (especially since I'm from VA and have NO friends or family in the immediate area)?

The answer to the first question is simple: I absolutely loved every rotation during 3rd year. I'm a generalist at heart, and I don't want to get pigeonholed into a specialty.

And as far as the second question: I was looking for a change in geography, for one; that got me into PA. Two, I was impressed by the friendliness and fund of knowledge of the residents and faculty members. And finally, the clincher: I felt that AFP would provide excellent training, for a student desiring to practice rural medicine in the future.

Interests outside of medicine: aerobics and weight lifting; reading (for fun), usually some sort of forensic mystery; spending time with my cat, Misty; hiking and mountain biking.