The Buzz VOICES OF THE BAY
By Nina Murphy
Dream Job At age 46, Bristol’s Margaret Furtado decided to pursue physician-hood – and the hard work paid off
Dr. Margaret Furtado’s life reads like a screenplay: At three years old she travels with her parents from the Azores to Bristol, where she grows up and builds a successful career as a registered dietitian with leadership positions at Boston Medical, Tufts Medical, Mass General, and John Hopkins. She authors two well-respected books on nutrition and weight loss surgery and becomes a noted international public speaker. Wanting more, she considers obtaining a PhD in nutrition when a longtime friend encourages her to pursue her lifelong secret dream of becoming a physician. At age 46, the arduous journey begins: Prerequisite courses while working a demanding job, three years of rejections before eventual acceptance, infinite hours of studying to pass the boards (and not to mention a house fire and horrific attack thrown into the mix). But all of the sacrifices and challenges faded into
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The Bay • July 2021
the background when she learned she was matched with her top choice, Roger Williams Medical Center, where she begins her residency in Internal Medicine this month. FAMILY HISTORY: When I was growing up it had been a cultural influence to do something less rigorous than medicine and work in the field of nutrition, which was viewed as a better lifestyle if I was going to be married with children. Well, my life didn’t work out that way. My parents and sister have been so supportive. GUT FEELING: I fell in love with my work in Obesity Medicine. I was thinking of getting a PhD in it. My good friend Robert Crausman, who worked with me when we were teenagers at Metacom Manor and is now a doctor, said, “Margaret, you have way too much fire in your belly for a PhD. You want medicine.”
MIRACLE MOMENT: I was about to drop out of medical school. I had booked my ticket to go home when one night I was walking with some friends and was attacked by a guy with a hammer. The whole ride to the hospital I kept thinking, “I hope my brain is okay so I can continue to be a medical student.” I was not going to let the attacker kill my dreams. It motivated me. I decided to transfer to American University of Antigua Medical School. MATCH DAY: From June 2019 to January of 2020, I went to Rogers Free Library to study for the board exams every day from 9am to 4pm. I would place my vision board in front of me to motivate me when I was feeling overwhelmed. In my childhood home surrounded by my family on March 19, I got my top choice!
Photo courtesy of Margaret Furtado
Dr. Margaret Furtado proudly displays her vision board
