This is a general overview of how I'll be spending my time working with my mentor:
October 1. Understanding the basic physiology of hypertriglyceridemia November 2. Understanding the basic physiology of pancreatitis 3. Learning basic statistics necessary for study design December 4. Completing the Online CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Course) for Research January 5. Completing HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) training on privacy of medical records February 6. Preparing Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposal to study Hypertriglyceridemia induced pancreatitis March 7. Designing data collection instrument April 8. Collecting study data from electronic medical record 9. Analyzing data May 10. Preparing abstract/poster of results I've definitely got my work cut out for me but I'm incredibly excited to be working on this project!
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Trip Date: September 27th
On my first trip to meet my mentor I got lost no fewer than three times. At first the GPS was conspiring against me and Mr. C (who was driving me), then we couldn't find the building, and finally the signs were telling us conflicting information as to what floor my mentors office was on. Despite all this we made it with 3 minutes to spare. I finally met my mentor, Dr. S, and we got down to business about what my research with him would entail. Dr. S asked me, "What do you know about the pancreas?" I quickly recounted what I knew from endless hours of watching Grey's Anatomy, "It produces insulin in order to regulate blood sugar levels, especially after we eat." He then briefly explained what pancreatitis was. "Do you know what triglycerides are?" he asked. "Yes, if I recall correctly those are fat molecules." He then briefly explained hypertriglyceridemia. We went back and forth like that for awhile, Dr. S. asking me questions that I'd be much more capable of answering if I were in med school and me responding as best I could. Then he mentioned the word statistics and my heart froze, I've never taken statistics but I've also never been a quitter. So I smiled and said, "I'm excited to learn," which was, and still is, true. After the mini interview so he could get a grasp of my knowledge we went over some logistics and finally talked about the timeline for my project which I'll go into more detail about in my next post! I have wanted to be doctor my entire life. "Why?" you may ask. The short answer is I love science and I love helping people. What better way to combine those two than to become a doctor? That way I can use my scientific knowledge to make other people’s lives better. Now they tend not to let high school students practice medicine, luckily I found the next best thing. That thing is what this blog will be all about. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a research program where high school students at my school are matched with people involved in STEM in the community. The mentor I was matched with is a brilliant doctor. I'm beyond excited to begin, and lucky for you, you can see my progress by following this blog!
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Michaela BentonI'm lucky enough to go to this amazing school that has this amazing program that lets me learn amazing things. Archives
December 2017
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