2011-2012 Luce Scholar

Rosalyn Plotzker was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. She is passionate about health care, media, and creative writing. During college Rosalyn collaborated with Philadelphia’s syringe exchange program to conduct her senior thesis on women injection drug users. Under the guidance of Dr. David Metzger, she presented her findings at international AIDS conferences in Bangkok and Rio De Janeiro. After graduation, Rosalyn worked as a research assistant for an HIV vaccine study and a microbicide gel clinical trial. The position afforded her the opportunity to work with sex workers – a group she hopes to serve as a physician. Around this time, video production piqued her interest. In addition to a public service announcement about a citywide HIV-testing day campaign she co-founded, Rosalyn produced and directed a documentary entitled “Positive Soliloquies” about two Philadelphia HIV activists. In 2007, Rosalyn moved to New Orleans to serve as full time resource coordinator for a women’s shelter. Following this, she moved to New York to work as a health educator and HIV tester for shelters throughout the city. The summer before medical school, Rosalyn was selected by American Jewish World Service to volunteer with Kisumu Medical Education Trust (KMET) in Kenya. During her stay, she co-wrote a protocol for their nascent home-based care program. She also created a ten-minute informational video for KMET and kept a poetry blog about her daily life in Kisumu. Rosalyn continues to involve herself in various projects, both at her medical school and in New York City. She is a writer for Medscape’s blog “The Differential.” At school, she is co-writing a paper on medical pluralism among HIV positive women in Zimbabwe. In her free time, Rosalyn enjoys exploring New York on foot and playing piano. She is considering a career in women’s health, psychiatry, or primary care.