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A happy accident

When I entered medical school I knew that research was something that many students participated in.  Certainly many of them had extensive experience in research prior to even entering medical school.  In addition, I knew that I was going to be among incredibly intelligent students, of whom had aced their coursework and earned top scores on their MCAT.  I was going to be surrounded by smart and ambitious individuals who had always been at the top of their classes, which I knew came easily to some of them.  I however, was not that student entering medical school.  I was non-traditional spending 5 years working between undergrad and medical school.  I had very little exposure to research, and did not have top MCAT scores.  Furthermore, book smarts and taking tests did not come as easily to me.  I had to put in many more hours of studying to keep up with my classmates.

So when I entered medical school, I saw the steep climb up that medical knowledge mountain from far off, and was preparing to spill blood sweat and tears getting up it.  I entered insanely motivated to give medical school everything I had in order to keep up and pass tests so I could become a doctor.  In other words, to me medical school was the olympics, and I was ready for the rigorous training required to succeed.  I still remember my first month in classes.  I had plenty of friends, but didn’t spend very much time outside of studying with them.  I was either in class or in a study room.  When that first test came around I knew that was the moment that would determine if I was capable of success or not.  So when scores were released for the Foundations 1 exam, I went to my room alone as I had done when my MCAT scores were released, and I opened my vitals link to my score.  Holding my breath, and saying a prayer, I looked at my score.  An 85%!!!!  Not only had I passed getting over 70%, but I had far exceeded my own expectations!  I leapt from my bed and did a happy dance.  I would have been happy with a 71%, knowing I could do the minimum, but an 85%!!!  I sat there in my room and praised God for His faithfulness in bringing me through this first test, knowing that it was by his grace that I had mad it in in the first place.

From that point on, I started to gain the confidence that inspired my success academically in medical school.  Knowing that God had given me the ability to perform at a high academic level like this, was amazing.  Eventually as my ability to study and take exams improved, by the grace of God I was able to honor several of my blocks, perform at the 95th percentile on STEP1, and gain acceptance into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society.  These were achievements that upon entering medical school, I never would have thought I was capable of.

Step 1: 251; Step 2: 261

Honors: MSK, UPWP, UPRSN, UPSMN

CEO: Demonstrate a broad working knowledge of the fundamental science, principles, and processes basic to the practice of medicine and apply this knowledge in a judicious and consistent manner to prevent common health problems and achieve effective and safe patient care.

 

During my first year of medical school, I also had the opportunity to get involved with an incredible basic science lab, but this too was completely unexpected.  While at the Connor Senn Sudden Cardiac Death symposium here at Ohio State, I was talking with Dr. Curt Daniels about my interest in arrhythmia research.  You see, my youngest brother had suffered from sudden cardiac arrest just 4 years prior, was resuscitated, and was later diagnosed with Brugada syndrome.  Because of this diagnosis and my brother’s positive genetic testing, myself and the rest of my family had to become tested as well.  This entire experience sparked an interest for me to learn more about the genetic cause of Brugada and other like-arrhythmias.  Dr. Daniels quickly introduced me to Dr. Peter Mohler who encouraged me to meet with him sometime after the symposium.  At this meeting, I was forthcoming about my complete lack of experience in basic science research, having never been exposed to it before.  Before I even had a chance to explain my commitment to learning and enthusiasm that would motivate my dedication to the lab, Dr. Mohler replied “ok lets get you going with a project then”.  I was ready to explain why I would be a good mentee and a good investment for the lab, but to my surprise Dr. Mohler was ready to hit the ground running despite my lack of experience.

To say that my time in Dr. Mohler’s lab in the last 4.5 years has been incredible is an understatement.  Since our first meeting I have been on 4 publications, presented posters at 5 meetings including a national American Heart Association meeting, and am currently writing a first author manuscript on a project that I have been working on for the last 1.5 years.  I completed a research fellowship with Dr. Mohler’s lab, working directly with Dr. Mohler to design and execute a project on characterization of an unknown arrhythmia and its pathogenicity as it relates to a genetic variant found in a proband who suffered sudden cardiac arrest.  This project included techniques and experiments from molecular, biochemistry, cell biology, and animal physiology in order to understand how a particular variant may have affected gene expression, protein expression, cell function, and ultimately cardiomyocyte physiology.  Moreover, I had weekly discussions with Dr. Mohler on project strategy, decide what questions we felt were important to answer, and collaborate with multiple scientists to gather the data we would need.  I was put in a position to prepare for a career in academic medicine with a strong research component.  This experience was what I call a “happy accident”, because before entering medical school I never imagined doing basic science or at the very least taking a full year off to complete a research fellowship.  However this experience has absolutely shaped the way that I think critically about my patients and how to deliver the best care possible in an informative and ethical manner.

Link to research video highlighting my project at OSUWMC Trainee Research Day:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BykQep7FYP3QanF1cWpjRl9WaVE

Me with my poster at AHA Scientific Sessions in Orlando FL in 2015

Link to a book chapter that I wrote with Dr. Mohler on animal models in arrhythmia: 

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-7091-1883-2_63

Landacre Honor Society Indiction Certificate:

 

CEO: Understand the clinical relevance of scientific inquiry and demonstrate the ability to evaluate emerging knowledge and research as it applies to diagnosis, treatment and the prevention of disease.