Though the individuals in this story are fictional, the stories presented reflect my real-life experiences with patients and their caregivers. Upon entering my patient’s room, I introduced myself and apologized for running late. I sat across from Carry, my patient’s granddaughter. The clinic was running as usual that day. In one word: overbooked. I had […]
A Day in the Life
Encouraging Young Women in STEM Careers
Posted by ytreesukosol | A Day in the Life“It really smells.” “Can we take apart the legs?” I was asked these questions by the girls with dissected frogs in front of them. I’ve been helping through a program aimed at engaging girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). With colleagues at the Girls Scouts of Central Maryland, I’ve helped girls dissect frogs, […]
Oct 7, 2015
Preparing for Conferences: Inside the 2015 ASHG Annual Meeting
Posted by Xuan Pham | A Day in the Life, Events and HappeningsAttending scientific conferences is one of my favorite things about being a graduate student. I get the opportunity to hear what is hot in the field, who is leading the charge and how they’re doing it. As a genetics student, I’m partial to the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) conference, an annual meeting dedicated […]
Oct 5, 2015
Lessons Learned in Graduate School: Be Skeptical
Posted by sarahlaskey | A Day in the LifePart 1 in a series of posts on “Lessons Learned in Graduate School.” Two hours. Four hours. Overnight, if I have the time. I must have asked half a dozen people, and I didn’t get the same answer twice. The question had been: How long do you incubate pelleted virus in fresh media before resuspending […]
Oct 2, 2015
Hobbies Offer Scientists a Much-Needed Break from the Lab
Posted by richardsima | A Day in the LifeLast year — on a whim, and to temporarily escape the stresses of neuroscience research — I began to take improvisational comedy classes with the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG). Once a week, I’d leave the world of pipette tips, blinking displays and squirming mice and instead be transported to whatever reality my scene partners and […]
Sep 28, 2015
The Week of the Pancreas: Finding a Work-Life Balance
Posted by Ruchi Doshi | A Day in the LifeI vividly remember one particular week during my medicine subinternship as the Week of the Pancreas. On the wards, I was caring for two patients with pancreatitis: one acute, one chronic. Then, I admitted a third patient with heretofore-undiagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer. To top it all off, midweek, I received a phone call from one […]
Sep 25, 2015
4 Conference Networking Tips for the Novice
Posted by melissabowman | A Day in the LifeI finally watched last year’s action flick Pacific Rim, and its portrayal of research scientists —stereotypically socially inept — made me cringe. In reality, the Ph.D. students I know are friendly and socially astute. But we tend to think of these qualities as social perks instead of professional skills. In the academic idyll, we think […]
Sep 21, 2015
Neuroscience Graduate Student Awarded Axol Science Scholarship
Posted by Shannen Cravens | A Day in the LifeJonathan Grima, a third-year neuroscience graduate student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow working in the labs of Jeffrey Rothstein and Solomon Snyder, was recently named the winner of an international scholarship competition hosted by the human cell culture company Axol. The scholarship application was a test of effective science communication skills. Applicants were […]
Sep 10, 2015
Graduate Student Finds a Harmonious Work-Life Balance with Music
Posted by Shannen Cravens | A Day in the LifeEstablishing a healthy work-life balance is hard, and ironically, finding ways to squeeze in de-stressing hobbies can be extremely stressful. Over the years, John Froehlig, a graduate student in the Program in Molecular Biophysics, has perfected the art of making progress on his thesis without sacrificing his other passion: music. Froehlig joined Johns Hopkins in […]
Aug 14, 2015
Home Visits: An Essential Part of Medical Care
Posted by Ryan Lang | A Day in the LifeOne of the most memorable experiences of my medical training was my first home visit. I was a medical student participating in a primary care elective with a physician in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to gaining experience in the clinic setting, I was expected to make a visit to a clinic patient in his/her home. […]
Aug 10, 2015