Posts

April

As we enter the concluding phase of the semester, I am excited for what the next step in life has in store for me. April was spent largely working on my thesis from home due to the coronavirus.  I had the chance to really go into depth on the papers I was reviewing and critically evaluate the data presented to make conclusive remarks on what the paper was communicating. This is a skill I have been wanting to really practice and develop since undergrad, so it was a fulfilling month. The AMCAS application cycle for medical schools will be opening in the next 10 days so I have been preparing for its launch, and getting my materials together. On the volunteering front, I have continued to teach high school students in the LA-HOSA program about public speaking, parliamentary procedure, and start a new segment on understanding the coronavirus and what it means for us as prospective health professionals. On the personal front, I have been running a lot more than I have been in past months
Post a Comment
Read more

March

March has been an emotional rollercoaster kind of month. With the canceling of classes and moving online, I have had a plethora of time to work on my thesis. I was nervous about getting it done, but being able to review all the material I learned throughout the year and putting into a specific context helped me appreciate and learn the material better. On the volunteer front, I had a great time volunteering at the LA HOSA state conference where I got to train the state officers for public speaking. It was great being involved with students and gave me a whole new appreciation for the healthcare system here. On the personal front, quarantining during this pandemic has been stressful. Not being able to go out an do regular activities was doable for about 14 days but the third week has been the hardest. With the lack of a gym, all I could do is run so I have been doing that excessively. total miles run in New Orleans= 281.9
Post a Comment
Read more

Feburary

February has been a very interesting month in the city of New Orleans. Mardi Gras was a great deal of fun, however I was very concerned about the vast amounts of plastic and litter that lined the streets following the parade. As an avid runner, the cleanliness of the streets is an important factor for me not only for aesthetic sense, but I am very scared of sliding on some forgotten beads and breaking some bones. I was also concerned by the vast amount of plastic needed to produce beads for the parades. If an eco- friendly material can be used instead, I think Mardi Gras will become a holiday of the future. On a separate note, the masters of pharmacology program has continued to be great. I enjoyed augmenting my knowledge of neuropharmacology after spending 4 years on it during undergraduate studies at Rutgers University. I enjoyed making new connections to the material taught to us and integrating the material I learned previously. Volunteering has also been a great joy for me thi
Post a Comment
Read more

January

January has been a tough month in the crescent city. Adjusting to the class schedule was a challenge after a winter break of inconsistent sleep cycles. The endocrine and reproductive module were were interesting however, and it was time to start really working on the thesis, which related heavily to the endocrine module we were going over in lecture. So naturally, I started researching and writing my thesis based on the backbone of what I was learning in class. In addition, I formed a thesis committee, and narrowed down my thesis to the contribution of genetics, inflammation, and hormones on the pathophysiology of Lipedema, a hormonal fat disorder. On the volunteering front, I have completed 12 hours due to two training sessions I attended in Baton Rouge   to help Louisiana HOSA students prepare for a state confrere in March. There is also an opportunity with this organization to attend a Pelicans game in March to meet with some of the sports physicians as well as the players! I look
Post a Comment
Read more

December

December was a great month in the Pharmacology Masters program. The winter banquet was very fun and it was interesting interacting with professors beyond class hours. I really liked the cancer module in medical pharmacology though there were many drugs to memorize. I learned a great deal while working in lab, improving my PCR techniques and cell culture knowledge. In addition, I really enjoyed doing my 6 community service hours. I have been working with LA HOSA in training the state officers elected to the program and planning for the State Leadership Conference. I also was able to get involved with the Louisiana Department of Public Health which is a partner of LA HOSA in a program targeting secondary and post-secondary students to make a difference within their communities. I look forward to working more with LA HOSA and the LDPH in the months to come. I will be traveling to Baton Rouge this Saturday-Sunday to help train the state officers in person and help set up for the State Lead
Post a Comment
Read more

November

November was a really interesting month in terms of the Pharmacology program. I learned a great deal in the Cardiovascular module as well as the Renal/Pulmonary module. The team based learning exercise for the cardiovascular chapter was one of the coolest things I had the chance to participate in and it really put into perspective what we were learning in class. This month has also been interesting in the laboratory. I am working with a post-doctoral graduate and other students on a Lipidema project which has been giving me chances to practice my in-vitro techniques that I learned about in class. I ran my first Real Time PCR a few days ago and will doing more cell culture work in the future. However, my experience in the past has been predominantly in-vivo , so I am excited to be working with animals again next semester. On the volunteering front, I got more involved with Louisiana HOSA: Future Health Professionals this month. I talked to a few of the state offices as well as past s
Post a Comment
Read more

October

October has been a fun month. It took the majority of September to get into the mindset of being a student again. Pharmacology classes have become very interesting, especially with the new material on cardiology that I never went over in undergraduate classes. I find myself doing well in class and often look forward to studying an interesting topic. I also joined a lab this month to work on stem cell research, because I believe stem cells might be the future of medicine. From what I learned in class, its potential is something that will probably be explored more and more in the coming decades, and I really thought getting some practice working with them during this program would be an advantageous skill to have going forward. I have been learning in- vitro techniques so far since the majority of my past research has been in- vivo. On the volunteering side of things, I reached out to an organization I had been a part of for the past decade- HOSA: Future Health Professional's Louis
Post a Comment
Read more