Neurosurgery Personal Statement

Science, technology, engineering, and math are the four areas of study that make up STEM. These four areas all have one thing in common: they are all dominated by men. According to Lauren C. Williams, “men outnumber women 7 to 3 in tech jobs in New York City — and nationwide.”.7 Despite this, “women now earn more bachelor’s and master’s degrees than men”.6 However, “women are a minority”.2 Women are a minority in all STEM careers. The ratio of men to women in scientific fields has never been one to one. For some unknown reason very few women are choosing to become chemists, physicists, engineers, computer technicians, or mathematicians. There are many proposed theories for why women are extremely outnumbered in these scientific

The STEM fields are diverse and evolving constantly, with the advancement of civil rights in regards to women as well as the education of the public to this issue, it is likely that there will come a time when women and men can be equally represented in these disciplines. The importance of studying the gender gap between men and women in STEM is to learn how to confront gender biases in these fields. Conclusive evidence has shown that diversity in science will likely yield positive results. Findings from the Journal of the Royal Society Interface state that:

The field that I plan to go in to is neurosurgery and I believe that if I attend your institution that it will be a major stepping-stone towards my ultimate goal. Neurosurgery is a field that takes an immense amount of skill, patience and remarkable leadership skills. Even now, life is shaping me to become one of the best surgeons in my field. My position as a captain in the marching band and president of my church's youth group has provided me with the knowledge that helped me to become a better leader and to gain patience when things do not go as planned.

The license plate of New Hampshire reads “Live Free or Die” Undoubtedly, this refers to the revolutionary cry for liberation from repressive outside forces. A more benefiting interpretation for me, though, would imply a deliverance from the restraining abusively restrictive nature of ignorance.

51 percent of the United States is female but only 34.4 percent of doctors are women. While 90.4 percent of nurses are female (“Women in Medicine”; “Male Nurses Becoming”), the women who do become doctors earn an astounding 25 percent less than their male counterparts (Groves). These staggering figures are only a single piece in the larger overall lack of women in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which has remained prevalent since the beginning of these fields. Although women are underrepresented in these STEM fields, this is not due to ineptitude, but instead it is a result of the force of societal stereotypes coupled with their wider range of abilities. The recent increase in women’s association with STEM seems

My neurosurgeon, husband, daughter, and I agreed to a plan. On February 18, he will be removing the right side of my hardware from my skull down to C-2/3 where he will saw the rod in half and leave the rest of my fusion. The right side of my fusion has failed. While removing the fusion, he will be taking four screws out of my brain and one out of my neck. My fusion was placed nine years and two months ago; therefore, it has been in my body for a long time. He is leaving in the left side of my fusion, which is from my skull to C-5 because my neck is not stable enough without it. After he removes the titanium hardware, he will be taking a cadaver bone as well as removing bone marrow from my hip to rebuild my skull. He has to cut down the

Women have struggled in establishing their rightful place in the STEM environment because of this image of a family where the mother is the chief caretaker of the children. Society believes that a woman’s first priority

I’ve always believed that women should have the same opportunities as men and can be just as successful leaders in society. I briefly looked into the military, took the ASVAB entrance exam and considered becoming a deployed doctor; however, I realized my passion lies within something else. Engineering and science, two programs that mostly consist of men, has become what I strive for. Within the past couple weeks I was able to shadow and work in the lab with several Sanford Hospital researchers and I found that although women are less represented in the science/engineering field, we can still achieve the same potential that any man

The stated prerogative is to introduce slow yet lasting change and to integrate more women and people of color within the STEM field; however, the plan for change, and the reason for its perceived need to be slow is nowhere addressed; , suggesting that it is rather the reluctance of men to relinquish control and allow feminization of the field (Tepperman and Curtis, 2012). Reports of these initiatives claim to be struggling struggle in attracting and keeping women within the STEM field. Yet by shifting the blame on women, the inaction taken by scientific institutions to reform the patriarchal ideals dominating the scientific realm is justified (Tepperman and Curtis, 2012). In addition, the economic paradigm that western society is built around is one that necessitates inequality to function. The Neoliberal welfare is instrumental in constructing gender

As a neurosurgeon, the profession asks for a lot of time and training to become a specialist of the field. “Sarah” B. MD, currently practice neurosurgery at Maimonides Medical Center, New York Methodist Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine located around New York City. Sarah B. attended University of Pennsylvania and graduated with Bachelor Degree in Biological Basis of Behavior. She later attended one of the most prestigious medical school, John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. After graduating John Hopkin, Dr. Sarah B. began her residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center and finished after 5 years. To specialize in spine surgery, Dr. Sarah B. went on to complete fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Sarah joined

Shadowing the surgeons has given me a hands-on perspective of surgery and has evoked a desire to pursue neurosurgery. Volunteering at the hospital has evoked in me a fondness for the environment present at hospitals and for the care and hospitality that pervades those facilities, an environment that I want to be a part of in the future as a surgeon. The experience at Baylor—the interactions with patients and their stories and the positive atmosphere established by the nurses, doctors, and staff—prompted me to reconsider research as a career path, which I chose to drop in favor of the overwhelming desire to be in a hospital environment and provide care through neurosurgery. Attestments to my natural tendency to care and assist, by my friends and family, further motivated me to seek a career in

Many institutions nowadays are trying to hire more female scientists and engineers. But it isn't as simple as that, cultural and religious misogynist beliefs stand in the way of women in STEM professions. Society can benefit greatly from a larger percent of women in STEM fields, it can increase the safety of civilians; therefore including more women in STEM is not only important to women, but the general public as

The leading donated charity was toward the ALS Association which supports animal testing. Several agreed that the association’s seemingly ineffective experiments are cruel. A significant amount of the donations for research funding are spent on developing “gene models” to help understand how certain gene mutations can lead to ALS. These gene models include cells, worms (nematodes), flies, fish, mice, rats, and stem cells. The problem in this method is that they need to use gene models that have human characteristics of the disease and specific gene mutations. For example, ideally they use a naturally occurring dog model that carries the mutation SOD1, a gene that “provides instructions for making an enzyme called superoxide dismutase, which is abundant in cells throughout

It is my belief that life is a constant process of self-transcendence and an attempt to arrive at new heights. In this quest for personal fulfillment, and the beginning of every single day constitutes a new starting point for me. With this belief, I have made important achievements throughout my life. I have forced myself to embark on a new journey of challenges. My objective for graduate studies in Craniofacial Health Sciences is to prepare myself for the long-term goal of pursuing a career of teaching and research. In the pursuit of Knowledge, I have always adopted a rigorous approach in order to attain an in-depth understanding of the subject at hand. This has amply reflected in my consistently brilliant career.

S.T.E.M FEAR can be defined as the unpleasant emotions which deter an individual from engaging in activities in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering or Math. S.T.E.M. fear is believed to be one of the main causes of the gender disparity seen in STEM careers worldwide. This discrepancy has become a rising concern in the USA where woman account for half (50.8%) of the entire population. Studies show that although women currently account for half the population, their presences in STEM fields are minimal. Therefore, articles such as “Letting girls speak about science” and “The Impact of Robot Projects on Girls’ Attitudes toward Science and Engineering,” attempt to bring understanding to what factors contribute to the gender gap.