WORCESTER—Emanuelle Andrianopoulos remembers wanting to become a doctor since she attended Worcester Academy, but her mother believes that desire dates back even further.
When Andrianopoulos was about 7 years old, her mother, Christina Andrianopoulos, found her taking care of her stuffed animals, applying wash cloths to their heads and covering them with blankets.
“She was caring for all these children,” Christina recalled. “So I praised her and said, ‘Oh, you would make such a wonderful pediatrician,’ and she goes, ‘Yes, mom. I want to be a pediatrician. What is a pediatrician?’ And I believe I planted the seed.”
The seed certainly germinated.
Andrianopoulos, 29, is scheduled to graduate from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Elmira, N.Y., on May 31. The graduation will take place in Erie, Pa., the site of one of LECOM’s three other campuses.
On March 20, Andrianopoulos was happy to be matched with Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, for her three-year residency. She felt comfortable during her four-week internship there.
“I always wanted to practice in a rural setting,” she said, “to be that small town doctor that is serving a community that needs that sort of support.”
Central Maine also has the integrated medicine program in which she’s interested. As a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Andrianopoulos will be a fully trained and licensed doctor, but her medical practice will focus on a holistic approach.
According to the American Association of College of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine take a whole-person approach, which includes “partnering with patients, considering the connection of body, mind and spirit in delivering care, and recognizing the role of a physician’s hands to diagnose and treat illness or injury. Emphasis on prevention and wellness is central in a philosophy that promotes the body’s natural tendency toward health and self-healing.”
Andrianopoulos said she plans to provide her patients with advice on nutrition, sleep, mental health, exercise and preventing conditions so people can live happier, healthier, more vibrant lives rather than just treating the symptoms of a disease or ailment.
After her residency, Andrianopoulos would like to practice in Maine or Massachusetts to be closer to her family.
When Andrianopoulos was 6 years old, she moved from Manhattan with her mother and 11-year-old brother Thomas to Worcester where her mother grew up.
“Worcester was always a vibrant place of culture,” Andrianapoulos said, “of experience and just so much love. It always has such a special place in my heart
Andrianopoulos attended St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School in grades two through five and still keeps in contact with some of her former classmates. She moved on to Worcester Academy for grades six through 12. She ranked her AP chemistry at WA as more challenging than her chemistry class in college and she felt that knowledge helped her become the person she is today. She considers Barbara Gould, her honors anatomy teacher and swim coach, as one of her greatest inspirations.
By joining the WA swim, volleyball and softball teams, she also learned about reaching her maximum potential through exercise and diet.
Then she entered UMass-Amherst as a pre-med student and graduated with a major in kinesiology, the study of the mechanics of body movements.
Prior to attending medical school, Andrianopolous worked for four years in clinical research at Beth Israel in Brookline and Boston Children’s Hospital. She commuted from Worcester to Brookline each day. She worked with a team on cutting edge immunotherapies for possible use on patients with kidney cancer and melanomas.
“I felt really experienced and knowledgeable about the healthcare system,” she said, “and I think that really helped me in medical school.”
She attended LECOM on a National Health Service Corps scholarship, which is awarded to students who commit to become primary healthcare physicians working with underserved populations. The scholarships are awarded to cope with a shortage of primary healthcare physicians. By accepting the four-year scholarship, she has committed to working in family practice for at least four years.
So what will it be like to be called Dr. Andrianopoulos?
“It’s a little intimidating at first,” she said. “I always want to see people on the same level and I don’t believe in a sort of a hierarchy and I want people to feel comfortable with me. But I’m proud of it. I saw on my registration that they put DO after my name and it’s just so cool. It’s been such a long journey since high school.”
Andrianopoulos’ boyfriend Christopher Bratkovics, her mother, her stepfather George Cancelmo, her brother Thomas Andrianopoulos-Fenton, her sister Christine Verrelli and Verrelli’s two children plan to attend her graduation.
“They’ve been there for me through every step of this journey,” she said. “They’re as much of a part of how I got here as I am and I couldn’t have done it without them. It’s a celebration for them as well.”
Andrianopoulos met Bratkovics at the University of Vermont while visiting a friend she had known since they attended St. Peter Central Catholic together. The friend told her that they would be a perfect match.
Asked which match was better, her and her boyfriend or her and Central Maine Medical Center, she replied, “I’d say they were pretty good matches and he’ll be there for both of them.”
Bratkovics, who works as a data analyst, plans to accompany her to Maine.
Christina is a special contracts operations manager for the executive office of Health and Human Services for the state. She works with contractors who help people with complex medical conditions and disabilities remain in their homes and in good health.
So she’s especially proud that her daughter is becoming a doctor and she believes her daughter has the proper temperament.
“She’s one of the most empathetic people I’ve ever met,” Christina said.
Bill Doyle has been a professional journalist for 47 years, most of them as a sports writer for the Telegram & Gazette. He covered the Boston Celtics for 25 years and has written extensively about golf, boxing and local high school and college sports. He also worked for the campus newspaper when he attended UMass-Amherst. He can be reached at billdoyle1515@gmail.com
