In a 1909 manuscript titled “Ueber den jetzigen Stand der Chemotherapie” (“About the Current State of Chemotherapy”), Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich proclaimed, “We must learn to aim in a chemical sense.” What did he mean? Ehrlich was referring to his “magic bullet” theory of chemical specificity, the observation that certain drugs can eliminate disease-causing entities(...)
The Mity Genome
Posted by | A Day in the LifeThe Metro ride from Foggy Bottom to Bethesda took just about an hour door to door. Each morning, on my way to my first science internship at the National Institutes of Health, and each evening, back to my dorm at George Washington University, I spent my rides reading The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha(...)
How Business School Is Making Me a Better Doctor
Posted by | A Day in the LifeOlu Akinirimisi (pictured above, right) is a student in the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Master of Science in Health Care Management program. This one-year degree is open to School of Medicine students between their second and third or third and fourth years of study. Find out more information about the program. I found myself(...)
A Life or Debt Decision: Tackling Unaffordable Drug Prices in Maryland
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchI first became concerned about unaffordable drug prices when I did one of my first-year research rotations in a lab that studied the hepatitis C virus. The timing of my rotation was in the midst of the (continuing) hepatitis C epidemic and just after the development of Harvoni, an exorbitantly expensive cure ($50,000–$100,000). I learned(...)
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match
Posted by | A Day in the LifeFor fourth-year medical students across the country, the end of January means the culmination of months of struggling to keep suits unwrinkled, waiting at airport gates and sleeping on friends’ couches. This process did not just begin. Many students begin bracing themselves for The Match the moment they stepped into their first medical school class.(...)
Fuggetaboudit: Is Forgetfulness a Vice or a Virtue?
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchWhere are my keys? What’s the name of that actor again? Did she say 3 or 4 o’clock? Forgetfulness is a part of life, albeit often an inconvenient one. If you find yourself wishing you would never forget anything, you may want to reconsider. Neuroscientists are beginning to uncover the molecular mechanisms of forgetting. With(...)
Dealing with Mental Health in Academia
Posted by | A Day in the LifeWorking in science can sometimes be an arduous, solitary journey. While being a graduate student is challenging enough, the pressure is ratcheted up when one is a postdoc. A postdoctoral fellow, or postdoc, conducts mentored research after obtaining a doctoral degree, prior to moving on to a more permanent position. Postdocs are expected to generate(...)
The Relationship Between Age and Blood Pressure: Another Way Your Lifestyle Can Impact Heart Health
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchMany of us have likely experienced recent high blood pressure. Whether it’s from well-meaning but very inquisitive relatives, or the winding lines at the airport, most of us are acquainted with a temporary rise in blood pressure under stress. And unfortunately, high blood pressure (BP) is a common chronic issue for millions of people worldwide.(...)
The Future of Biomedical Education: A Conversation with Dr. Ziegelstein
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchFor the second part in my series on the future of biomedical education, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ziegelstein and discuss what elements he sees as vital to education at all levels of training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Read part one. Roy Ziegelstein, vice dean for education(...)
Do You Want to Write for Us?
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchOur medical students, residents, postdocs and fellows have a lot to share — from daily life in the classroom, tips on thriving during residency, new research that is pushing the boundaries of science and patient care, to the best places to grab a bite in Baltimore, they share it here on the blog. If you(...)