Grandmother’s Plight Inspires Student to Pursue Career in Disease Prevention

As a child growing up in Haiti, Marcda Hilaire Brunot had many life experiences influencing her desire to become a doctor, but it was her grandmother’s battle with breast cancer that motivated her to excel academically as a Keiser University student of Chiropractic Medicine after immigrating to the United States.

The heart-wrenching experience of her grandmother’s death, due to what she believed to be a lack of post-operative care, had a profound impact. “I knew that I wanted to enter the medical profession since I was nine years old, as my ultimate belief is that doctors have the most powerful gift which is the ability to be entrusted with their hands,” said Brunot who arrived in Florida in 1995 and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Temple University and her master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Florida before enrolling in Keiser University’s Doctor of Chiropractic program in 2019.

“I fell in love with the area of preventative care and realized chiropractic medicine fit my goals more than traditional western medicine. I chose Keiser University’s College of Chiropractic Medicine because of its scientifically based curriculum and the fact that I will have the opportunity to accomplish the gift of healing with my hands. I love the small class sizes, the skilled professors, and the mentorship opportunities we receive by participating in community-based rotations,” smiled Brunot, who recently founded a campus chapter of the Student American Black Chiropractic Association (SABCA) and serves as the organization’s president.

The rigorous Keiser University Doctor of Chiropractic program prepares graduates to make a difference by relieving patients’ pain, improving their mobility, and guiding them to lead healthier lives. The program combines traditional lectures with small-group learning, weekly conferences and seminars, laboratory and experiential sessions, and clinical training opportunities — all with an emphasis on case-based relevancy for chiropractic practice, a profession dedicated to excellence in spine care.

“As a military wife and mother of two kids five and under, it has been a challenging journey but will be rewarding in the end. I look forward to one day serving our veterans, and am thankful that I will soon be able to pay tribute to my grandmother by regularly treating those who struggle,” she said.