“There are a huge number of people in our community, within a 15 minute drive of my house, that do actually live these lives of quiet desperation. Their resources are minimal. They often have an awful health status. Beyond emergency departments, their access to care is non-existent, and in many cases they can't see a way out. If not for The Free Clinic, I would never have known that reality. Once you have seen and understood their lives, it is hard to just ignore it. There is a small group of dedicated physicians at the clinic that are my role models.”

Austin Meyer, Ph.D., is a fourth-year medical student, who was born in Baton Rouge, LA and raised in Austin, Texas. He recently matched into a combined residency program in internal medicine and pediatrics at The Ohio State University/Nationwide Children's Hospital, which he will begin in June. Meyer volunteered for five years at The Free Clinic and also served on their 2013-2014 leadership team.