Week 6: A Change In Pace

     This week, I went to Fellows Clinic at the main hospital. Fellows Clinic was a very hectic place compared to the calmness of Dr. Vahdat's office. As soon as I walked out the elevator I stumbled into a crowded patient waiting room buzzing with people. There were three receptionists fumbling around answering phone calls, checking in patients, and switching places. I was directed to the another receptionist down the hall and in the last door on the left who then directed to me to the room the head fellow was in. I was able to see a different side of oncology that served minority patients.

     Later on, I had a meeting with Dr. Ching Tung and Dr. Vahdat. Dr. Tung showed us the data on the cancer spray that he and Young Kim, a pathologist from Korea, were creating. So far, the spray has yielded great results in detecting cancer in various organs especially ovarian. Dr. Tung just does not know if it will work on breast cancer cells. Dr. Vahdat proposed connecting them with a breast surgeon so they could obtain live breast cancer tissue following IRB protocols of course. Since Kim is a pathologist, she would be able to correctly discern the cancerous tissue from the normal. I was excited. I just helped with a collaboration. Just knowing what's going on can help people find potential solutions to problems.