Leading with Compassion and Vulnerability
Leading with Compassion and Vulnerability
Daaren Bukhari (MD ’28), M1 class vice president at Stritch School of Medicine
By Marena Keci
Daaren Bukhari (MD ’28), M1 class vice president at Stritch, is a Michigan native and first-generation Pakistani American who came to Stritch with more than just academic ambition. His journey into medicine was shaped by early experiences advocating for his mother, who faced significant language and health barriers as an immigrant with a chronic illness.
“At a young age, nine or ten, I was going to appointments with her, translating, trying to understand what the doctors were saying,” he recalls. “She had serious conditions. She was immunocompromised and had severe asthma, and I became her caregiver and voice.”
It wasn’t just medical complexity that challenged their family, it was the lack of compassion they sometimes encountered in the healthcare system. “When there’s a language barrier, some physicians don’t take the time to truly listen,” he explains. “But one doctor did. She showed us that compassion doesn’t always need translation. That left a lasting impact on me.”
Bukhari carried that insight with him throughout his undergraduate years at Michigan State, where he majored in neuroscience and gradually found clarity in his desire to pursue medicine. Along the way, he also began confronting mental health, both in those close to him and within himself. He started journaling, embraced therapy, and developed a meditation routine.
Destigmatizing self-care
When he arrived at Stritch, he wanted to go beyond managing his own mental health and help create a culture where others felt safe to seek out wellness resources. That drive led him to run for class vice president.
“Growing up, I was always between the American and Pakistani cultures, never fully fitting into either one,” Bukhari says. “But I learned to use that experience to connect with people who feel different. I saw the VP role as a chance to build community and make people feel like they belong.”
“My biggest fear coming into medical school was that I had done all this work on myself, but I knew the system could still break me,” Bukhari says. “The statistics are real, and I wanted to do everything I could to protect myself and others.”
Bukhari is working to create change and remove the stigma around mental health.
Mental health advocacy
One of the most impactful initiatives that emerged from Bukhari’s leadership was the Mental Health Town Hall, a student-led event for M1s aimed at normalizing mental health conversations within medicine. The idea was born from a collaboration with Mara-Clarisa Boiangiu, M1 class president, and Marcella Kuko膷, LCPC, clinical director, Health Sciences Campus, Wellness Center. They had noticed a gap in engagement and awareness of the school’s mental health resources, and together they began brainstorming ways to bridge it.
“We wanted to create a space where physicians could talk honestly about their own mental health struggles,” he explains. “Students needed to hear that even the people we look up to, our mentors, have gone through tough times too.”
For Bukhari, the goals of the Town Hall were threefold: promote vulnerability, destigmatize mental health, and highlight the availability of support resources like the Wellness Center. In a field where appearing strong often means staying silent, he believes vulnerability is a necessary form of leadership.
“Too many of us are taught to ‘fake it till you make it,’” he says. “But that mindset isolates people. If you fail a test, if you’re struggling, no one talks about it. I wanted to help change that.”
The Town Hall, held earlier this year, featured physicians sharing personal experiences and answering student questions. With minimal promotion, mostly word-of-mouth, the event drew 60 to 70 students and had an immediate impact.
“I had friends tell me they started therapy after the event,” Bukhari shares. “Others thanked me for creating space for vulnerability. An M3 roommate told me one of their students reached out about anxiety. That kind of impact—it was more than I could have imagined.”
Leading with empathy
Even as a first-year student, Bukhari has modeled what it means to lead with empathy. He prioritizes his own well-being by journaling, going to therapy, setting boundaries, like cutting off studying after 8 p.m., and nurturing meaningful relationships inside and outside school. He emphasized that maintaining relationships provides stability and helps preserve his mental well-being, as medical school can sometimes feel like its own little bubble.
While he hasn’t decided on a specialty yet, Bukhari is certain that mental health will remain central to his future in medicine.
“No matter where I end up, I plan to carry these values with me,” he says. “We can’t care for others if we’re not caring for ourselves. We need to change what success looks like in medicine, and that starts by being human first.”
Resources
鈥�(773.508.2530) counselors,鈥�鈥�(773.508.2200) staff members, and鈥�鈥�(773.508.3300) staff members are available to any student who needs support or a safe space for conversation.
By Marena Keci
Daaren Bukhari (MD ’28), M1 class vice president at Stritch, is a Michigan native and first-generation Pakistani American who came to Stritch with more than just academic ambition. His journey into medicine was shaped by early experiences advocating for his mother, who faced significant language and health barriers as an immigrant with a chronic illness.
“At a young age, nine or ten, I was going to appointments with her, translating, trying to understand what the doctors were saying,” he recalls. “She had serious conditions. She was immunocompromised and had severe asthma, and I became her caregiver and voice.”
It wasn’t just medical complexity that challenged their family, it was the lack of compassion they sometimes encountered in the healthcare system. “When there’s a language barrier, some physicians don’t take the time to truly listen,” he explains. “But one doctor did. She showed us that compassion doesn’t always need translation. That left a lasting impact on me.”
Bukhari carried that insight with him throughout his undergraduate years at Michigan State, where he majored in neuroscience and gradually found clarity in his desire to pursue medicine. Along the way, he also began confronting mental health, both in those close to him and within himself. He started journaling, embraced therapy, and developed a meditation routine.
Destigmatizing self-care
When he arrived at Stritch, he wanted to go beyond managing his own mental health and help create a culture where others felt safe to seek out wellness resources. That drive led him to run for class vice president.
“Growing up, I was always between the American and Pakistani cultures, never fully fitting into either one,” Bukhari says. “But I learned to use that experience to connect with people who feel different. I saw the VP role as a chance to build community and make people feel like they belong.”
“My biggest fear coming into medical school was that I had done all this work on myself, but I knew the system could still break me,” Bukhari says. “The statistics are real, and I wanted to do everything I could to protect myself and others.”
Bukhari is working to create change and remove the stigma around mental health.
Mental health advocacy
One of the most impactful initiatives that emerged from Bukhari’s leadership was the Mental Health Town Hall, a student-led event for M1s aimed at normalizing mental health conversations within medicine. The idea was born from a collaboration with Mara-Clarisa Boiangiu, M1 class president, and Marcella Kuko膷, LCPC, clinical director, Health Sciences Campus, Wellness Center. They had noticed a gap in engagement and awareness of the school’s mental health resources, and together they began brainstorming ways to bridge it.
“We wanted to create a space where physicians could talk honestly about their own mental health struggles,” he explains. “Students needed to hear that even the people we look up to, our mentors, have gone through tough times too.”
For Bukhari, the goals of the Town Hall were threefold: promote vulnerability, destigmatize mental health, and highlight the availability of support resources like the Wellness Center. In a field where appearing strong often means staying silent, he believes vulnerability is a necessary form of leadership.
“Too many of us are taught to ‘fake it till you make it,’” he says. “But that mindset isolates people. If you fail a test, if you’re struggling, no one talks about it. I wanted to help change that.”
The Town Hall, held earlier this year, featured physicians sharing personal experiences and answering student questions. With minimal promotion, mostly word-of-mouth, the event drew 60 to 70 students and had an immediate impact.
“I had friends tell me they started therapy after the event,” Bukhari shares. “Others thanked me for creating space for vulnerability. An M3 roommate told me one of their students reached out about anxiety. That kind of impact—it was more than I could have imagined.”
Leading with empathy
Even as a first-year student, Bukhari has modeled what it means to lead with empathy. He prioritizes his own well-being by journaling, going to therapy, setting boundaries, like cutting off studying after 8 p.m., and nurturing meaningful relationships inside and outside school. He emphasized that maintaining relationships provides stability and helps preserve his mental well-being, as medical school can sometimes feel like its own little bubble.
While he hasn’t decided on a specialty yet, Bukhari is certain that mental health will remain central to his future in medicine.
“No matter where I end up, I plan to carry these values with me,” he says. “We can’t care for others if we’re not caring for ourselves. We need to change what success looks like in medicine, and that starts by being human first.”
Resources
鈥�(773.508.2530) counselors,鈥�鈥�(773.508.2200) staff members, and鈥�鈥�(773.508.3300) staff members are available to any student who needs support or a safe space for conversation.