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 state officers on what areas they believe we should work on to enhance the program this year. I will be helping prepare for the state leadership conference in March by going over parliamentary procedure skills, public speaking skills and the basics of marketing HOSA as an organization. In addition, I will be getting in contact with a LA Department of Public Health Official this week to see how I can help kick off a program that is being run in partnership with HOSA and get Tulane Undergraduate Students involved.

On a personal front, it has been a great month for running. I ran my first half- marathon and have been slowly ramping up my exercise intensity. I finished the month with 105 miles run. I will be shooting for 110 in the month of December. I have also been listening to a great deal of country music while running, and it really has been growing on me.

Total Community Service Hours Complete: 8

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
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
Read more

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
Read more