April

Today was my last day as a masters student of the Tulane Pharmacology Program. With the completion of this blog post, I am officially done! It's been a challenging year with ups and downs but I'm proud that I finished off my degree strong. With this post I will be touching on the three biggest takeaways from this past year.

1. Take ownership of your education. It's easy to get lost in the forest and focus entirely on academic coursework but there's an incredible amount of learning that can be done outside of the classroom. For me that meant working with Dr. Mielke and one of my friends on his public health research regarding lead exposure as a research analyst. I also had the pleasure of seeing other friends write and publish work on a variety of medical topics.

2. It's important to make time for yourself during your studies and to keep your outside interests alive. These interests will keep you going when school is becoming stressful or you're homesick. For me this meant volunteering with Zeus' Rescues. I'm a huge animal person and I love interacting with them especially dogs. It was important to me to find a way to volunteer at a local animal shelter this past year because it aligned my interests as an animal person and the requirements of this program. This past month volunteering at Zeus' the volunteer coordinator pulled me aside and personally thanked me for my work which I was not expecting at all. She told me she actively looks forward to seeing my name on her sign up sheets which was a nice surprise and validation of my efforts to help.

3. Make the effort to find your niche. School is a marathon. You will get tired and weary at points. You will need a pep talk.Take the time to find friends that will support you and push you to be better. Graduate and medical school is meant to be difficult but you should still enjoy your time and finding your people will make this more manageable.   

I wish everyone good luck on their endeavors and am excited to see what my friends accomplish.

Farewell!

                          


Spring Semester Volunteer Hours: 24.0
April Hours: 8.0

March

There's only a month left till the end of this program with a month and a half till the departmental graduation. This past month has been a month of lasts for me. These past few weeks I presented my last Advances of Pharmacology presentation and more importantly, I completed the NBME Pharmacology Shelf Exam. It has been a stressful month to say the least but I'm excited to complete this program strong and be granted my Masters of Science.

This next month will be a bittersweet time. While school will be winding down, I will be parting ways with many people of my cohort that will be leaving immediately upon the completion of the program. In the next four weeks we plan to hold final dinners to make the most of our time together.

March has been a hectic month academically for me. It was particularly difficult to complete many volunteer hours while maintaining a robust study schedule. To make up for this I plan to be completing the rest of my volunteer hours with Zeus' Rescues and other potential side projects. On a similar sad note, it'll be a little sad to say goodbye to the volunteers and staff I've worked alongside with over the past few months at Zeus'. I found a lot of meaning in being able to help out the dogs of New Orleans find loving homes while getting quality time with the animals.

Academically April will hold my last two exams for Cell Control Mechanisms (one of which is tomorrow!), my endocrinology presentation, and an elevator pitch which will hopefully prepare me for future interviews.   

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Spring Semester Volunteer Hours: 16.0
March Hours: 4.0

February

It's nearly March in New Orleans and Mardi Gras festivities are now in full swing. With the completion of my neuropharmacology and psychopharmacology modules, I will no longer be learning new material for my medical pharmacology curriculum. With the NBME shelf exam for medical pharmacology coming up in less than three weeks, I'll be studying more or less non-stop until the end of March to make sure I finish that course off with high marks. As it is an accumulative assessment of the entire year, the pressure is on!

This past month flew by for me. I picked up volunteering with Zeus' Rescues once again at their monthly adoption drives on Freret Street. A regular volunteer for the Zeus' Rescues, I know the volunteer routine and can assist potential dog-adopters that have questions with relative ease.  I also resumed my dog-walking. The best part of the job is when you learn that one of the dogs you used to work with got adopted. It's a great feeling to know he or she finally has a forever home.

I'm excited to wind down the program and have more time to volunteer and explore New Orleans once the NBME is over. I'm scheduled to volunteer at the French Quarter Festival in April with a friend and it looks like it'll be a fun way to help the local businesses and community.

With only two months left until the master's program finishes, it's bittersweet to see the finish line fast approaching. While I welcome new challenges that will come with finding a job and figuring out my next steps, I'm extremely excited and proud to see what my friends and peers have in store for themselves as they figure out their post-maser's plans. This program has been enriching in more than one way and while it has been stressful at times, it has and will continue to open many doors for me along the way.

Spring Semester Volunteer Hours: 12.0
Winter Break Hours: 4.0
February Hours: 8.0

January

It's hard to believe that the first semester of this masters program is completed and January is over. Time is flying by so fast! This past month I've been busy dusting off my resume and applying to different research lab positions across the country. I'm excited to see the doors my masters degree will open and where I'll land. I've also started working with Dr. Mielke and one of my friends to help collect literature on lead poisoning via hair dye to support an FDA-Environmental Defense Fund case. I'm very excited to help play a small part in shaping public policy as a graduate student and potentially improve the public's health on a large-scale.

This past month has been hectic balancing more classes, research, job applications, and maintaining my day-to-day life. This month I haven't had the time to do volunteering but now thanks to my calendar and planning, I'm scheduled to help with Zeus' Rescue again with their February Adoption Drive this weekend. It'll be nice to get back there and see the dogs. Over the winter I was fortunate to volunteer at the food bank near my family's house - the Nourish Food Bank. I helped a few days before Christmas Eve when I had down time. As a non-regular volunteer, I helped break down boxes and assist patrons load their cars with their food.

In my next blog post, I'll be sure to update y'all more on my research, volunteering, and my preparation for the final exam in March. See y'all later!

Spring Semester Volunteer Hours: 4.0
Winter Break Hours: 4.0
January Hours: 0.0

December

It's only two days before our last module exam of the fall semester on GI and Neoplasia pharmacology. The holiday spirit is in the air and everyone is eagerly awaiting the commencement of winter break, a time to decompress and spend time with family and friends. Tonight is the pharmacology department's annual holiday party and I look forward to spending time with friends while taking a break from studying. As promised, I'm blogging this month to fulfill my 24 hour volunteer service commitment and reflect on this last module. 

Last weekend I volunteered at the Freret Market with Zeus' Rescues as I have for the past few months. By now I have the routine down and many of the event organizers now know me on a first name basis. This month we had a group of medical and PhD students volunteering from Tulane along with some of our veteran volunteers. They wanted to get some face time with the dogs and knew Zeus' would be a perfect way to help socialize the dogs but also would be a pre-exams stress reliever. I took advantage of the opportunity to discuss how they enjoy their programs, the rigor of their coursework, and what they did to prepare for school. It was reassuring to hear that doing a master's degree is a great way for me to learn fundamental knowledge and become accustomed to the rigor. At this halfway point in the program, many of my peers are starting to plan our next steps after completing this program and I plan to do some planning of my own over break. 

As mentioned previously, this past module we learned about alternative and complementary medicine. I found myself dismayed several times throughout this section of the module. Learning how herbal supplements are advertised falsely was no surprise but it was distressing to read how many people in the United States take herbal supplements that are unregulated and potentially unsafe because they believe the supplements are effective. As someone that is hoping to make better and safer drugs in my future career, I find it upsetting that people knowingly take advantage of people wanting to improve their health and well-being. I'm reminded that learning about the safe practice of medicine is important to improving other people's health but medical ethics are the essential framework to keep medical professionals and scientists from doing harm. 

I hope everyone that reads this has a happy holidays and safe December. 

December Volunteer Hours: 6.0

Fall Semester Volunteer Hours: 24.0

November

Thanksgiving has come and gone and December is knocking on our doors (but with the weather you'd never suspect it). With the conclusion of November we have completed our cardiovascular-renal and pulmonary blocks, our largest and arguably most complex topics of this semester. Completing these blocks AND doing well on the exams validated the hard-work I've put into doing well this semester. Now halfway into our neoplasia/GI block, it's important for me to finish off strong and shake off any fatigue and holiday laziness I'm feeling.

This past month was a whirlwind of volunteering for me. I continued volunteering with Zeus' Rescues at their monthly adoption drives. My second time volunteering at their adoption drives, I helped out some of the newer volunteers and showed them the ropes. My day was much the same as before; I was assigned a dog with a biography and perused the Freret Street Market, socializing with patrons and shop owners in attempt to get each dog adopted by a loving family. I worked with Sammy, a soft-hearted 10-years old Shih tzu (pictured below). This month we had a lot of families come through the market since the weather has been milder and it was heart-warming to see the faces of little children light-up while playing with the dogs. If I can help find just one dog a family and save him or her from the shelters then I know our work as volunteers has had an impact. It may just be one more dog off the streets but it means the world to that one dog. In addition to the adoption drive, I also did some dog-walking on the side too.

Another event I volunteered for was a Thanksgiving Dinner organized by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office on Thanksgiving day. Me and a small group of my friends from the pharmacology program that were in New Orleans for the Thanksgiving break helped to handout food, assist patrons to tables, and throw out garbage. The dinner served several hundred people from around New Orleans that were in need of a warm Thanksgiving dinner. At one point during the dinner, the number of volunteers outnumbered the number of patrons receiving dinner which was inspiring to see. New Orleans may be one of the U.S.'s largest cities but it's still a very tight-knit community that looks out for each other. The people of New Orleans take pride in their community and want to help each other out. Coming from Seattle, another large city but one that lacks a central cultural identity and sense of community, it was uplifting to see the volunteers engage with the patrons not from a position of superiority but from a place of companionship and coexistence. It was also incredible to see the New Orleans Zulu club perform (pictured below)! After becoming accustomed to New Orleans, I'm slowly falling in love with the city and its people.

On a final note, I find myself reflecting deeply on my time in New Orleans and Tulane these days now that we're a week away from completing the semester. I'm truly touched by my Deming Family and my other friends I've grown close to these past few months. It's bittersweet to know our time together as a cohort is now half-over. Our collective struggle for academic success and adjusting to life in a new city has bonded us together in a deeply special way. I shall end this post with a happy holidays to everyone and some pictures from volunteering.

P.S. I will post once more closer to the last exam of the semester to complete my 24 hours of volunteering. My last volunteering of this semester is tomorrow, December 1st.

November Volunteer Hours: 12.0
Fall Semester Hours: 18.0

October

It's been about a month since my last post and I feel like a lot has changed with me since then. I've begun volunteering at Zeus' Rescues, I've completed three of my pharmacology modules, and I'm now more than halfway to the end of the semester. It's hard to believe it's almost November. The end is in sight.

This past month I have finally felt settled here in New Orleans. My feelings of homesickness have faded away and have been replaced with a community of friends from the masters program. Our shared experiences stressing over our pharmacology exams, complaining about our cramped little apartments, and expressing our hopes and dreams for careers in the medical and biomedical fields have fostered our connections. Occasionally I still find myself longing for a cold Seattle day or a hug from my dog Toby but those feelings are brief and eclipsed by the pride I take in moving to a new state, finding friends among my peers, and performing well in a rigorous program. Some warm gumbo doesn't hurt either!

In class, we have completed modules on inflammation, antibiotics, and the autonomic nervous system. We are in the midst of the cardiovascular-renal module, historically one of the most difficult topics. It's interesting to see how complex this topic is and how the drugs involved in treating vascular diseases have a cascading effect on other organ systems. We may be learning the topics in a piece-meal fashion but all of the concepts are intricately interwoven and fit into a larger puzzle that solves some of our most fatal diseases. The pressure is on to keep performing well on exams but I make sure to check-in with myself to make sure the stress doesn't affect my health and well-being. Despite the academic stakes and the workload, I still enjoy what I'm learning and feel privileged to be at Tulane.

On a lighter note, I started volunteering at Zeus' Rescues. While working there, I learned about the growing need for animal adoptions in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. The organization works diligently to find comfortable homes for all of its animals. As a volunteer, I helped by assisting in a pet adoption drive at the Freret Street Market. I was assigned a dog and was tasked with introducing him to visitors at the street market, providing his personal information and history. I was lucky to be assigned an energetic little pup named Vegas. A little over six-months old, Vegas is a bundle of unbridled joy and energy. As a rescue dog, he doesn't get a tremendous amount of personal contact so it was rewarding to see him enjoy some freedom and make friends with people and other dogs alike. I also volunteer as a dog-walker occasionally when I have open availability in my schedule.

I'm going to end this month's post by sharing two photos I took while volunteering. My next post will be after Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading!

October Volunteer Hours: 6.0
Fall Semester Hours: 6.0

September

This is my first post for my masters of pharmacology blog. Wow. September has been a whirlwind of change for me as I adjusted to life in the Deep South from my home of Seattle, WA and began my studies within Tulane's School of Medicine. Moving to a new place can be hard; I faced a different culture, a new climate, and people I've never met when I first moved to New Orleans. It hasn't been a cake-walk. I had to learn how to cope with occasional homesickness while jumping into my studies from the get-go. I had to learn how to get-around the city and how to function independent of my family and friends back home. However, I’ve met some amazing people among my classmates whom have made the adjustment easier. I look forward to the adventures we will take and things we will accomplish together.  

More than five weeks into the program, I'm now accustomed to the academic demands of my classes. We've completed our first block exam on basic principles of pharmacology and mechanisms of inflammation and we're about to take our second block on antimicrobials. It's refreshing to learn material that I have an invested interest in and feel passionately towards. I particularly enjoy the integration of basic science and clinical medicine within the curriculum. The volume of material learned weekly is exhausting but I truly enjoy what I'm learning which has further supported my interest in pursuing a career in pharmacology. So far I’m satisfied with my academic performance but I hope to become more efficient in my studying by focusing more on the learning objectives and cutting out extraneous information. As we’ve been told in class, “don’t get lost in the forest.”

Another part of my curriculum involves experiential learning or volunteering in the community. This year I will be working with Zeus’ Rescues, an animal rescue located in New Orleans. As a volunteer I will be working directly with the animals, walking the dogs, and helping the organization run pet-adoption drives. Being away from home, I miss my dog Toby and thought of how he was rescued from the Human Society. I want to help eradicate pet homelessness and euthanasia of animals within the city while also having the privilege of interacting with the animals. Next weekend I will be working my first pet-adoption drive and am excited to let y’all know how it goes.

That’s all for now but check back in October for my next blog post. Back to studying!

September Volunteer Hours: 0

Fall Semester Hours: 0