This week has been a cool-down from Research Showcase. Although I did not do much outside of campus, I did get work done for my portfolio. This included additional research assessments and an Original Work presentation to prepare. I will be presenting a 15 minute speech to my classmates about the work I have accomplished so far in the school year. This will be recorded and added to my digital portfolio. Although there are a lot of parallels in both my original works, I want to specify more about what I have been able to do alongside Dr. Zerr. I will be describing the segmentation process and how I created three-dimensional meshes of hip joints with a computed tomography scan.
Between my clinical rotations and mentor visits, I somehow find time to complete my class assignments. Thankfully, I decided to refrain from AP classes this year because I wanted to maximize my time with ISM. I have never been more thankful of myself since then. My GPA did take a dip this year, but I try not to worry about this. I do this by reassuring myself that the experiences I am getting with my mentor coupled with the opportunities I can pursue in research overshadows a minute drop in my rank and GPA. Research Showcase this year was a definitive success. Dr. Wells came and met my family, and some of my closest friends came to support. I employed the same design for my tri-fold display with two laptops that fold back into tablets. They displayed last year’s original work. This is because the original work was more about the segmentation process used to create three-dimensional models. I still wanted to showcase last year’s work, so I kept them on display. In addition, the research I compiled last year is directly related to the collaborative research project I am taking part in. Understanding femoroacetabular impingement is vital in order to conceptualize the work being done in our comparative study. Overall, the night at the Star went very well, and I am very thankful for everyone who came to support me.
I had a mentor visit scheduled the day after Research Showcase. I met with Dr. Joseph Zerr to segment more hips for the research project. Some of the computed tomography scans were not the best quality, so seven total hips were completed. Nonetheless, we apparently have enough hips for a strong sample size. I plan on involving myself more in the project by either segmenting additional hips or meeting with the medical students who will be surveying them. My ultimate goal is to be authored in this paper, while contributing a significant amount to the team. I met with Dr. Joseph Zerr this week, and we began the first steps in the collaborative research project. We met at the William P. Clement’s Jr. University Hospital. Dr. Zerr lead me to radiology, a dark room with large, adjustable computer desks with five monitors equipped at each workstation. He acquainted me with the advanced three-dimensional modelling software. The purpose of the visit was to segment a number of hips that have femoroacetabular impingement with computed tomography scans.. Three-dimensional models were exported and sent to Yonatan Chatzinoff.
The process itself draws many parallels with photoshop. A selection tool is used to remove the sacrum, the bilateral pubic crest, and additional artifact that diminishes the clarity of the computed tomography of the hip joint. The visit lasted nearly three hours, and I had a great time working on the hips alongside Dr. Zerr. In addition, I stayed in Dallas later that night for a journal club meeting with Dr. Lindsay Ramey, a nonoperative specialist, and Dr. Ed Mulligan, an orthopaedic surgeon. The discussion was about acute lateral patellar dislocation. We reviewed a few publications that addressed treatment and trends amongst sample sizes. My favorite article was a reference page that gave a comprehensive review of several operative treatments and anatomy of the knee. This week’s report will most likely showcase the most productivity I am capable of. This is because the report includes every following week until January 8th. A lot was accomplished in this time, and I am excited to see how everything will play out for the remainder of the year after Research Showcase. On January 3rd, I met with the research team behind the research project we are conducting. The team includes a Dr. Wells; a few engineers from both UTSW and UTD; a team or radiologists; and two medical students.
We discussed what each of us will be contributing to the paper. It is very clear that each person played a significant role in this project from the radiologists slicing hip CTs to three-dimensional models to medical students taking direct measurements to the engineers simulating joint mobility with a best-fit sphere from the three-dimensional models. I will be learning more about the slicing process with Dr. Jonathan Zerr, a radiologist from UT Southwestern. In addition, I began preparations for Research Showcase. I will be using the same design as last year. The build was interesting and unique, so it will be repeated with a few adjustments to ensure the integrity of the build. For example, we are using a stronger adhesive to merge a foam and cardboard together to reinforce the display board while keeping the blue board in front of everything. I am excited to keep working on this presentation and project. I met with Yonatan Chatzinoff on Tuesday December 5th. He filled me in on the collaborative project that is nearing completion. As of now, Mr. Chatzinoff and a team of engineers from UTD has simulated realistic joint movement with a CT of a hip. They accomplished this my utilizing a best fit sphere. This sphere utilizes multiple reference points along the surface of the femoral head. The simulated joint can be accurately mimic movements that a patient would position him or herself in. With this new development, Mr. Chatzinoff gave me the responsibility in applying this technology. The engineers can position a hip joint in a precise position and measure joint space between landmarks in the femur and acetabulum. As a result, we can directly localize regions of impingement.
I need to find common hip tests patients are put through in order to express pain that is often associated with femoroacetabular impingement. I will be visiting Dr. Wells next week in order to learn more about these hip tests. These positions will be applied on a simulated joint that is diagnosed with FAI. From there, joint space will be measured and compiled in a report. The purpose of the publication is to find trends when observing joint space with three-dimensional CT-based reconstructions. My original work, therefore, will be a report describing these tests. It will be similar to last year’s original work. I am not making a new discovery. Rather, I am compiling a multitude of sources into a case study. This week was not as eventful as I hoped, but I was still able to complete some important tasks. For example, invitations were designed and printed at my home. I used a similar design from last year’s and updated it for 2018. Fortunately, we are still having our ISM Research Showcase at the Star Cowboys training facility. It is a great venue that hosts our football games. With stadium seating and a jumbotron, it is a more than adequate setting for our program. I am excited to start my preparations for that event on January 17th.
I also had some great experiences in my Health Science class. This week, I was in ride-alongs with some paramedics and EMTs at Frisco Fire Station 2. I got the chance to help out paramedics as they answered a few calls. Other days, unfortunately, were a bit slower, so I got the chance to have some great conversations with them and the fire fighters at that station. They work long shifts similar to other professional in the healthcare industry, and it’s important to acknowledge their hard work that’s solely dedicated for the community’s safety. As of now, I am preparing for a meeting with Yonatan Chatzinoff at UT Southwestern. We will be going over a new publication about hip dysplasia and imaging techniques. I look forward to what’s ahead in the near future. Thanksgiving break is always a great week for my family. This year, my sister is coming back from Boston for the week. I spoke with my mentor the week before, but I wanted to be considerate for his time and family. As a result, I scheduled my next meeting for the week after the break. This will be with Yonatan Chatzinoff. As I mentioned previously, Dr. Wells, invited me to help in Mr. Chatzinoff’s latest research project. We scheduled for next week because Mr. Chatzinoff went away for the holidays.
In addition, I finished up some of my college applications. Dr. Wells wrote several letters of recommendations for several universities. I am very grateful for this, especially for the program with providing me the opportunity and the time for finding a mentor and networking with professionals. The week before break I began my rotations in the emergency room at Baylor, Scott & White hospital. There, I met with Dr. Kara, an emergency medicine specialist. During the slower times of the day, I asked her questions about the patients we saw. We also talked about schooling, and she gave some useful advice while I was there. One thing she mentioned that stuck with me was to not be like anyone else (ie. generic biology major). I have heard this now from several people in the medical profession, so I should consider taking the hint. This week held a monthly conference in the outpatient building of UT Southwestern. Here, we looked at particular case studies of active patients with affected knees and hips. The group consists of orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, residents, and myself. It is a great learning experience for me as I take notes on what I want to learn more about in the future. All the while, these meetings provide me with insight on what surgeons are looking for when assessing joint radiographs, MRIs and CTs. In addition, I met with Dr. Wells to discuss my plans for my Original Work. He supports it, and he provides me with another contact to help me with: Richard Stetzel, the director for perioperative services. He also invited me to help out in Yonatan Chatzinoff’s ongoing research project. He is presenting an innovative way to survey the acetabulum, using three dimensional reconstructions of a CT.
The ISM class gave their second speech of the year. It was a research speech that presented what we have learned so far in the year. My research assessments were more focused on published research on hip pathologies rather than broad subjects in orthopaedics. Rather than regurgitating the same information I read towards my audience, I presented the material in a more wide scope. Ultimately, these research teams publish works in order to find new ways to effectively and correctly diagnose a hip with a disorder. As a result, my presentation focused more on the pathologies such as hip dysplasia or femoroacetabular impingement while quickly discussing treatment. November 1st marked the deadline for early admission applications for most universities with regular decisions marked later in January. For many of my peers, this is a stressful time of finishing up whatever application they have filled so far. Most of the applications I am taking part in are combined degree programs, so the major deadline I am worried about is in December. Nonetheless, I am taking extra steps to make sure I am proactive with my work.
I discovered a new weakness of mine: time management. My grades have become a victim to this weakness. Thankfully, I was able to catch this early before it got any worse. Organization used to be my go-to when discussing weaknesses, but I feel as if I’ve taken the appropriate steps to mitigate this issue. Now I need to focus on improving my time management skills. My immediate answer to this would be to have an agenda with a detailed log of what I will do throughout the day. I already tried suppressing an internal struggle I have had throughout my life: video games. I never realized how much time I have wasted in front of the screen. As a result, one of the major steps I am taking to help devote the right amount of time on my work is putting down the X-BOX One controller. Hopefully, I can minimize wasted time at home and effectively utilize open spaces in my schedule for beneficial assignments Walking into Centennial high school for my ACT was a stressful episode for me. Personally, I felt less prepared for this test than my SAT three months ago. The several practice tests I took did not yield the result I was hoping for. Most BS/MD or BA/MD programs usually require at least a 32, so I will be relying more on my SAT score to qualify for these programs. Although a 1370 will qualify me for a multitude of universities, it will not guarantee me any spot to any of these colleges. I will need sell the accomplishments I hope to make in ISM in order to be considered for an interview.
My brother gave me great advice for standardized testing: if you do not do well in the end, then push other aspects of yourself that make you unique. I believe he is a good example of someone who struck a good balance of being smart while having great experience. It is only a matter of time before Ibrahim will move on from his job at Princeton Review’s test-prep centers to medical school. Now, I feel more confident about my own work. I may not be able to stand out from the crowd with my standardized test scores or my rank, but I will, hopefully, be able to have great conversations about my experience in interviews. If, God willing, I am considered for an interview, I should be able to apply what I learned from ISM to set myself apart from the rest of the competition. |
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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