With a song in her heart, combat medic Triniti Gistand pursues medical degree at UCLA
Whether it’s on the front lines or center stage, Triniti Gistand finds a rhythm that sustains her through life’s challenges.
Gistand, a student at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, is used to holding lifesaving medical equipment in the palm of her hand. She’s equally at ease with a microphone, singing a gospel anthem backed by a symphony orchestra.
They are two sides of a woman who cares deeply about medicine and music. Both require extensive training and discipline, and both lend a calming rhythm to situations in which she places herself.
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine student Triniti Gistand. Image credit: Ron Mackovich-Rodriguez/UCLA
“Music is something I need in my life, whether I am listening, creating, playing , or singing,” Gistand said. “It’s really beautiful how people find their own ways to interact with it. When I sing, I can express myself, create art and use all the training and techniques I’ve learned over the years.”
The youngest of eight siblings, Gistand found the path to her future when she was still in her teens after talking with a family member in the National Guard.
“I went to a recruiter’s office and saw videos of combat medics,” Gistand recalled. “There were explosions, there were aircraft, there was chaos, and the medic saved everybody. I thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
Prior to being called for active duty, Gistand trained as a medic with the California Army National Guard. When the pandemic hit in 2020, she was assigned to work at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“I was part of a team with a heavy patient load, working 60 hours a week, and at times it was overwhelming,” Gistand recalled. “There was burnout. For a while, I even began to wonder about going into medicine. It was a difficult thing, especially leading up to my deployment. I was young and it took a lot of support for me to make it through.”
Part of that support came through music. Gistand found joy in the notes and rhythms early in life, honing her vocal skills in high school as a member of the choir.
“I loved how we could add so much color and depth to a sheet of music just by changing our volume, altering the expression of our voices,” she explained.
Three years of vocal training followed, accompanied by performances with community choirs, including Choral Audacity, a chamber choir. She has since performed with the San Jose Symphony Choir, the Stockton Symphony, Afterglow Chorus and college choirs at Diablo Valley College and Chabot College.
Gistand’s musical and educational journeys were paused, though, when she entered active duty training, including combat and medical, at Fort Cavazos in Texas, before heading to the Middle East in 2021. She served at Camp Buehring in Kuwait and Ain al-Asad base in Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, where she bonded with her fellow medics over their shared mission.
“I found myself in what was essentially a tent city, and at first, I was kind of lost,” Gistand said. “But we were all feeling that way. I got trained in pharmacy, and it became my baby. I loved that project, and I started caring more about medicine. We were taking care of soldiers, dealing with everything from colds and stomach issues to injuries and emergencies. Each of us on the team found our roles and worked together.”
After returning to California in 2022, Gistand continued her military career with the National Guard and was promoted to sergeant while studying health sciences at Cal State East Bay. She was accepted to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in January 2024.
Studying for her medical degree, Gistand said, will allow her to better serve patients. It also allows her to work toward changing well-documented disparities in health care for Black people.
“Just as I had a duty to serve in the Army, I feel that I have a duty to be the physician that can relate to my patients on that level and consequently improve their care,” said Gistand. “Black women in the United States are still three times more likely to die during childbirth regardless of socioeconomic status, which is just one example of many racial disparities in medicine.
“Being a Black woman in medicine means being able to add to the perspectives and voices that make decisions for Black patients,” she added.
With her eye on otolaryngology — ear, nose and throat — as a specialty interest, Gistand’s coursework is challenging.
Music helps get her through. While her primary focus has been on choral music, she enjoys performing gospel, pop, musical theater and R&B. Karaoke with colleagues also helps.
“These moments help us escape from the stressors of the world for a few moments and simply enjoy getting to make music together,” she said. “A lot of work has gone into my voice! And I just love to find ways to share and express that.”
By Ron Mackovich-Rodriguez
*Source: University of California