A Research Technician At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

I shadowed Dr. Martin Skie at the University of Toledo Medical Center when I started contemplating a career as a physician. He is an orthopedic surgeon and I had the privilege to shadow during several surgeries, and throughout clinical rotations. I spent over fifty hours shadowing him over the course of a month. I also had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Zachary Ginsberg, an intensivist, in Kettering Medical Center’s intensive care unit. I was able to discuss the patients, their conditions, the lab results, imaging studies, medications, procedures, and the science behind the thought process while shadowing for over one hundred hours over several months. Both opportunities provided insight into different specialties and sparked my interest.Since

Through this opportunity I will gain invaluable experience within the medical field and gain knowledge about a field of medicine that I have not previously been exposed to.

“I don’t know” I can still distinctly recall my eleven year old self repeatedly saying to anyone who tried to talk to me. It was my first day of school in America and that was the only sentence I could put together in English. I was born in in China and lived there my whole life until my mother decided to move to New York. I thought I was just visiting her for winter break, but she dropped me off at school just a week after my arrival. As my new classmates tried to talk to me, I can see their mouth moving but they might as well be speaking gibberish. For the rest of the day, I felt like I was dropped off on an alien planet where my only means of communication were hand gestures. When my parents told me that my move to America was permanent, I knew I need to learn English as quickly as possible. While I soon picked out words that I recognize when spoken to, I still couldn’t comprehend a whole conversation. And before speaking any phrase, I thought of what to say first in Chinese and then translated into

My passion for medicine is something deeper than a mere interest in learning the extraordinary functions of the human body. I am completely fascinated to learn gross anatomy, histology, pathology, and the complete medical school curriculum. However, I am more captivated by how the knowledge I will gain in medical school will allow me to perform the lifesaving procedures that physicians are able execute. Although, medicine is not always ideally as I have written, I believe that as a physician I would use my knowledge and my experiences to provide the best holistic care to my patients. My culture, my experiences, and my education will bring a different perspective to the medical field. I aspire to have the ability and knowledge to save a child that might not live, to save a woman that suffers a heart stroke, and to even provide the necessary treatment for a child with a mere cold. Additionally, participating in the Loma Linda Gateway to the Health

Shadowing physicians with drastically different doctoring styles and personalities helped me understand more than just the daily workload but also which doctoring style I prefer. I also learned that physicians need to work as a team with other physicians, nurses, medical staff and patients. I glimpsed at their busy schedules and found that physicians worked in the wards and in the clinic, took on-call duties every other weekend, filed their own billing and charting, covered each other, while still making time for their families. Being exposed to this has helped solidify my aspirations to one day become an effective and balanced physician. I aspire to be a physician who remembers the details, takes time to discuss treatment, and has a broad

I have shadowed two physicians during my pre-medical years. These experiences have significantly shaped the type of physician I want to be in the future. Not in the sense of a medical specialty, but rather in the sense of demonstrating a clear compassion and understanding for my patients.

Since my summer term freshman year, I have been periodically shadowing Oscar Habhab, MD and Joseph Keenan, DO in the emergency room. Along with gaining more medical knowledge, I continue to shadow them in order to gain a better understanding of the personality required to become a successful physician.

Starting in June, I have been working as a Research Technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I help to examine the epigenetic changes that occur through the progression of different types of cancer, in particular leukemia. I hope to determine if there are epigenetic changes that are specific to a particular type or subtype of cancer, and whether they can be used as prognosis markers and targets for cancer treatment. I am working with patient samples from various stages of cancer as well as mouse models. In addition, I am involved in clinical trials where I work closely with physicians to monitor epigenetic changes that occur in response to drug treatments

My interest in family medicine began when I was in high school visiting family members in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina and in northern Pakistan who were shaken by a devastating earthquake that took place that same year. I felt lost and helpless as I met people living in shelters who were desperately waiting for medical care. The experience motivated me to spend the next year becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) so I could help underserved areas. Over the next five years, I worked with doctors and nurses as a CNA, primarily helping geriatric patients as I worked toward medical school. I took deep interest watching physicians develop trust and rapport with their patients and taking the time to work with nurses and specialists to tailor treatment plans.

Being a Cancer Biology Research Assistant was by far my most meaningful achievement. This meant so much to me because I was finally able to do life changing research. Through my research I was able to know I am bring a smile of hope to cancer patients across the world. Research is the basis of our society today. Everything achieved in history is achieved through research based off of a question.

However, after a soccer injury left me with a severely fractured metacarpal resulting in surgery, I began to know them even better and was able to witness firsthand the level of care, expertise, and compassion PA’s can provide. My surgeon’s PA, Stacy, handled nearly every post-op appointment for my hand, even removing the two pins. Upon getting to know Stacy, I ultimately had the opportunity to begin shadowing her twice a week while working full time. I already definitively knew that I wanted to become a PA, but it was during those several months of shadowing that I began to see myself as a PA in the future. The confidence, knowledge, and care provided by Stacy to myself as well as all of her patients are astounding. To know that I can achieve what I intend to achieve professionally as a PA, with compassion and civility, as well as accomplish what I intend to personally, including a family, is extremely

I got the opportunity to carry out my Shadowing Project at Caring Hands between the months of February and March. This project let me see how the average workday would play out for both the assistants and the doctors themselves by observing the activities and procedures they performed on animals each day. Throughout my stay at Caring Hands, I was able to learn about how animals get an ultrasound, a dental abscess removal, and have their blood drawn. In addition, I observed

Overall, my experiences shadowing various physicians have given me a better understanding of what a career in medicine actually looks like day to day. In my time with Dr. Holden, I saw how large teams of health care professionals work together in the operating room and outside of it to allow for the efficient performance of many surgeries back to back. My experience shadowing in Peru gave me a greater understanding of how their health care system functions, especially the interaction between the public and private sector. I also saw, in my time with Dr. Muñoz, how a lack of access to primary care greatly impacts people's lives as minor issue are allowed to become serious problems due to the disparities that exist. With Dr. Marroquin, I gained

After discovering my passion for science and math, I pursue a career in Clinical Laboratory Science with enthusiasm. My desire to study this subject originates from the exciting and rapidly-moving subject area that is highly relevant to major issues facing society today. Clinical Laboratory Scientists play a crucial role in the healthcare field; in detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease in patients. My goal is to be involved in the latest advances in medical research and to constantly be expanding my knowledge about my field. On top of this goal, Clinical Laboratory Science remains a challenging, rewarding and inspiring topic that will motivate and shape my career for my entire life.

As a junior at Cypress Creek High School I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to engage in health care through the Health Science - Rotations program. This program has enlightened me with many areas in health care that contribute to taking care of a patient. I was able to learn about certain areas of a hospital, particularly North Cypress Medical Center, by shadowing professionals in their area of study. While shadowing these medical professionals, multiple thoughts cross my mind. “I would love to do what they do,” is the thought that constantly sticks in my mind as I watch the medical professionals do what they spent many years learning how to do.