Since arriving Saturday, June 6th, I have been hanging out with my classmates doing activities such as eating, drinking, walking (lots of walking), and exploring NYC. I was not scheduled to meet with my mentor, Dr. Linda Vahdat until Tuesday, June 9. Unfortunately, my mentor had to reschedule due to her hectic schedule. The next day, June 10, I followed Ramin's mentor, Dr. Martin Prince, a very prominent figure in the world of Radiology and Head of Radiology at Weill Cornell. We met with Dr. Prince near the NYP hospital at 6:45 am and took a pleasant ride to Columbia University where he spends half of his time. During the taxi cab ride, I learned a lot about him as a person. He is very energetic and passionate about the work he does and loves his family. He was so upbeat for it to be so early in the morning and was extremely personable. When we arrived to Columbia University, we all went to a Liver Transplant Conference that was hard to find at first. After finding the right auditorium, we walked into a sparse group of physicians, fellows, and residents looking at a huge MR images of patients' livers. The MR images showed liver with nodules, hematomas, and cancer cells. The conference was a crosstalk between physicians as far as how to proceed, if lesion or cysts are present, what to look for, cluster of metastases, and whether or not to biopsy or not to biopsy. Dr. Prince was often consulted when looking at an image and gave probable concerns and advice. Afterwards, we headed up to Dr. Prince's office and met with a few of his fellows as they read MR images of patients in the hospital. He consulted them on what was occurring in each image while informing us along the way. He joked that radiologists have a warped view of the world and when people receive and MRI only when something does not go right. He was also very leery of liver transplants. He informed us that many patients diagnosed with congenital heart disease were dying of cirrhosis at ages 30 and 40 rather than heart complications due to doctors, especially cardiac doctors, overlooking the liver presenting classic cases of cardiac cirrhosis. Dr. Prince was very informative and you could tell he enjoyed teaching others and seems like a really great mentor for Ramin.
Later on that day, I had a meeting with Dr. Vahdat at 1:00 pm. We became acquainted and I told her about my path to graduate school and what are my current research interests as of today. Dr. Vahdat specialized in high risk cancer as well as metastatic breast cancer. She participates, studies, and researches many clinical trials in order to better treat her patients. She wrote up a plan for me to visit some of the other breast medical oncologists that deal with high and low risk breast cancer. I would also spend some time with a few breast surgeons, a plastic surgeon, some radiation oncologists, a genetic counselor, and Ching Tung in Molecular Imaging who researches drug development and formulation (right up my alley). On Tuesday and Thursdays, I will shadow her in the clinic visiting patients with various stages, stories, and successes regarding breast cancer. On Mondays, I will attend research meetings on the ongoing clinical trials occurring the office. On Fridays, I will be attending a Cancer Conference, similar to the Liver Transplant Conference, or attending a breast surgery by one of the surgeons. On Wednesdays, I will attend a Fellows Clinic at the hospital or shadow one of the surgeons. After we formed a schedule, she introduced me to all the women in the office from the receptionist at the front desk to the rarely visible pharmacist in the back. Everyone was pleasant and kind making the Weill Cornell Breast Center a very welcoming place.
The following day, June 11, I met with Dr. Vahdat in her office to shadow her and her patients. Her fellow was also shadowing her that day as well. We started the day by going over patient records and viewing the stats on their breast cancer. Dr. Vahdat would patiently explain terms if I asked a question and made sure her fellow understood everything. Cancer for Engineers taught by Professor Kirby sure came in handy. I knew most of the terminology and even the brand names of the drugs she would prescribe. Although Dr. Vahdat specializes in breast cancer, she is a really good internist that looks at other key factors such as bone density, pre-diabetic risk, and skin cancer in order to treat the patient's overall health. Most patients were of elderly age and had/have Stage I-IV breast cancer. They were either coming for "well baby" visits, consultations, treatment, or check-ups. Every patient was really receptive of me being there and for those that understood my role where fervently encouraging me to find a solution. Many of the women were kind and funny. Most had a very positive outlook on life although they were dealing with such horrible news. Every patient's story was different and the backgrounds of the women show that anyone is susceptible to this traumatic disease. A lot of patients brought familial support and were well-versed in terminology, drugs, and clinical trials. Dr. Vahdat and her patients were able to consult each other and find the most effective route of treatment for them. Dr. Vahdat receives a lot of well deserved praise and respect from her patients and colleagues. I can tell that most have a genuine love for her.
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