Pediatric Neurosurgery

It is crazy to think that it about a year has passed since I first began my journey in ISM last year. I've not only learned so much about the field of pediatric neurosurgery, but also about myself. As I begin again this year, there are so many questions running through my head. How will this year compare to last year? Will it not live up to the experience I had and leave me disappointed? Or will it surpass any expectation I may have had and absolutely amaze me? What will I do for Original Work? Or, Final Product? Because I am going through this entire journey once again, it's slightly different -- I know, or at least have a small idea, of what the end will look or feel like. And because of that, some might argue that there really isn't a point in going through it all again. But, I can't help but remember my quote from last year. "It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end" How true these words are. ISM is about the experience, the growth, the lessons, the friendships and the memories. So much more than just a class or a project, it's about discovering who you are and what you're passionate about. So yes, I'm worried and scared and completely unsure about how this year will turn out. But, I am confident of one thing -- at the end of this we will all look back and once again be amazed with how far we have come.

As I look back upon this year, I cannot help but be incredibly grateful for all that unique and amazing opportunities I have had under the mentorship of Dr. Bradley Weprin. My favorite memory with him is actually my first interview with him. I remember walking in and we began talking about various neurological disorders. We were talking about hydrocephalus and I knew a little about the topic and the main treatment is something called a shunt. But what stood out to me about this interview was the fact that Dr. Weprin stopped during his interview to go and get an actual shunt. He put it into my hands and this was a really neat experience for me. Although to others it may seem like something insignificant, the fact that he made a point to teach me something new in a tangible way and help me understand in a different perspective really impacted me. Out of all my other experiences with him, I particularly treasure the conversations that I have had with him in his office -- that's not to say that seeing craniofacial surgeries or tumor resections or going on rounds or shadowing in clinic was not exciting or fascination. But the conversations that I had with my mentor took our relationship to the next level. Whether we were talking about why certain neurological disorders occurred more frequently in some geographical areas than others or the latest fetal surgery techniques or my college plans, every conversation that I had with him taught me something new. He invested so much of his time and energy into teaching me not only about the field of pediatric neurosurgery but valuable life lessons. I am truly appreciative of the his desire and willingness to teach and mentor me. I honestly could not have asked for a better mentor.

Final Presentation Night is in 3 days. From the very first day of school in August, all ISM students have been working towards this day and the fact that it is so close, is unreal. Stress levels are high as I race to finish and perfect everything: from my board to my portfolio to my product to my speech. There is so much to get done in an extremely small amount of time. I decided to amend my Final Product a little bit and change it from just a Children's Book, to more of an awareness campaign. In addition to the book, I am in the process of creating a website, a poster, and a brochure. My hope is that I will be able to finish all of this in a professional manner before Friday.
One other thing I have come to realize is that this Friday will potentially be the last of my mentor visits for this school year. I have learned so much, but I also feel like I have just hit the tip of the iceberg. Currently, I am not sure as to what topic I will study for the upcoming school year, but continuing down this path does seem like a good option. Just yesterday, I was able to see some intense and incredible procedures and this Thursday, I will be shadowing on patient visits. If there was ever a time in which I wish life had a pause button, now would be that time.

In preparation for Final Presentation Night, we have been working on our speeches. Below, I have shared both parts of my speech. They are extremely rough and I have not practiced them extensively but this is a good idea of what my presentation will be like. Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

Creating a children's book is something that is much easier said than done. After putting it off for quite some time, I finally got around to sitting down and writing out my story. Once I got going, it was not too difficult but I will say that writing in such a manner that is not only engaging to a young child but also relatively informative requires some creativity. I have finished the rough draft of my book (You can read it here) and am currently in the process of getting it edited and illustrated. I myself am not artistically gifted and so I will be outsourcing the illustration part to a family member. Beyond that, these next few weeks will be intense. AP exams are approaching quite quickly and in addition to studying for those, I also need to be working on my ISM project. I am thinking about potentially expanding my original idea from just a book to a more diverse awareness campaign. Permitting that time allows, perhaps I will create an interactive website, or an informative brochure, or a graphic poster -- something that will target an older audience. But, I will only be able to focus on that after I finish with this book and exams. This week, I hope to visit my mentor and round with him on the neuro-oncology visits. I personally enjoy patient visits quite a bit because it is a completely different aspect of a doctor's life in that I get to experience more of the relationship part of working as a pediatric physician. I also need to finish passing out my invitations, finalize my program, and proof my binder. Seems like the list of things to do seems to be getting longer and longer as the amount of time I have to get it down gets shorter and shorter. We are in that final stretch and the effort I put in now will surely pay off in the long run.

With Final Presentation Night just around a month away, things are getting intense and quite quickly. I have been hard at work on my Final Product, which is going to be a book that explains hydrocephalus to young children. I think the hardest part of this project will be illustrating it because conveying the information in a simplistic manner should not be too difficult but presenting it in an engaging manner is the challenge.