Clinical Immersion - Week II

Welcome back!

My second week at the clinical immersion program brought a couple of substantial changes that may alter the rest of my time as an intern at the MRI Center. First of all, I was welcomed into a new project being pursued by the laboratory on CT scanning technologies. During the upcoming weeks I will be supervised by MRI fellow Russell Meyer, who is currently collaborating with Dr. Potter and technicians/researchers from GE's facility in Schenectady, NY. The aim of this project is to improve the resolution of CT scanning to more faithfully recreate microarchitecture of trabecular bone, leading to earlier and more accurate diagnosis for osteolytic bone diseases such as osteoporosis. This project is rendered even more interesting after I found out that among the professionals involved in the ongoing planning for the research project is none other than department chair Marjolein van der Meulen, once again showcasing how committed are biomedical engineers at helping advance the field of medical healthcare/research at every opportunity.

In the meantime, I will continue doing image analysis of the cartilage lining between the metacarpus and the trapezium in the thumb to create more T1ρ and T2 profiles of both control and experimental patients in the MRI Center. The first data sets came from a female patient that was showing the clinical symptoms of osteoarthritis and it may help establish reliable MRI parameters for diagnosing the condition in the future. The data sets coming in this week are those of healthy subjects showing no clinical signs of osteoarthritis. Given the variability between humans, most of the data being collected currently will be mostly healthy patients.

Thanks to input from Dr. Potter and my own advisor Dr. Cosgrove, I am establishing contact with orthopaedic surgeons in HSS such as Drs. Douglas Padgett and Scott Rodeo. The plan is for me to start shadowing doctors during patient examinations and surgeries, hoping to illustrate the crucial interaction between patients, doctors, and associated personnel (such as radiologists and MRI technicians) to best ensure a proper treatment for any and all patients.

Beyond MRI research, I have decided to commit myself to observe medical education at HSS by starting attending weekly seminars on a variety of subjects. For Monday I have lined up two seminars on M&M and MRI research, with another seminar possibly being held later in the week. I was also able to procure an invitation to the MRI meeting of the month for this upcoming Wednesday where I will get to a better sense about the ongoing work of everyone in Dr. Potter's laboratory.

Research life at the MRI Center can feel a bit stifled at times given the heavy emphasis on analyzing images (usually in a dark room) which is why I have also taken the time to explore the vastness that is New York City. This past weekend I decided to do the short trek up Central Park and explore Morningside Heights, home to Columbia University. Beyond this neighborhood, I have also taken the time to explore neighborhoods in the vicinity of New York University such as East Village and Greenwhich Village. When it comes to finding yourself in a big city, I have always found it interesting how culture can be both so fluid and rigid, with each neighborhood taking the distinct personalities of its people. Variability is invariably the quintessential aspect of human nature, in and out of the hospital.

Restaurant of the week: EN Japanese Brasserie

Restaurant of the past week: Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong