While entering a clinic room one day, I closely followed the attending physician as she greeted the patient and made introductions. That morning I was participating in a form of learning that is all too common in medical school: passive observation. “Now let me just pull up the note,” the doctor said to the patient,(...)
A Day in the Life
Lessons from the Wards
Posted by | A Day in the LifeAt the end of May, I finished graduate school and resumed medical school. Returning to clinical rotations with a fresh perspective, I have been able to more clearly reflect on the many lessons we learn from everyday interactions with patients, caregivers and colleagues. I would like to share a few valuable lessons. My first rotation(...)
The Universal Lab Language
Posted by | A Day in the LifeOn the floor where I work in the preclinical teaching building at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, there are a variety of postdoctoral fellows, students, technicians and faculty from all over the world. We have postdoctoral fellows from China, Portugal and Israel, and graduate students from Germany, Canada and Taiwan. You can always(...)
The Organization of Student Representatives: A Student Government of Medical Education
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is well known to premedical students. Founded in 1876, the AAMC — comprised of all 151 accredited U.S. medical schools and 17 Canadian medical schools — is a not-for-profit organization that coordinates medical school applications, the Medical College Admission Test and the Electronic Residency Application Service, which is(...)
Open Access: Making Scientific Findings Available to All
Posted by | A Day in the Life, Perspectives in ResearchMost would agree that a principal goal of scientific research is to enhance society’s understanding of the world around us. In biomedical research, we are particularly interested in discovering the workings of the body to find better treatments for disease and enact better guidelines and policies for healthy living. A crucial element of this endeavor(...)
Teaching About Vaccines — A Miracle of Modern Medicine
Posted by | A Day in the LifeAs an immunologist-to-be, few things frustrate me more than hearing of misinformed antivaccine sentiments. I have been of the opinion for some time now that education about vaccines should begin in high school to give students the tools to properly combat misinformation campaigns. Thus, when I learned that Johns Hopkins was looking for applicants to(...)
Tips for Attending an International Conference
Posted by | A Day in the Life, Events and HappeningsIn January, my thesis adviser asked me if I wanted to attend the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology meeting in Amsterdam, which is scheduled for this June. To date, this is the easiest question my adviser has ever asked me, and my answer was a resounding “yes.” In most ways, a scientific conference is basically(...)
Medical Education Around the World
Posted by | A Day in the LifeA few weeks ago, I completed my master’s degree in public health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Through the help of two projects I worked on during my master’s degree, I rediscovered a niche in the field of global health that I find particularly unique and exciting. This niche is the field of(...)
My Childhood Home: My First True Laboratory
Posted by | A Day in the LifeFor nine years, I went to summer camp in the Poconos, far away from highways and large cities in a small town near Scranton, Pennsylvania. Each summer my counselors would take our bunk on a “sneak out,” where we would go to the top of a hill, lay down in the grass and stare up(...)
Top Five Strategies to Generate Great Ideas and Build a Successful Startup
Posted by | A Day in the Life“Now that would be an amazing app for patients!” she exclaimed to her colleague. “Agreed. We could have our own little startup on the side,” he replied. I was wandering the halls of the hospital for the first time in months, and overhearing this short snippet of conversation led me to reflect on all I(...)