AAMC Aspiring Docs: Inspiring Stories

Check out this piece on the AAMC's Inspiring Stories.

A Cure For Cancer But Not For Disparities

Check out my latest on The Differential: A Cure For Cancer But Not For Disparities.

The Rossi Medical Education Newsletter: May 2013

This quarter's Rossi features an interview I conducted with Dr. Basil Hanss. Dr. Hanss is an Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He also oversees the FlexMed and masters programs and mentors faculty. You can read more about the early assurance program, FlexMed, in the current issue. In addition to the faculty interview, this issue features First Generation Scholars, a student-run organization that provides mentorship and college advisement to at-risk high school students. Also, get tips on writing an effective research abstract. Enjoy!

The Rossi

Back in the fall I became a writer and editor for the Rossi, Sinai's new medical education newsletter. If you have an interest in medicine, education or just want to learn about some of the things going on at Sinai, I suggest you check it out.

My first story, on handheld ultrasound, is in the second issue. I was recently named Editor-in-Chief and look forward to becoming more involved with the publication. You can check out both issues here.

Shaping Tomorrow's Physicians with Handheld Ultrasound

Check out the latest!

Fastathon 2012: First Wave of Fasters

Read about Fastathon 2012, a fundraiser taking place at Mount Sinai to raise money for the student-run clinic: the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP).

Fastathon 2012: First Wave of Fasters: Hi all! We have officially rolled out recruitment for Mount Sinai students to fast. A copy of the email is pasted below for those of you t...

Three CCNY Students Named 2012 Salk Scholars

This press release was taken from the City College of New York's website. The following was released on May 16, 2012.

 

Lisa Brandt and Julian Flores, members of The City College of New York Class of 2012, and Alexa Mieses, a 2011 graduate, have been selected to receive the 2012 Jonas E. Salk Scholarship awarded by The City University of New York.

The awards recognize the high ability and scholarship of students who plan careers in medicine and the biological sciences and who are judged likely to make significant contributions to medicine and research. They are selected on the basis of original research papers undertaken with prominent scientist/mentors.

“Congratulations to Lisa, Julian, Alexa and the winners from the other CUNY Colleges,” said CCNY President Lisa S. Coico. “Their achievements are a testament to their hard work, dedication, and perseverance as well as to the support of the faculty.”

The Salk Scholarship provides a stipend of $8,000 per scholar, to be appropriated over three or four years of medical studies. Salk Scholars also receive achievement citations and diagnostic kits that include an otoscope and ophthalmoscope. The scholarships will be presented at a ceremony Wednesday, May 16, in the William and Anita Newman Conference Center at Baruch College.

Dr. Jonas Salk, a 1934 graduate of City College, developed the polio vaccine in 1955. He turned down a ticker-tape parade in honor of his discovery, asking that the money be used for scholarships instead. New York City provided initial funding for the Salk Scholarships in 1955.

Ms. Brandt, Mr. Flores, and Ms. Mieses were all inspired to become doctors to aid their communities. After graduation, Ms. Brandt will attend either Columbia University Medical School or Mount Sinai School of Medicine, while Mr. Flores plans to attend Harvard Medical School. Both want to become pediatricians. Ms. Mieses will attend Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Brief profiles of the students follow:

Lisa Brandt
Ms. Brandt, born in the Dominican Republic to a Dominican mother and an American father, wants to become a pediatrician to provide free and affordable care to her community. “I wanted a career that had a purpose for me, a versatile career where you’re a student, teacher, and guide, and can be a pillar to your community.”

Ms. Brandt was so impressed by City College’s affordability and high quality of education, that it was her only choice when she applied to college. “I knew I wanted to go to medical school for a long time, and I knew I didn’t want to come out with debt. I wanted to go to a school that would give me a high quality education,” said the biology major.
Currently, she is working in the lab with Professor Jonathan Levitt, using a ferret as an animal model to examine the postnatal development of the brain. She is also volunteering at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian and has volunteered at numerous health fairs.

At CCNY, Ms. Brandt received a myriad of honors such as the 2010 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students Presentation Award, and the 2011 Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program Honorable Mention Award in the Natural Sciences.

She also received the Zeldin-Sviridov Scholarship, Edmund Baermann Scholarship in Natural Sciences, Associated Medical Schools of New York Stipend and Student Support Services Program Outstanding Academic Award. Additionally, she shadowed a pediatric endocrinologist, and gastroenterologist in private practice. Outside of school, she enjoys drawing.

Julian Flores
Mr. Flores, the son of Costa Rican immigrants, believes he has an obligation to help the Hispanic community, since he has an opportunity to make an impact. “Being Hispanic, makes me want to want to give back to the Hispanic community to bring about longstanding change.”

That opportunity is a scholarship to Harvard Medical School, where he will pursue his dream of becoming a pediatrician. “It is a great honor to come from City College and to represent both CCNY and CUNY at Harvard,” the Flushing, Queens resident said.

Mr. Flores, who is receiving a BS in biology, came to City College on full scholarship as a Macaulay Honors College student. He used the resources of Macaulay to go beyond the textbook and the classroom.

He counseled parents in a family health intervention program run by Columbia University and also participated in a summer undergraduate mentorship program between his junior and senior years at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Currently, he is using Drosophila Melanogaster, the common fruit fly, as an animal model to study autism spectrum disorders as a research assistant to Professor Tadmiri Venkatesh.

At City College, Mr. Flores received countless awards including: best poster in neuroscience at both the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students and the 2012 Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program Conference. He also received a Weston Scholarship, in addition to the scholarship from Harvard. Outside of school, he enjoys playing soccer and baseball as well as dancing and listening to music.

Alexa Mieses
Ms. Mieses already had dreams of becoming a doctor as a junior in high school. While she attended Bronx High School of Science, three students died of drug-related causes.  A sophomore she mentored was one of them, a victim of a heroin overdose. “The experience definitely inspired me to learn more aggressively about the effects of drug abuse on the brain and the body. It increased my awareness of it,” said Ms. Mieses.

She volunteered at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and tutored low-income children at the Champion Learning Center in Lower Manhattan.  As the coordinator for the CCNY Minority Association of Pre-Health Students’  “Harlem Take Care of Yourself” health fair, she helped increase attendance twenty-fold. She also interned at the Bronx Zoo, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis Center and worked with autistic children in Chile, as a Watson Fellow.

A Queens resident of Dominican and Italian heritage, Ms. Mieses graduated magna cum laude with a BS in biology in 2011. She deferred medical school for a fellowship with the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, where she examined behavioral and genetic correlates of drug addiction. The fellowship provided professional growth and gave her access to new lab techniques.

After the fellowship, she will attend Mount Sinai School of Medicine in August and hopes to become a primary care physician in an underserved community. “In addition to practicing medicine as a clinician in New York City, I am also committed to mentoring aspiring medical students and students from underrepresented minority groups.”

At CCNY, Ms. Mieses was awarded a J.K. Watson Fellowship and Outstanding SEEK Graduate of the Year Award; she was a SEEK Scholar and tutor, and belongs to three honor societies. In addition, she shadowed a surgeon in private practice as well as conducted neuroscience research on eye movements and studied Spanish and art history in Spain. Outside of school, Ms. Mieses writes poetry and loves singing. She hopes to incorporate her love of writing into her career.

Media Contact
Ellis Simon     P | 212-650-6460     E | esimon@ccny.cuny.edu

National Minority Health Month: Kidney Disease and Transplantation

This weekend I visited the Mount Sinai School of Medicine on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Among many other interesting sessions, the faculty presented a session aimed to highlight health disparities. The specific topic was kidney transplantation. The brief conversation that took place made me want to do a bit of research and learn more about kidney disease and transplantation.

Certain diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure can greatly damage kidneys. Unfortunately, minority populations are disparately affected by these diseases and thus by kidney disease. According to statistics from the University of Cincinnati, the number of new kidney failure cases diagnosed in 1997 was 873 per million in African Americans and 218 per million in whites; 73% of all cases among African Americans resulted from high blood pressure and diabetes; African Americans made up about 13% of the US population but 30% of all kidney failure cases. Obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure among African Americans has become a bigger problem since 1997, and today the health disparities continue to be rampant.

Kidneys are organs essential to life as they filter toxins from our blood, regulate our blood pressure and help our bodies remain healthy. High blood pressure and high levels of sugar in the blood can damage the blood vessels within the kidney. Once damaged, the kidney cannot keep useful substances (like proteins) in the blood. If protein is instead found in urine, it can be the mark of kidney disease.

Over time, kidney disease gets worse and worse. Chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage kidney disease in which these vital organs completely shut down. When this happens, hemodialysis (an artificial process that  filters blood) can be a life-saver. However, over time the hemodialysis process also takes a toll on the patients’ body and quality of life. Many patients must spend up to four hours a day on hemodialysis which interferes with their daily lives. Patients leave the clinic feeling exhausted. Hemodialysis patients must also follow a strict diet which may be especially difficult for patients who already have uncontrolled blood pressure and diabetes. For people with end-stage kidney disease, organ transplantation may be their only chance at life; many die waiting for an organ.

Organ transplantation is not a cure-all solution. Finding a good organ match, undergoing the surgery and the aftercare that is required are difficult processes. According to Dr. Susan Lerner, a transplant surgeon at Mount Sinai, New York State has one of the longest waiting periods for a kidney. This is the result of a higher number of people needing a kidney combined with a fewer number of donors. While patients wait to be matched to a donated kidney, they can spend more than five years on hemodialysis and remain very ill.

Some studies have found that minority patients are less likely to be referred for kidney transplantation by their physicians. Even if referred, patients must pass a series of physical and mental health assessments. The tests also seek to evaluate the patient's emotional support system and the likelihood that the patient will adhere to the post-operative care plan, including taking prescribed medications. Aside from passing these screening processes, patients must match to a donor-kidney with similar tissue and blood type. Finally, the financial aspects of the surgical procedure must be sorted out before the transplantation can take place. The entire screening, match and transplant process can take nine years!

Social determinants of health such as socioeconomic background and level of education can interfere with a minority patient's ability to pass the physical and mental health tests. Furthermore, the process is long and arduous and many minorities fail to even complete the testing process. Even though African American patients are not required to be matched to organs from African American donors, minorities do not donate organs and tissues at the same rate as their white-counterparts. This fact only decreases the likelihood of minorities finding a perfect match.

Lack of financial resources can also affect a patient's ability to find an donor-organ match. Consider the case of the late Steve Jobs, co-founder and former chairman of Apple, Inc. Mr. Jobs came from an affluent background and was thus able to benefit from being on liver transplant waiting-lists in multiple states. Since he was on multiple lists, Mr. Jobs was able to find a match more quickly and travel to Tennessee to undergo the transplant operation. I am sure that many Americans cannot afford this luxury. Furthermore, after organ transplantation, the medications necessary to prevent the body from rejecting the organ and to treat infections, cost a lot of money. Health insurance, even public health insurance, can help cover the cost of the medication but often cannot cover everything. A patient who actually underwent kidney transplantation visited students at Mount Sinai and said that he had cleaned out his savings of more than $20,000 to pay for one year's medication.

For all that has been described here, it is very important for the medical community and society at large to work harder to raise awareness about health disparities. We must keep raising awareness to encourage research and policy change necessary to help eliminate the growing gap in health equality.

Patient Simulator

By Julian Gonzalez

Julian was an undergraduate premedical student at The City College of New York in 2011.

On March 3, 2011 MAPS traveled to Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM) to check out some of the school’s state-of-the-art patient simulators. First, it needs to be said that MSSM is beautiful! There are a lot of windows with natural light, couches strewn about—it is simply gorgeous. Also, students at Mount Sinai get to live in the city, which is often a big priority on many medical school applicants’ lists of priorities, but back to the simulators!

At MSSM, we worked with current anesthesiology residents. They taught us how to insert a breathing tube into someone who required CPR through the use of real instruments and a mannequin. Although I did a better job choking the poor mannequin, we eventually all learned. The strange part was how rough you actually have to be to insert the tube. Also, as with anything in the human body, many things can do wrong such as the tongue blocking the airway, tearing the inner lining of the trachea, or simply forgetting to deflate the small balloon that initially keeps the tube in place. The mannequin was set up so that if proper intubation was complete, the lungs would inflate and deflate accordingly.

Next, we practiced placing an intravenous line into a thin plastic tube to simulate phlebotomy of real human blood vessels. Again, I practically killed my patient but the good news is I’m not yet a physician! Though I hope it never happens once I become a physician, I can see why it is hard to stick someone who is donating blood (a scenario that as a donator, I know all too well). I tip my hat to my fellow MAPS members who successfully placed a line on the first try! It took me six times—yikes!

Lastly, we worked with the full body patient simulator. It was simply amazing to say the least. The patient simulator is essentially a full-body mannequin with a pulse, body temperature and other real vital signs. It can be hooked up to the real machines that are used in hospitals such as an O2 Saturation reader, EKG machine, pulse monitor, and can event respond to injections of various drugs. The simulator detects all the medicine, and can have the expected or adverse effects. Furthermore, you can see and sense many other details of the simulator, such as body temperature increasing or decreasing by touching the skin, seeing the pupils dilate or constrict based on illness, and see the diaphragm descend or ascend as it breathes. The simulator was extremely life-like. This taste of what medical students and physicians do makes me even more eager to start medical school!

Walk It Out-- for Health!

By Gladys M. Yensi
Gladys was an undergraduate premedical student at The City College of New York in 2010.

Since the first week of June I have been a leader of a walking group at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. This walking group is part of a larger city-wide initiative: "The 16-Week Walking Challenge." This initiative was developed by Mentoring in Medicine, Inc. and is sponsored by the Amercian Heart and Stroke Association to mobilize the community to get out there and get active. By becoming active in this endeavor, I have not only made an effort to become a little more active than I used to be, but I have also realized the underlying importance of what the walking challenge represents.

Exercise and healthy diet has been shown to prevent and/or alleviate some of the symptoms of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, as well as diabetes. Other lifestyle changes, like the cessation of a smoking habit, also help to ward off some complications of these diseases. Sadly, quitting smoking and not putting those extra two pinches of Goya® Adobo while cooking, are habits that are difficult to get people to change quickly. Perhaps engaging people to participate in low impact exercise is a habit that could be adapted and maintained more easily, especially when encouraged over 16 weeks. Such has been the challenge this summer.

This walking challenge is pertinent to the fundamental values of the Minority Association of Pre-health Students (MAPS). MAPS at CCNY not only has an affiliation with Mentoring in Medicine through Dr. Lynne Holden, but is also associated with the communities that the walking challenge targets; those in urban settings which are underserved-- Harlem and Washington Heights to name a couple. Not only do some of our MAPS members come from similar communities, but some of us may even be afflicted by diabetes or hypertension, or have family members, friends, and neighbors who struggle with these diseases. All members of MAPS aspire to become health care professionals and combat health disparities as leaders in our communities.

It has been fourteen weeks since I committed myself to leading the Mt. Sinai Medical Center group of the walking challenge. During these recent weeks I have worked with old friends and made new friends. We have enjoyed the scenic views of Central Park during our walks on beautiful summer afternoons, and have shared smiles and laughs as I instructed them in basic belly dance moves. There are only four weeks left of the challenge, but it's never too late to start making walking a habit. Furthermore, at the end of the walking challenge in mid-September, there will be a closing ceremony which will acknowledge the walkers and offer the opportunity for a raffle and giveaways. There will also be a free concert for the walking challenge participants. The details of this event has yet to be announced.

There are six walking groups in total from all five boroughs of New York City. The two most conveniently located near CCNY are those stationed at Harlem Hospital and at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. To learn more, please email WalkwithMIM@gmail.com. I hope to see my fellow MAPS members in the upcoming walks :-)