![]() I read a very interesting article regarding hip dysplasia. Like my original work, this publication utilizes 3D modeling to analyze hip dysplasia. An interesting trend can be found among patients who are have this diagnosis: they are characterized with slimmer femoral canals. I consulted my mentor over this, and he said that a lot of his patients with dysplastic hips have abnormal characteristics throughout the femur. Dysplasia can impact the body well beyond the hip joint itself. After learning this, I suggested the idea of customizing femoral stems in hip implants to provide a better fit along the canal. It seemed like a great idea and a step forward toward my final product, according to Dr. Wells. I later contacted some engineers who develop custom hip implants. They provided some information regarding the femoral stem. Apparently, those components do not use 3D modeling techniques because there is already a variety of different femoral stems that surgeons can use to implement in the operating room. This is much similar to the acetabular component in that a variety of sets can be used to provide the best fit for the patient. Nonetheless, I would still like to pursue this idea of a custom femoral stem in my final product. My final product will ultimately be a functional total hip implant that includes the femoral stem, ball, plastic lining, and acetabular shell. It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. - Albert Einstein
I presented my original work in a fifteen minute presentation. It covered everything I learned throughout ISM this first semester. The speech began with my original work proposal: to analyze a hip pathology with 3D technology. From there, I introduced my mentor, mentioning how he has influenced my goals. Overall, the presentation went smoothly and I am very happy with how it went. In addition, I read a very interesting article that Dr. Wells gave to me way back in our research interview. He gave me many articles for me to read throughout my year. This article in particular describes the utilization of 3D modeling in analyzing hip dysplasia. It mentions that dysplastic hips tend to have narrower femoral canals when compared to normal controls. After reading this, I wondered if my final product, a customized hip implant, can account for a slimmer femoral canal. I originally was mainly focused on reshaping the acetabular component, but this study gave additional ideas about what I could do to further personalize a hip implant. I would have to discuss this later with my mentor and the engineers he talked to last week. The majority of the week was spent researching more about my topic of study. I wanted to learn more about the dimensional anatomy of a dysplastic hip before meeting with the engineers Dr. Wells mentioned to me. I will be meeting with them later next week. Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher von Braun
![]() In ISM, nothing amazing happened this week. Currently, I am preparing for my Original Work presentation that will be showcased next week. As a result, I postponed my future meeting with a team of engineers for later. However, I was given a great opportunity to be the voice of our school’s minority in a news story done by KERA. I met with Stella and Laura, a journalist and photographer for KERA. They were covering a story regarding diversity in public schools. Stacey wanted to get an opinion from officers of the Muslim Student Association (MSA). I am currently the coordinator of the organization, and I explained how muslims are welcomed every Friday to conglomerate into a classroom at 2:00 P.M. for a service. One of the most important facts I wanted to drive was that these students are given a privilege given to them by Principle Warstler, and it is those students’ responsibility to catch up with their own school work. I mentioned a previous ISM student’s final product from last year: Let’s Talk. This event was an hour long discussion on religion in the school auditorium, organized by Jay Schlaegel. The point of the event was to facilitate conversation amongst the MSA’s former president (and another ISM alumni, Shahir Ahmed), the Hindu Student Association’s president (Roshni Parikh), and the LHS Bible Study’s president (Jay Schlaegel). I wanted to promote events like this in hopes that healthy communication is always preserved among increasingly diverse cultures. Overall, it was a great interview and I hope great results come from that story. The art of communication is the language of leadership - James Humes
![]() This week, I met with Dr. Wells in his clinic at Richardson. This was my opportunity to observe his work in clinic. I got to see how he interacts with patients and clearly see how he diagnoses his patients. Although I had a similar experience with Dr. Miller at Tarpon PA, in this meeting, I will be able to apply what I learn in my final product. We scheduled the visit on February 3rd. He had a meeting during that time which meant that his day would not be very busy. We saw eight patients total, so Dr. Wells was able to spend a lot of time with me and his patient. I got to ask a lot of questions regarding his research in periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). My mentor specializes in PAOs and held his fellowship devoted solely to the procedure. He has written many publications regarding the subject, and I will be looking into them throughout the month of February. Before Dr. Wells performs the operation, however, he performs an arthroscopic evaluation of the hip joint. He does this in order to get a clear view of the femur and acetabulum to see the severity of arthritis. X-rays, MRIs, and CTs are great for taking general measurements for hip dysplasia, but it does not give a clear indication of arthritis. This was one of the smaller things I learned about Dr. Wells’ practice. It was great to observe a “real-world” application of my research. Dr. Wells is a charismatic surgeon that understands the patient’s struggle. I look forward to observing him later in the operating room. Experience is the teacher of all things - Julius Caesar
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Shoaib FarooquiStudent currently enrolled in Liberty High School, studying orthopaedic medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Joel Wells. Archives
January 2018
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