For 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(...)
A Day in the Life
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(...)
Advice for Fellowship Applications – Part Three
Posted by | A Day in the LifeRead parts one and two of this series. You’ve found the fellowships you want to apply for and have begun the writing process for your personal and research statements — but don’t forget the critical component of all fellowship applications: the letter (or letters) of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are imperative to building and reinforcing(...)
Transcontinental (or “Not-So-Long Distance”) Residencies and Making It Work
Posted by | A Day in the LifeMy Match Day in March 2015 was probably one of the best days of my mid-twenties. I stood around a table with my best friends and my significant other — also a medical student — as we opened our Match letters together. It was our best day — I was headed to Baltimore, and he(...)
Advice for Fellowship Applications – Part Two
Posted by | A Day in the LifeMissed part one? Catch up here. Take a deep breath; it is time to start working on fellowship applications. After applying for and receiving the Ford Foundation fellowship, my friend and fellow Ph.D. student, Ashley Stewart, and I wanted to share advice for fellowship applicants. Since each fellowship has different requirements, its own spectrum of(...)
Learning to Walk
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe hospital turns worlds upside down, for both patients and for care providers alike. Luckily, I haven’t yet been a patient in a hospital, but I can only imagine how jarring it must be for patients to leave their daily routines and enter the bustling, complex machinery of the hospital, largely for circumstances out of(...)
Welcome to Internship! Tips from a Graduating Resident
Posted by | A Day in the LifeEvery March, thousands of fourth year medical students simultaneously open letters containing the names of their future residency programs. A pediatrics resident nearing the end of her training reflects on things she wishes someone had told her as she prepared to become an intern. Most days, you will have to choose between getting enough sleep,(...)
Bridging the Gap Between the Ivory Tower and the Public
Posted by | A Day in the LifeHuman well-being and the eradication of disease are causes that bring everyone together. Some people give back by donating their change to philanthropies at the grocery store, others participate in charity events, while some take the plunge and work in fields such as health care or research. I, like many scientists, decided to make my(...)
The Beginning and End of an Era
Posted by | A Day in the LifeMedical school curriculum has traditionally been split into two halves: preclinical and clinical years. Preclinical years generally include the first two years of medical school, when topics including anatomy, biochemistry and organ system-based physiology, pharmacology and pathology are taught in lecture halls. At most schools, clinical years encompass the last two years of medical school,(...)
Mental Health on the Reservation: Native American Teens and Toxic Stress
Posted by | A Day in the LifeToxic stress is everywhere. As a pediatrician in Baltimore City, I acknowledge the elephant in the exam room at nearly every appointment. Abuse. Neglect. Domestic violence. Toxic stress is a term used to describe the repeated experience of adverse childhood events without positive interpersonal relationships to buffer the ongoing trauma. As a result, children in(...)