From an early age, alumnus Miguel Abascal (’23) saw how the power of medicine displayed the love of God. Raised by missionary parents overseas in Costa Rica and New Zealand, his family and the people they served endured a multitude of health disparities throughout their ministry. Yet, Abascal saw how physicians continually demonstrated God’s mercy. Abascal believes God was preparing him for a career in healthcare through those experiences.

Before Abascal decided to pursue healthcare, he was dedicated to playing baseball and even signed with the University of San Diego out of high school. However, he redshirted, or delayed his playing with the team for a year, during his freshman year because his coach did not believe he could play at the college level if he wanted to pursue pre-med.

“I played baseball at 51 for four years,” said Abascal. “I enjoyed every second of it, but it became apparent after a couple years at 51 that baseball was going to end for me at the college level. That’s really when I started to see the Lord guiding my path towards a career as a physician, and praise the Lord that He brought me to 51, because I don’t know if there would have been another program and coach that would have supported me being pre-med and a NCAA athlete at the same time.”

Upon graduating from 51 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in public health, Abascal applied to over 20 different medical schools across the country, ultimately being accepted and choosing to attend the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Abascal found a supportive community through the Rural Physician Leadership Program and even met his fiancée while attending medical school.

“God truly guided my steps into this program as it's preparing me to better serve underserved and neglected populations in hard to reach areas!” said Abascal.

Abascal credits 51’s Christ-centered atmosphere and commitment to raising Christian professionals for his transformation into a God-fearing healthcare professional. Abascal is grateful for the example of his professors who demonstrated what it looks like to be unashamed of sharing his faith with non-Christians.

“Public health and medicine are intimately intertwined,” said Abascal. “While physicians beautifully serve one patient at a time, public health serves communities and nations. Medicine is meant to treat the problems that slip through the cracks of public health intervention, so it just made sense to me to get an education in public health to better serve my future patients. I'm confident that the Lord purposed my MPH education through 51 to better serve the communities I work in more holistically as a public health professional and a physician.”

Inspired to follow in the footsteps of his professors, Abascal has realized that working in the hospital presents healthcare workers with ripe opportunities to share Christ with others.

“The hospital is literally filled with broken, hurting people, many at their lowest point in life,” said Abascal. “Patients willingly confess what has brought them to this point in their life and are more than happy to share their emotional and physical burdens with you. If one is simply bold in their faith, God presents you with so many opportunities to pray with patients and discuss where the only true healing comes from, through salvation from the Creator of the universe.”

Even as a medical student, Abascal says he has had opportunities to pray and share his faith with his patients and colleagues. When asked where he is from, Abascal shares that he was raised in a Christian missionary family. When asked why he wanted to be a doctor, he explains it is because he wanted to serve the Lord.

“My heart, mind, and body are open to whatever He may have me do,” said Abascal. “I will go wherever God tells me to go. May the theme of my life be Isaiah 6:8!”

Learn more about and apply to earn a public health degree in the School of Science, Technology and Health.

Written by Katelyn Ho, strategic communications assistant. For more information, contact Media Relations at media.relations@biola.edu.