Some Exprience

Hello All,

I know my posts have been far and in between but that's a good thing because it reflects how busy I have been! As for this post, I don't even know where to begin...Wayyyyy too many things to talk about. UCSF is most probably the greatest resource for medical exposure that I've ever had; I cannot tell you about how many seminars, conferences, and presentations that I have seen or done. Not to mention that I am spending enormous amounts of time with world renowned faculty in the field or neurosurgery and neurosurgical research. The best part is that I'm not just a student who is just observing everything, I have a level of active involvement in everything I do, which is what makes this experience so profound and enriching.

In terms of my lab work, I have gained exponentially on an intellectual, social, and professional level. I have carved out a niche in the lab based on my primary interests in research. Carving out an area of interest has really helped me focus on improving my understanding and participation in the projects of this lab. I focus on the brain tumor research projects specifically in chemotherapeutic drug delivery via CED. Focusing has allowed me to learn a tremendous amount about brain tumor biology, etiology, and pathophysiology. One thing I've learned in research is that there is a tremendous amount of knowledge out there and it's simply not possible to learn it all, and a successful physician-scientist specializes on an area of research in which he/she can focus their expertise to produce results. So far, this approach has allowed our lab to produce over 20 publication per year, which is RIDICULOUS! The pace of our progress also allows us to get our newer techniques translated at a faster pace. Thus, if we find a superior Topo I or II (or combination) inhibitor that works well to destroy brain tumors, you can bet that clinical trials will begin within that year or early next year. Our Parkinsonian research has made the most progress, as we have seen real regeneration of dopaminergic neurons, which is revolutionary; maybe, after exploring brain tumors I'll venture into that field as well.

Recently, I attended a very cool Neurosurgical grand rounds at Parnassus. It was cool to see how attendings would review cases with residents in order to instill a certain mindset or train of logic within these future neurosurgeons. I can already see that being a neurosurgeon requires a lot of critical thinking in how to approach a specific neurological problem, as there are many approaches and a surgeon must choose the best on for their respective patient. The best procedure depends on the context of which the patient's pathology presents itself, which is why I suppose Transphenoidal Pituitary Adenomas require a high level of skill and analysis. I wish I could go into more specifics, but I understood very little of what was going on. The field of neurosurgery, especially on the clinical level, requires a lot of specialized and in-depth knowledge of brain anatomy and pathophysiology. However, this high level of knowledge and stimulation is why I love the field so much!! It's something I can see myself doing everyday for the next 30-50 years of my life. Hopefully, with a few more conferences I'll be able to understand cases in more detail.

I suppose the most intellectually stimulating part of my internship/job is reviewing papers and attending the weekly journal club. My P.I. makes me read a few papers every week so i can progressively increase my understanding of the research being done at the lab. After I read papers that our lab has published, he would sit with me for an hour or more to review my understanding and fill in any gaps that I have; the value of this process is something I cannot even describe. Having someone of great knowledge sit with you and help you develop your understanding and comprehension of science is indescribable. My analytical thinking and comprehension of what is occurring around me has increased exponentially. I can recognize concepts, and understand the significance of data and results. Also, I participate in journal club which further increases my understanding and involvement within the lab.

In journal club, each week a post-doc must read and paper and complete a presentation on that paper. This forces the person making the presentation to be familiar with everything within that paper and understand it so they can explain it to the rest of the lab. This process is invaluable because it forces you to master the knowledge presented within that paper. You're understanding must be so great that you should be able to answer questions related to that paper from post-docs or P.I.s. This paper review process has allowed me to make papers and lab research a part my persona, which I can use to further my development as an academic neurosurgeon.

In the upcoming weeks, I'll be shadowing one of the only UCSF neurointerventional radiologists so I'll keep you posted on that. Also, I'll be able to observe our monkey infusions which is very interesting because it's the closest model to a human that we have. We use monkeys mainly to develop the next generation of CED technology that can be transferred to the clinic in the near future.

Salaaam!!