If you’re in the process of applying to graduate school, by now you’ve either submitted your applications or are gearing up to do so. After clicking the “submit” button, you may feel a wave of emotions - exhilaration, dread, anxiety, or relief. I distinctly remember that when I submitted my applications, the principal emotion I(...)
A Day in the Life
The Fate of Science Rests on Our Ability to Communicate
Posted by | A Day in the Life“It is absolutely impossible!” While the student next to me was the one to vocalize an incredulous attitude, everyone was thinking it. We were in a workshop provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF), as NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program fellows, and we were tasked with explaining the importance of our research to someone with(...)
When Cancer Hits Home: A Researcher’s Call to Action
Posted by | A Day in the LifeMy fifth grade world — a typical one concerned with classes, friends, recess, lunch menus and dreading middle school — forever changed one day, when I sat on the ABC-patterned carpet in my classroom and watched my favorite teacher hide tears from the class. I first met her in third grade. She was always peppy(...)
The Simplest of Remedies: Rediscovering the Experience of Healing
Posted by | A Day in the LifeI sat, enveloped by the clinic’s dusty walls and chalky smell. It felt as if a fog of gray haze had descended over the building and muted the surrounding colors. Two plastic chairs were positioned next to the door, with one single picture of skeletal anatomy hanging above them, forcing the makeshift closet to resemble(...)
Reflections on Dermatology and Telemedicine in Brazil
Posted by | A Day in the LifeRapidly evolving telecommunication and information technologies have led to incredible changes in our lives — including how we manage our health. In particular, teledermatology, or the use of communication technology by dermatologists to support the diagnosis, consultation and treatment of patients, has become an important element of health care in the United States and around(...)
Telemedicine and the Brazilian Health Care System
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThis summer, I traveled to Brazil for a course on dermatology at the Faculty of Medicine, Sao Paulo (FMUSP), where I not only received hands-on training on endemic dermatological diseases, but also got the chance to learn about the Brazilian health care system and how telemedicine fits into it. In one of our first lectures(...)
Genetic Double-Agents Are Making You Old
Posted by | A Day in the LifeWe’re getting old. Unprecedented advances in biomedical research and technology over the last century have increased the average human lifespan in the United States by over 50 percent.1 And with more people enrolling in Medicare than prenatal partner yoga, it is vital to understand and improve the health of the aging population. Unfortunately, getting older(...)
Nearing the Finish: A Reflection on Medical School
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe seasons I spent running high school cross country have long gone, and I'm far from a great long-distance runner now, but I remember three things our coach was always shouting at us. "You're only as fast as the slowest person!" While it seemed like every runner was on the trail by herself, it was always, ultimately, a(...)
Ban the Box on College Applications
Posted by | A Day in the Life“From Prison Cell to Ph.D.” is a series following the journey of Dr. Stanley Andrisse, who was convicted of 2 felony drug charges and sentenced to 10 years in Missouri prison. He is now a postdoctoral scientist in pediatric endocrinology and trainee leader at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “This is a collect call from the Northeast Correctional Center,”(...)
Reflections on Residency from a PGY-3: The Beginning of the End
Posted by | A Day in the LifeIt’s the beginning of my third and final year of residency, and I can finally see the light at the end of the training tunnel. Second year was challenging — the first half was filled with weeks of nights, a crash course in pediatric intensive care, and months on the pediatric hematology and oncology floor.(...)