Living a Childhood Dream
Efrat Bruck Shares Her Medical Journey from Touro Flatbush to Anesthesiology Resident at Mount Sinai Hospital
![Dr. Efrat Bruck](/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2022/EfratBruck.jpg)
When her five-year-old daughter informed everyone in her path, “My mommy is a doctor!” a fierce pride enveloped Efrat Bruck. “She understands already that I love helping people and I love science,” says Bruck, who in 2021 graduated from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Bruck’s medical journey began at Touro in Flatbush. “Touro provided me with an excellent education that was tailored to my needs,” says Bruck, who graduated with an honors degree in biology. “Touro educates and gives you the tools to succeed, while being culturally sensitive. Those are crucial components, especially to a religious student seeking a good education.”
Today Bruck is an anesthesiology resident at Mount Sinai Hospital. Becoming a doctor was a childhood dream: Her family moved from Israel to New York because her brother suffered end-stage kidney disease, requiring specialized care. She juggles motherhood, community service and the vampire hours of a resident. “Sleep is right up there after oxygen for me,” she says, laughing.
It’s a mystery when she fits that into her schedule: Bruck has created 30 MCAT prep videos for the online Khan Academy, to help those who can’t afford tutoring. She helped create a pre-med chapter for the Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association and also gave birth to a second daughter during med school.
Bruck was a high school teacher for several years. She believes the two careers are a perfect match. “Teaching is an important skill in medicine,” she says. “Teaching patients is a way to help them through sadness and confusion.”