Sister Rosanne Popp, M.D.

Already a nurse, Dr. Sister Rosanne Popp had recently completed her master's degree to become a nurse practitioner. Yet she found herself frustrated by the lack of opportunities for nurse practitioners to work with the poor.

"Do you want to become a doctor?" a hospital administrator asked Sister Rosanne Popp during a conversation in 1988. "I don't know," she answered.

Becoming a doctor was something she had never considered, but with the idea planted, she could not go back. Soon she committed herself to one year of pre-med, four years of medical school and three years of residency.

Today she works at a family practice center in Southwest Houston, caring for and educating the poor and immigrant populations that visit the clinic. The challenges are many, from the language and cultural barriers of caring for patients from Central and South America, the Mideast, Asia and West Africa, to not having the resources to send patients to cardiologists, gastroenterologists, or other specialists that they need. But she enjoys the independence and knowledge she's gained from becoming a doctor, as well as the successes of the clinic, such as the award-winning program started a year ago to support and educate diabetic patients.

"No matter who you are, volunteer," she offers to people wanting to do something to help in their own community. "There are so many places that need your help. Don't sit at home. Instead of thinking about yourself, do something for somebody else. You're never too busy. It doesn't have to be three times a week. It could just be once a month. That's how to make you feel good about yourself.

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