To NIH and Back Again

The NIH Clinical Hospital: Every patient is on a research protocol

I recently made a brief journey to the National Institutes of Health for what I believe qualifies as my first-ever business trip! That is, if you consider a 'business trip' to be one that is both mandated and paid for by your employer. It was an incredible trip. I met nearly 100 other medical students also taking a year "off" from school to do research. They represented an incredible range of schools and interests. I took a chance by going to a neurology networking lunch one afternoon, and was invited to do an elective at NIH next year by one of the physicians there! Wow. We also attended presentations about residency selection, balancing a clinical practice with a research career, finding funding, and dealing with student loans.

The keynote speakers were very famous people -- Francis Collins (NIH director, working on aging), Anthony Fauci (he and his PI essentially discovered the treatment for Wegner's granulomatosis and his lab went on to develop AZT, the first antiretroviral, discovered much of the natural history of HIV/AIDS, and convinced three presidents to fund AIDS interventions in Africa), and Marston Linehan, whose lab is responsible for discovering the basic pathways of kidney cancer AND creating new techniques to vastly extend life in patients with kidney cancer. I was in awe that such brilliant people were also such good speakers and seemed very personable. They encouraged us to take over from them in the next generation. What shoes to fill!

Building 50: My Old Lab!

We were housed at the Hyatt in Bethesda -- my roommate was a wonderful person who studies colon cancer risk decisions and wants to be a rural family medicine doctor. I was very glad to have met her. I also reunited with medical students I had met on the interview trail years ago, but had gone somewhere else. There was not too much time to socialize except for the meals --  which were delicious and plentiful. I was very grateful that NIH had organized the weekend for those of us funded through NIH student grants (of which there are many). Bethesda was beautiful in October -- crisp air, deep blue skies, fluffy clouds, and trees just beginning to change. I very much enjoyed being back there after four years away. It was over so soon.

Trees Changing Color at NIH

I flew home and found, to my surprise, that I was sitting next to two medical students from Yale, a year my junior, going to a surgical conference in the Bay Area! We spoke at great length about the Bay Area and medicine versus surgery. We called our little area of the plane 'Medical Student Row,' and were continually being visited by other students on board who were also attending the same conference.

Cat in a Bag

NIH or no NIH, however, there is no place like home. My sweet cat had been moping around, according to B, but she was perky when I arrived, and we found her contently chewing on a receipt in a brown paper bag that evening.

Cactus and Aloe in Window Silhouette

Exam Rose!

Our plants were looking wonderful, the rose B had given me to cheer me up was still in bloom -- and this reminds me that now, and for the next month or so, you will please forgive me if you hear very little from me. I must somehow gear up for all the examinating that lies ahead. There are now only 18 days between myself and Step 2 CK.