Emory MedLife: Service Learning Trip

 

Come to Emory informational meeting and gain clinical experience through this virtual service learning opportunity with Medlife on February 2 at 9pm EST. Join them here!

Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Diseases

 

The Atlanta Center for Dermatologic Diseases is looking to hire new Medical Assistants. Pre-med and pre-PA students are welcome to apply and can forward information to the practice manager, Wendy Mark at 770-751-1433 or wmark@atlcenterforderm.com

Lane Laboratory - Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

The Lane laboratory at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is looking to hire a full-time research technologist to start in early spring 2021. Our lab seeks to understand the cellular, molecular, and immunological mechanisms underlying upper airway inflammation and olfactory loss, with specific focuses on chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and COVID-19. Ongoing projects include studying epithelium susceptibility and smell loss in COVID-19, developing sinonasal organoid models, characterizing mouse models of airway inflammation, and analyzing epithelium-immune system crosstalk. 

The research technologist will primarily be responsible for processing patient tissue samples and maintaining cell culture, but are encouraged to assist with ongoing projects. Other duties include conducting experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and managing lab inventory. Previous Lane lab technologists have co-authored research papers and have matriculated to top medical and graduate schools.  

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent is a minimum requirement, and previous research experience is highly recommended. An ideal applicant should be able to work independently and as part of a team, be self-motivated and organized, and have excellent communication skills.  

Interested applicants should go to https://jobs.jhu.edu/ and apply to job req #46439. Applicants should attach a resume and a cover letter describing their motivations for joining the Lane Lab and any previous experiences that have prepared them for this position. We look forward to hearing from you!  

 

Surgical Assistant - Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

 

Surgical Assistant -  Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

North Atlanta Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (https://naoms.net/) 

Estimated Hours/Week:  30-40

Hours and Location of Operation:

Monday, Wednesday 7:30 (IF 8 AM Surgery) 8:30 (IF 9 AM Surgery) - 5:00 and Friday 7:30 - 3:00 à 2555 Westside Parkway Alpharetta, Ga. 30004

Tuesday and Thursday 7:30 AM (if 8 AM Surgery) 8:30 (IF 9 AM Surgery) - 5:00 à 3275 Market Place Blvd Suite 175. Cumming, Ga. 30041

Daily START/END times will vary dependent on surgical schedule.

Job Purpose:

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. Help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments. Recover patients following procedures by monitoring vital signs. Provide assistance during operations by retrieving instruments and other materials. Help set up operating room, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants. Check in patients, organize paperwork, and scan documents at the front desk during consultation appointments. Assist in x-rays and other consultation office procedures.

Responsibilities:      

·  Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.

·  Hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.

·  Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.

·  Wash and sterilize equipment using germicides and sterilizers.

·  Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.

·  Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.

·  Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, and diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.

·  Prepare, care for and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.

·  Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses and anesthesiologists.

·  Additional tasks may be required of this position that are not mentioned above.

·       Take and develop panoramic X-rays

·       Review and explain informed consents to patients.

·       Review pre and post-operative instructions with patients.

Work Requirements:

Requires standing, Requires repetitive movement, Requires bending or twisting, Requires using hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls, Requires contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise), Includes exposure to contaminants, Includes exposure to radiation, Includes exposure to disease or infections, Requires work with others in a group or team, Requires wearing common protective or safety equipment, Requires working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions

Work Activities:

·  Performing General Physical Activities

·  Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

·  Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

·  Getting Information

·  Documenting/Recording Information

·  Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

·  Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

·  Prepare supplies or equipment for surgery

·  Hand instruments or materials to doctor

·  Take vital signs

Education and Experience-Suggested/Not Required

Years of Experience:  No less than 1 year in a surgical setting

Education:   Bachelor’s Degree

Degree or Formal Training:  American Board of Surgical Assistants

License, Certificate or Registration:   CPR certified

Knowledge

Required:

·  English Language

·  Medicine and Dentistry

Tools

Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products

Electrosurgical monitors

If interested in applying, please email a resume and cover letter to contactus@naoms.net.

Volunteer Emory: Join Staff

 

Volunteer Emory Staff Applications are now open! We are looking for civically and community engaged leaders who are passionate about social justice to be a part of our team. Applications are ONLY open to first and second-year students. In order to apply, you MUST attend ONE info session to learn about what it means to be on staff. Info sessions will be held virtually and Zoom links can be found within the application.

 

We recognize that there will be time zone and other conflicts, so we have pre-recorded an info session to accommodate these conflicts. Please email Chloe Camp at chloe.camp@emory.edu to request this video but only if you cannot attend one of the two live sessions. Applications are due at 11:59 EST on February 15th. We cannot wait to read your applications!

Use this link to access the application: http://bit.ly/VEstaffapp 

Emory Career Center Virtual Spring Career Fair

The Emory Career Center is looking forward to virtually seeing you this semester and helping you to find full-time, internship, and other career opportunities. This email is a friendly reminder that student registration opens this Sunday, Jan. 24 at 12pm EST for the Spring Career Fair and Hire Us.

Once registration opens, you must sign up for one-on-one or group sessions to meet with employers. Slots are first come, first served. Continually check Handshake as additional one-on-one or group sessions may be added. Not all employers will have their schedules open and finalized by Sunday, January 24th when student registration opens. 

Employer registration is still open for both events. Continually check Handshake for additional employers and opportunities to be added. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with dozens of employers interested in hiring you for internship, full-time & part-time opportunities!

Patient Care & Optometric Technician Position

 

Patient Care & Optometric Technician

We are a private independent Optometry practice looking to hire a full or part time Pre-Health or Pre-Optometry student as a technician/pre-tester who will also cross train in front desk/admin work. We previously hired 3 pre-health students from Georgia Tech & The University of Georgia. One student has gone on to Optometry school and 2 that are currently in Physician Assistant school. We enjoyed having them in our office. 

Since those staff members have moved on to further their education, we are looking to hire 1-2 more additional pre-health/pre-optometry students. This is a paid position, and we are willing to be flexible with school schedules. Please see job responsibilities below. 

Responsibilities;

*Perform testing such as visual field screening, Lipoflow, OCT, Optomap, Autorefraction, NCT, and take blood pressure.

*Gather information about patient's visual history

*EMR charting using OfficeMate

*Assist the Optometrist as needed

*Collect Demographic Information

*Schedule Appointments

*Check patients In/Out

*Verify & File Vision Insurance Claims

*Answer Multi-Line Phones

*Greet Patients with a Smile!

 

Please send your resume to the Office Manager, Rebekah Diaz, via email at Rebekah.insighteyecare@yahoo.com . Please do not contact the office via phone. 

ISSS Virtual Events

International Coffee Hour

ISSS is excited to partner with the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life to take our popular International Coffee Hour online! Join us Fridays from noon-1pm Eastern beginning January 29th for virtual connection, conversation and community.

Join us on Zoom!

For security purposes, please log in with your Emory credentials. 

Life in the U.S. as an International Student

All international students are invited to this workshop to discuss adapting to life in the U.S. as an international student. ISSS staff and an international student panel will share tips for successfully navigating a new culture, campus, and town. Get the advice you need and make new friends.

Undergraduate student session: February 5, 2-3 pm Eastern
Graduate/professional student session: February 5, 3:30 - 4:30 pm Eastern.
Register by February 3rd!
Zoom details will be emailed to registrants.

Lunar New Year Celebration

ISSS invites you to February's Global Community Connections event, which is a Lunar New Year Celebration. Come learn how Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world, try to win a prize during the trivia game and learn how to cook traditional cuisine!

February 12: 3-4 pm Eastern
Please register by February 10.
Zoom details will be emailed to registrants.

Week in the Life of an SHPEP Scholar

 

The Doctor Is In: Volume XI

 

The Tale of a Guinea Pig -1.29.2021

The first use of “guinea pig” as “human subject of an experiment,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was in 1913, when George Bernard Shaw decried “the … folly which sees in the child nothing more than the vivisector sees in a guinea pig: something to experiment on with a view to rearranging the world.”

At the time, actual guinea pigs were in the height of their popularity as research subjects. The animals, a laboratory staple through the 19th and early 20th centuries, played a role in medical breakthroughs ranging from the discovery of vitamin C to the development of Pap smears. In the mid-1900s, guinea pigs began to fall out of use, replaced by rats and mice. Over time, the term “guinea pig” in a lab context became more strongly associated with people—for better or for worse.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/09/life-of-a-professional-guinea-pig/406018/

 

You know me as Dr. Batisky, executive director of Pre-Health Advising in the College, Professor of Pediatrics and Small Group Advisor in the School of Medicine, and pediatric nephrologist at CHOA.  I wear a few other hats at the moment, and I have also had various research experiences across my career in basic science labs, clinical trials, registries and even qualitative studies.  But one of my more recent roles allows me to hold the title of ‘Human Guinea Pig’, AKA clinical trials subject.

I am currently enrolled in the Moderna SARS-CoV2 phase III study to establish efficacy and safety of the newly developed mRNA vaccine to protect from COVID-19.  As a pediatrician, I have long understood the value of vaccines to prevent various childhood illnesses, and as a clinician currently practicing in the midst of a global pandemic, I know of the importance of developing new ones.  In my personal clinical experience I also understand the value of the public health initiatives such as masking, handwashing and social distancing.  While I have seen a number of COVID-19 positive patients in the last year, I am not truly on the front lines like an Emergency Medicine physician or Trauma Surgeon, yet I felt the need to pitch in any way I could. 

When I heard that the Moderna phase III study was recruiting for subjects, I quickly volunteered to participate.  I waited for a call, got through the phone screen and went in to have an in person study visit.  I read through a several page, complex and frankly somewhat intimidating consent form.  I realized what that must be like to read without the education and insights that I had. It’s the first time I had been on the giving end of the informed consent process, and it’s the first time that I had willfully offered to participate in a clinical trial.  I reflected on the trust that a subject places into the hands of the research staff – both PI and study coordinator – and I also gained insight as to how that trust might not only be broken, but how hard it would be to overcome breaches of that trust.  And of course, there are the practical unpleasant aspects of the trial – time spent waiting, needles, blood draws, watching for side effects, keeping logs. 

The way this study worked, I went for the first in person study visit, which took close to three hours.  After discussing and signing the consent form, I had an exam, a nasal swab, a blood draw (8-10 tubes!) and a first dose of vaccine (yes, a shot!).  This was a double-blind, placebo controlled study, meaning the study subject (me) and study staff (PI and coordinator) are unaware if I got the actual vaccine or the placebo (the ‘dummy’ vaccine, likely salt water, but still a shot!).  I was sent out, equipped with a ruler, a thermometer, and a newly downloaded app on my phone to track symptoms for a week.  I took my temp each day and recorded that as well.  Weekly I got phone calls.  And yes, they paid me for my time and effort.

A month later, I went back, the visit was shorter, but I had more testing – nasal swab, blood draw – and another shot, followed by similar follow-up procedures.  And in the meantime, I continued to maintain the public health guidance and being made fully aware that should I develop symptoms of illness or exposure to a COVID-19 patient, I would call the study team and assess whether or not a visit was warranted.

As the world awaited results of the early vaccine trials, the end of 2020 was drawing near.  Moderna submitted their data to the FDA in late December and received an EUA – Emergency Use Authorization.  Basically, since the vaccine showed promising effectiveness and an acceptable safety profile, it could be used given the dire circumstances of the global pandemic.  At that point, I had choices to make:  do I go out and just get a vaccine, given my status as a healthcare provider?  This was an option, given that clinical trial participation is always voluntary.  That seemed extreme.  I contacted the study staff and decided to await their guidance, and on January 6, 2021 I went to the study center to review the amended protocol.  I knew that I wanted to be ‘unblinded’, and I also knew that if I found out that day that I had gotten placebo, they would offer me the ‘real vaccine’.  So I took an early appointment, expecting to be there awhile and wore a short sleeve shirt.  I fully anticipated that I had gotten the placebo, given that I felt absolutely fine after both doses…and it is said that the second dose is more likely to result in side effects.

I arrived at 7:20a for my 7:30a appointment, reviewed and signed the consent form for the amended protocol, opted to be officially unblinded, while staying in the study as a participant.  I had another nasal swab and another blood draw.  And I anxiously waited as the study coordinator logged into the Moderna system, verified my identity, and pushed the unblinding button.  And then I found out that I had gotten the actual vaccine!  What a pleasant surprise, given that my second dose was given on September 14, 2020.  I remain in the study for another couple years, hoping that I can help answer the question about longer term safety and effectiveness.

Why did I do this?  I felt the need to ‘do something’ in the midst of this global pandemic.  I have gained some interesting insights in the process of a study from a different perspective, and I have gained empathy into why some people might mistrust science.  Yet, fully expected that I had gotten placebo, it amazed we that I had gotten through the two doses without symptoms.  And that reminded me of the adage that if we knew all the answers, there would be no need for research.

So, having an open mind, being willing to pitch in where you can, and reflecting on the experience has taught me more vital lessons.  Being a human guinea pig is not for everyone, but I found it helpful for the sake of pushing forward the agenda of science as well as enhancing my empathy – elements of which one could consider, according to George Bernard Shaw as ‘rearranging the world’.  That’s my tale, and I’m sticking to it!

Humans of Pre-Health Emory (HOPHE): Lydia Yang

 

Lydia Yang is a recent Emory College graduate (20C). We had a chance to sit down with Lydia and ask her a few questions about her pre-health journey.

Can you give an overview of your path in college, what you are doing now, what you plan to do in the future?

I recently graduated from Emory in 2020. I was a Human Health major and Sociology minor and also had a concentration in the business school in Health Innovation. After graduating, I retook the MCAT and I was trying to figure out what I would do in my gap year. So I have retaken the MCAT and am applying again, but what has taken up most of my time is I have been working as a business development analyst at a telemedicine startup company called Physician 360. This was a connection I made during my junior year of college. It was something I was doing on and off but now that I am no longer a student I have been able to dedicate a lot more time to it. In this position, it has been really interesting to learn about the intricacies of learning a business while giving me more understanding of businesses in the medical realm. I do a lot of customer service for this company as well so I like to say that I am practicing my bedside manner as well because I will have hour-long calls with patients who do not know how to use the internet. It has been a great way to practice my patience and bedside manner in general. 

The other thing I have been doing is I am now doing an Orise Fellowship in the CDC. I am working at the Center for Preparedness and Response. The unit I work for specifically, we focus on communicating information to clinicians throughout the United States, but we basically have an international audience. This is in the Department of Emergency Operations, so we have been spending a lot of time trying to communicate the most up-to-date information to clinicians specifically about COVID-19. This has been a lot of hosting webinars and working together to make sure clinicians throughout the US are informed with the most up-to-date information. This has given me more insight in the public health realm and working in such a big organization like the CDC has been very interesting. 

Now, most likely I will be going to University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine!

How was the application process for you?

When I applied the first time, I felt ready. This was my plan all along. I knew based off the stats, working at PHA, and talking to advisors, that applying straight through is definitely difficult just because applicants are getting older and people are getting more experience. But at the time I was confident I put my best foot forward and my application was complete. I interviewed but I ended up being put on the waitlist. It was definitely difficult because I had so much confidence and it made me check myself of where did I go wrong. I think that’s something that really helped me. Instead of taking it so harshly where I said, “Well being a doctor is not in the realm of possibilities anymore,” it definitely made me reflect on myself. It made me reflect on where I could improve moving forward. I did consider if I wanted to apply the next cycle or if I could benefit more from taking another year off. I looked at specific parts of my application like service, etc. to see if it was something I really needed to build up. Ultimately I talked with other people who had applied and I talked with my advisor Anil a lot. I think I had a unique situation where I think it was pretty easy to figure out what I could do to improve my application and that was taking the MCAT again to be transparent. I think also making sure I was in the right mindset to apply again. It had just been demanding and I had spent the last year applying so I had to consider if I had really focused on changing my application. I didn’t suddenly publish a paper, change my leadership activities, or change my grades. So I think this is something people should consider when considering applying again. Overall, I had heavy consideration on if applying the next cycle was the best thing for me and if I realistically changed my application in a way that was big enough that a new school would interview and accept me. This takes a lot of self-reflection and looking at yourself with a critical lens. I also talked it out with my family and advisor to figure out what should be my path. 

There shouldn’t be shame in trying again. Not everyone is going to succeed on their very first try. That’s natural. There is a lot of trial and error in medicine. As we’ve learned in COVID we learn new information and we change how we do it. That’s something we can do as applicants and as future doctors and nurses and dentists. No one is perfect the very first time they do it. Give yourself some cushion and forgiveness. Yes medical school applications are tough, but if you’re at Emory, you did it, you’re a good student. Everyone works hard and you’ll get to where you need to be. 

What was the most difficult part of your pre-health career?

For people that have not applied yet, the application process is rough. And I think everyone will agree with that it’s just a lot of waiting and having a lot of patience and hoping for the best. When I did not get in last year I was trying to be positive throughout the whole process but once it’s been a few months you have to keep your options open and still be positive. But I really thought it was challenging but good for me because it made me really think critically. “Ok you went through it once, it was really difficult, is this something you absolutely want to do again.” This is something that made me improve my application when I went through it the second time. 

There should not be any shame or stigma in not getting in the first time or applying again. I think it’s similar to the MCAT where sometimes you just don’t do the best the first time, but now you learn, reflect, move forward and learn something about yourself. It makes you a better candidate overall and a better physician. Applying and not getting in the first time was hard but it definitely made me a better candidate because I was able to think more critically on how I wanted to show myself differently as a candidate. It made me see how I was a unique candidate, so I embraced my passion for business more. 

Another thing that I think that was beneficial about my gap year was working in the real world and getting a breath of fresh air from school. No one’s life is exactly normal in the pandemic, but I think it’s a good break to take from worrying about upcoming assignments and midterms. You are able to come up with a consistent schedule, develop hobbies, and figure yourself out as a person rather than just a student. Again, this year is different because I’m living with my parents and I am not able to travel or go to restaurants like I normally would have. But this has been a great time to get a breather and give my brain time to recuperate. I am applying again, and I know medical school is a marathon. So taking a gap year allows you to improve as an applicant but also as a person. It cleanses your soul. 

Looking back on the application process and pre-med at school in general, what is something that you wish you had known that you think would have helped you?

It is really quality over quantity because it is really about how you can share your story. I think the people that are most successful in their application are the people that can really articulate what they gained from their experience. You can have 1000 hours of volunteering at a hospital. That’s great, but if you cannot reflect on it and you have no takeaways from it, was it really worth all those hours? Really focus on doing things that are quality to you, not just things that look like quality events on an application but things that really add to your perspective and change it. 

Don’t try to compare yourself to others. Every application is unique and trying to make your application as unique as possible will make your application successful. 

Hopefully, this reaches some first years but document everything that you can do. It can be such a pain when you are a junior, senior, or post-grad to record all the hours you did shadowing or volunteering. Make an excel sheet, that is what I would recommend. 

Also focus on the right type of resources. There can be a lot of toxic pre-med students or people in general. I think something you can do throughout all of college and applying is identifying people that drain you of energy and stay away from them. Find people that when you leave them they don’t drain you. You don’t feel that there is a competitive edge to always top people. I think this can be something hard to avoid especially at high performing institutions like Emory, but there are good people out there.

Are there certain people that you relied upon more throughout your journey?

I was really lucky to become so close to my advisor, and I relied upon him a lot. I also had a really solid group of friends, but I was also able to find a group that I was really able to study with. You can have your best friends but that doesn’t have to be the person you always study with or talk about applications with. Don’t put too much pressure on these relationships but find people that work well to study with. Sometimes I work best studying alone if I just need to get the content down. But with some of these harder classes like orgo or biochemistry, I found a small group of people. I emphasize small because if it gets larger than 4-5 it gets harder to be productive. But finding this group can serve as your support system. The people who you live with or spend most of your day with don’t have to be the same people you study with or complain about classes with or talk about your application with. I found a good support system and that’s pretty key. 

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I think something that has helped me a lot throughout this whole process, the successes and failures, is trying to keep an open mind and trying to compare myself and my journey to others and trying to better myself. Everything will work out in the long run. You can always look back and see that it makes sense you did something because it led you to this opportunity and this path, but while you’re living it, it may not seem that way. Trust your gut. If there is one failure here, that is just the world pushing you to another opportunity. 

St. George's University Info Session

 

Sidney Kimmel Medical College Info Sessions

Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University is hosting virtual info sessions. 

These sessions are a great chance for prospective students to get to know more about what SKMC looks for in an applicant as well as what a day in the life of an SKMC student is like. The Student Recruitment Coordinators will lead a student panel and give interested applicants the chance to ask questions about SKMC or medical school in general. There will also be a presentation given by the director and dean of admissions that is more tailored to the application process.

 

The information sessions will be held via zoom on the following dates:

1.         Friday, January 29th, 3-5 pm

2.         Saturday, February 27th, 11 am-1 pm

3.         Saturday, April 10th, 11 am-1 pm

 

Anyone interested can RSVP by sending an email to SKMC.infosessions@jefferson.edu with their name, contact information, and the date they would like to to attend.

Medical and Dental Brigade Applications Due Jan. 31

 

Be part of the largest student-led movement for global health! We are an international movement of students and medical professionals working alongside global communities to provide care and implement health systems sustainably. We are looking forward to adding new brigaders to our team and we would love for you to apply! If interested, we encourage you to fill out our application form before January 31st and reach out to us via our email (emory.gmb@gmail.com) with any questions.

Penn Pre-Health Programs

 

Humans of Pre-Health Emory (HOPHE): Dr. Fritz

 

Dr. Andreas Fritz, an associate professor in Emory University’s Department of Biology, currently teaches developmental biology at the undergraduate level. We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Fritz and ask her a few questions about her path to healthcare.

Can you talk about your academic background and what led you to your profession?

Sure. I went to the University of Basel in Switzerland where I grew up and I have to honestly say that at the end of high school, I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do. But in Switzerland, it works a little bit differently. Basically, you pick your major right away. You can go to the registrar's office or the equivalent of that and they have this big book of all the things they offer like History, French, English, Law,  Biology or Physics. You pick one and you get a timetable and it pretty much tells you from 8-10, you have this class or from 10 to 12, you have another. I was probably interested in science. My dad's a scientist so I ended up picking this major that was brand new called Biology 2. It was like all Modern Biology. So I took courses like genetics, cell biology, biophysics, and structural biology- no botany, no zoology. There was nothing you would classically think of as biology. Then in your last year, you work in the lab for like nine months and then you write a thesis. Once I started working in the lab, I liked that a lot. I was in a really nice lab with nice people and I got super lucky. I did some experiments and they all worked so I got to write a paper that was eventually published and the professor I was working with seemed to like me so he asked if I wanted to continue afterwards and do a PhD thesis with him. So, that was kind of my start. It wasn't really something that I knew I always wanted to do. I did my PhD and that went pretty cool. I still liked working in the lab and discovering stuff so I did a post-doc. There were some ups and downs. Some things didn't go so well but that's just how it is in science. But in the end, I decided to try and pursue an academic career. I applied for assistant professor jobs in various places and I got this job here at Emory in the Biology department. I have to honestly admit that I hadn't really thought that much about teaching before. I helped my professor as a grad student to TA some classes and then when I was a post-doc,  I supervised graduate students and some undergrads. However, I hadn't really taught a class like I'm doing now

So you left Switzerland after receiving the job at Emory?

Not quite. I went to school in Switzerland and I started my Ph.D. there. A few months after I started, my professor told me he had accepted a job offer at UCLA. It took awhile but eventually, I moved to continue working with him. So that was the first time I came to the states. I didn't switch schools but I did do the last two years of my Ph.D. at UCLA. I went back to Switzerland for a little while but then I wanted to do a postdoc doing developmental biology with zebrafish, specifically. I ended up going to Oregon for a postdoc to learn about zebrafish and start working there. At the time, and it still was still one of the major places where zebrafish research was being done. This was actually the school where a scientist developed zebrafish as a model system. And so, my wife is from the United States and I like living here so when it came time to apply for jobs, I mostly applied for jobs in the United States. We ended up in Atlanta. Neither one of us had ever been to Atlanta before. The only thing I know about Atlanta was that they had the Olympics there in 1996.

Ok, so what I got from earlier is that you kind of stumbled into developmental biology, in a way. Was there any key moment that settled it for you?

Well, I kind of liked it. I found it interesting when I took classes. But at some level, it was a little bit of luck. When I started working with that professor, he worked with Xenopus laevis as a model system. He studied nucleocytoplasmic transport. He claimed he was always interested in developmental biology but at the time, there weren't really any genes known that controlled development. So, he reasoned that there had to be cytoplasmic determinants that control gene expression. These proteins are translated in the cytoplasm and then they have to enter the nucleus to work as transcription factors. So his idea was that if he learned about cytoplasmic nuclear transport and could figure out genes that were important in that, he could eventually get to these regulatory components. At that time, our lab was right next to the lab of Walter Gehring. He had a huge lab working with drosophila. He was actually one of my committee members when I was writing my thesis. Mike Levine and Phil McGinnis were actually postdocs in his lab while I was doing my undergrad thesis there. They discovered the homeobox literally next door to where I was, doing experiments to show that the homeobox sequences occurred in many different animals beyond flies. At that moment, my advisor switched completely. He started working on these homeobox genes in Xenopus. So after I finished my undergrad diploma thesis and started working in his lab as a graduate student, I began working on these HOX genes until very recently. All the characters there- Mike Levine, Phil McGinnis, and a few others- they were very entertaining and enthusiastic people and really good mentors. It was a very exciting time and something that I really enjoyed. The reason I ended up working with zebrafish was because I saw advantages in working with vertebrates. Being able to do certain types of experiments is interesting. I also saw the power of using genetics to find genes that control development. Zebrafish offered the best of both worlds that allowed various types of experiments like transplantation and genetics. That's how I ended up picking that and continued in developmental biology.

Wow, you have an impressive background in working with established scientists. It's funny because you bring them up in class but you rarely point out your relationships with them. Moreover, what excites you most about your career?

I think what I always thought was exciting was doing actual experiments. I think that was always the most significant aspect of my career. You think about problems; you think about ways you could solve these problems; you figure something out. For a short while, you may be the only person in the world that knows how something works. I think that aspect of science was the most important driver for a long part of my career. As I mentioned, when I started here as a professor in the Biology Department, I certainly was no expert in teaching by any stretch of the imagination. It made me very nervous standing in front of 60 students or even more. I taught Intro bio back then so we had classes with around 120 students. But over time, something that has also become important in my career is teaching or mentoring. Having undergraduates or graduates work in my lab, you mentor them and teach them what you know. You see them improve and some of them become better than you were yourself- that's kind of cool. Even teaching in larger classes like this one now (Biol 223), you realize there are some students that are just there because they want to take a column A class. Then there are quite a few students who probably like it. and then there's a few who come to talk to you for no particular reason. It's always nice to see them a couple of years later or maybe at a conference. They'll sometimes say "Yeah, you know I remember taking your class and it got me to do X or Y." Then you realize you can sometimes make a difference in other people's lives. That’s something that has become more important in my career more recently.

If you could start over, what would you change?

When I listen to seminars and talks from other people that get invited to Emory or go to meetings within the field of Biology, I find Evolution more and more interesting. I sometimes talk about EVO- DEVO. Those two things are actually connected in many ways. If I were to do biology again, I might lean more towards evolutionary work. These days, when I read popular science articles, I find ancient DNA sequencing fascinating. Sequencing a genome of a Neanderthal or some other ancient human and doing all these comparisons to figure out how humans moved out of Africa is interesting to me. I also find astronomy interesting since I like sci-fi. I like watching things from NASA probes that send pictures back so you can watch on the web. I also like computer science, more like an engineering thing.

What is the best advice you could give to someone pursuing the same track as you or pre-health students, in general?

One piece of advice is to check in with yourself and talk with other people. Make sure you like what you are doing. My job is very rewarding and it's cool because I am somewhat my own boss. I can do research on whatever I want and no one can interfere with that. But if you want to be really successful, it's a lot of work. I know people might have that impression that university professors have it pretty cool. You have all these semesters where you have breaks so you don't have to teach. But if you're in science, you don't really have breakes. You just work in your lab, nonstop. So you have to really like it in order to maintain a level of motivation. Your job should also feel like a hobby. You should also like writing. It's something I always struggled a little bit with but if you want to do well, maybe in the earliest stages of your career, you can do a lot of research and bench work and experiments and that's cool. But the more you advance, the less you will do and other people will do it for you. Your job will become writing in one way, shape, or form. You'll help write publications, manuscripts, and papers and get them published. You have to write grants to secure money. So if you enjoy writing about something that really helps. You'll end up having to do a lot of things that you are completely unprepared and untrained for. In my case, I never really had any exposure to teaching and pedagogy, so I kind of had to learn it on the job. The other aspect is you might have a lab where you have 10 people working and you're responsible for them. You have to get money so you can pay their salaries- that's scary. That's all on you. Just managing can be scary. I was never trained as a human resource or a personnel manager. If people had a conflict and you needed to be a mediator, you have to learn on the job. That is very important.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture 2021

 

Virtual Symposium in Global Surgery

 

EPMA X Altius Personal Statement Session

 

We are excited to announce our first GBM this coming Monday, January 25th at 4 pm EST. Altius will be giving a webinar on how to craft your personal statement. More information is on the flyer below. Please register before the event in order to receive the link: 

http://get.altiustestprep.com/AdmissionsPowerPlay/

https://emory.campuslabs.com/.../calendar/details/6726605

http://get.altiustestprep.com/AdmissionsPowerPlay/