Aubrey Corbett '14

Choose to

live without borders.

Aubrey Corbett

Hometown: Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
Class Year: 2014
Major: Biology, Minor in Holistic Health


 

Aubrey Corbett in 2022, climbing a mountain

 

Aubrey Corbett in 2022, climbing another mountain

Eight years ago, Aubrey Corbett showed us how Stockton helped her to live without borders through studying abroad. Now, she is using the tools given to her to break barriers and help people through naturopathic medicine.

 

Aubrey Corbett (2014)

Aubrey Corbett (2014)

 

Why did you choose Stockton?

After attending another school in Florida for two years, I was looking to transfer somewhere that better fit my career path. Upon moving back to New Jersey, Stockton was high on my list for places to finish my undergraduate degree. I chose Stockton primarily because of its environmental focus and wide variety of courses. It was difficult for me to find a school that offered biomedical science courses as well as classes in medicinal plants and mind-body therapies. The quiet setting of the University nestled in the woods, as well as its proximity to my hometown, made it the perfect setting for me to study.

What are your future plans?

I plan to practice as a naturopathic doctor in New Jersey and teach students with similar interests. During my spare time, I hope to continue to travel to Haiti to work with Naturopaths Without Borders to bring medical care to an underprivileged population in need of clean water, food and health care.

Are you still working with Naturopaths Without Borders?

My work has transitioned to a parallel; I work primarily with populations that have borders or barriers to their care due to stigma instead of traditional borders. I work with a population of patients and marginalized communities who are suffering from houselessness and often substance use disorders in the Portland Metro area known as Central City Concern. The clinic is a low barrier Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). This is ultimately my dream for my career.

What does your typical day-to-day look like? Did you expect it to be like how it is now when you first graduated?

When I graduated from Stockton, I had initially figured that I would be practicing in New Jersey and maybe even teaching students back at Stockton. It was around the time that I went to Haiti that I ended up working in FQHCs that served these populations and I fell in love with the work; it was very fulfilling. I then did my residency in an area to continue the work with these populations.

I work Monday through Friday and see about 14 patients a day. I do general primary care and wound care. Patients who are houseless and have complex chronic wounds will come to this clinic instead of going from ER [emergency room] to ER. About 5-10% of my day I am utilizing naturopathic approaches to help support folks in talking about diet, nutrition, and herbal medicine.

Given the population I work with, I am often trying to figure out how I can provide the best care while taking into account social determinants of health. Some folks do not have the income or money to be able to afford natural medicines and insurance does not often cover these treatment recommendations.

For a long time, services from specialty clinics were shut down. A lot of care was put into the hands of primary care providers to be able to still serve patients and find unique ways to care for them with the use of PPE [personal protection equipment]. It also really expanded options for patients, like for folks who are really busy and just can’t make it to an appointment. For the time being, the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) is paying for telephone visits like they would for a regular office visit and that wasn’t an option before. It’s been great to see how many new and creative approaches there are to meet patients where they are at."
Aubrey Corbett, '17, on how COVID-19 impacted her and the clinic.

What advice would you give students who are interested in Biology? Are you open to mentoring students currently in the program?

Don’t question your limits! There were many times when I thought to myself “Am I good enough? Can I actually do this?” I never thought that I would become a doctor growing up, as that just seemed like such a high bar. The fact that I could get to this point and push myself has been really inspiring.

It’s important to remember the community around you as well. I would never be where I’m at now if it wasn’t for the people around me who I leaned on during the whole process. There are folks at Stockton who I still reach out to and say, “Hey, is this totally crazy?” and they would say, “Yes, but do it anyway!” It sounds so cliché but stick to what you want to do because you can do it. Remember the ‘why’ behind your goals and you can achieve them. And yes, I would love to mentor students!