Matter: A Poem about the Neuroscience of Mental Health

Matter

By: Auriana Irannejad

Great gray matter,

How gray must one be,

To know they matter?

Surrounded in white, surrounded in bliss,

Yet stuck in a gyrus, hiding them from this abyss

No one penetrates this layer,

No one enters this skull

To let them know they matter

Before the lack of serotonin makes them dull

Inside this cranium, inside this little black hole,

Contains all of the matter

That needs to pour into their soul

This chamber can only be opened 

If one lets them know

How dense their matter is

And there is a reason not to go  

So a question we must ask, a concept that is hard to fathom,

Is how gray must one be,

To know that they matter?

UAB Counseling Services: 205-934-5816
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Alumni Highlights: From Neuroscience to Peace Corps in Mozambique to Medicine by John Wesley Chancellor, Class of 2016

For more photos and insights, check out his wonderful blog:
https://mozlikely.travel.blog/

You will learn a lot about his experiences abroad e.g. the language, dance, culture, and the community.

For more information about his experiences at UAB, check out this article:
http://www.uab.edu/news/campus/item/7263-uab-student-to-join-peace-corps-following-spring-graduation

  

During the medical school application process, why and when did you decide to also apply to be a part of the Peace Corps? 

      As the stereotypical millennial with to many things I like to do, I applied concurrently to medical school and the Peace Corps. I wanted to keep my options open. In February, I interviewed for both medical school and the Peace Corps. I actually got accepted to medical school the first week of march and the Peace Corps the following week. I don’t know how to describe what led my decision making other than sheer intuition i.e. “my gut”. I couldn’t really rationalize to anyone why I was giving up a medical school acceptance alongside my best friend and study partner for the last 4 years. In fact, most people that didn’t instantly sanctify me for giving up such an opportunity thought I was literally crazy. I can’t blame them. When I try to put myself in their perspective, it doesn’t really seem to add up. Truth be told, I wanted to really get the chance to live in another culture. Up until that point, I had lived a very blessed, lucky life. I realized I needed to give back. But also, medical school seemed like a life sentence. Not necessarily in a bad way. But, I just wasn’t ready to commit, seemingly, my entire life to anything at that point. I needed time to grow and develop and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than to immerse yourself completely out of your comfort zone

Looking back, what were some things you have left behind or sacrificed when you chose this path?

Sacrificed? Milkshakes. Chic-Fil-A. Hot showers. Milkshakes. Washing Machines. Driers. Momma’s Cooking. Milkshakes. Air conditioning. Running water. Milkshakes.

On a more serious note, when you join the Peace Corps you know that you’ll be taking this on. They make it crystal clear for you to prepare yourself to live 27 months abroad, in hardship if necessary. One thing that I didn’t realize I would be giving up is a feeling of competence. Overcoming the language barrier is hard and takes way longer than you would like it to. Another thing I din’t know I signed up for is losing the ability to blend in. No matter where I go I am always the odd one out. Sometimes a great thing. Sometimes a bad thing. But never my choice. Also, it’s hard to adult. It feels even harder to adult in another country AND in a foreign language. My family and friends could listen, but they couldn’t really offer to much advice.

You described the other volunteers provided some comfort and peace for you, what other emotions and things you learned during the transition arriving to the site alone?  What was your typical day like?

          My typical day goes a little something like this.  I wake up to the muslim call to prayer at around 4:30-5:00 depending on the exact time the sun rises that morning. I’ll lay around in my bed for a couple of minutes and check facebook lite (the full facebook app is way too slow to be functional.) Then, I’ll get out of bed, pump my water for the day from the well, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, and do a few other household chores. School begins at 6:30 a.m. and I'll teach anywhere from 2 – 8 hours depending on the day. I have 7 classes, each with 100 students. I cycle through the different homerooms for 45 minute periods at a time.  On the weekdays in my free time, I have a couple secondary projects including work at a pre-school, with a social activist youth group, or developing a community library program. For fun, I hang out with my host family, go talk to my friends at the market, dance, go to the beach, watch Game of Thrones, read, or find a way to talk to family back home.

With your first-hand experiences seeing the struggles in Mozambique, educating students on a various important topics, seeing gender inequality, and dealing with specific HIV population, how did you stay motivated for 27 months of service?

That’s a great question! Mental Health in the Peace Corps is something completely different than any mental health work I’ve done before. It’s hard. Plain and simple. That being said, I couldn’t relieve stress by going for a run or going to the gym. The Mozambican sun is too hot and the gyms are nonexistent. Talking to friends and family is also kind of hard because my experience is very different from theirs.     Despite all of this, you find ways to cope with stress and the different issues that arise. For me, my work with my youth group is the most nurturing. My kids remind me that the future doesn’t have to be the way that it is currently. They can be the change makers that stop the spread of HIV or stand up for gender equality. When I look at the opportunity of pouring my heart into these kids, it becomes much easier to stay motivated and continue work here even in the harder times.

Any plan to apply similar education model to the US/other developing countries or in your future career?

I do intend to eventually do some international work with medicine in specific. I think if anything being over here has strengthened my desire to do medicine. I have some experiences of seeing just how helpful a good doctor could be to a small rural town in the developing world. I think I would feel very fulfilled by splitting my medical practice between the U.S. and some developing countries.

For the neuroscience students who may want to take a different path outside of the science or graduate schools, any advice and any inspirational moments you would like to share?

Don’t be scared to try something new. I think that I would have been happy following the traditional “neurosciencey” path. But, I think I would have always questioned the “what if?”. Following something you’re genuinely interested in will teach you a lot about yourself. People love unique and wholesome life experience. Plus, in any future endeavors, I’m sure that the passion you put into that “less traditional” path will shine through.

Alumni Hightlights: The Path of MD-PhD by Jared Smith, 2015

Jared Smith (class of 2015) is a UNP alumnus who is currently in an MD/PhD. He can be contacted at jarasmit@iupui.edu if you have any questions.

Why did you decide to major in neuroscience?

"I had an interest in history, chemistry, biology, philosophy and psychology when I entered college freshman year. Until school started, I had never heard of the neuroscience major but when I met a couple neuroscience majors within the first couple days of school I realized that this major involved all my interests. At this point I was interested in thinking, memory, and emotion—neuroscience as a major seemed the best way to learning more about all these interests. Additionally, my interest in neuroscience mainly stemmed from my interest in philosophy; however, as I matured I realized that neuroscience would be a better area to pursue than philosophy as neuroscience would provide a better, more tangible avenue to test, create, and evaluate philosophies."

Has being part of UAB’s UNP helped you so far in your medical and graduate careers?

"I honestly don’t know if I would have been interested in research as much, if at all, without the UNP. The requirement to work in a lab starting in freshman year exposed me to that environment, and without that requirement, I don’t know if I would have worked in a lab. Without working in a lab I would not have developed my research ideas/interests and would not be on the MD/PhD path that I am now on."

What was the process of applying to MD/PhD programs like? Was the MCAT as scary as people make it out to be?

"The process of applying MD/PhD starts in undergrad. Although I did not shadow at all in college, I sought out leadership and lab opportunities such as being an SI leader for General Chemistry. I started doing research with Dr. Rita Cowell in the spring of freshman year and stayed in that lab through graduation. I also participated in a summer pre-MD/PhD program at The Ohio State University between my junior and senior years. When I was applying I was worried about my lack of shadowing; however, from attending conferences and talking to people involved in MD/PhD admissions, shadowing is helpful but is not as emphasized as applying MD-only. On the other hand, research experience is a must. In summary, I would highly recommend simply doing a couple things you really enjoy doing rather than doing a lot of activities a little. This will show in interviews and on your applications when asked to explain more about what you may have done.

Applying to MD/PhD programs was a bit intimidating at first due to the high selectivity of the programs; however, after meeting other people interested in the dual degree in summer MD/PhD summer programs, on the interview trail, and in research labs, I realized that I felt like this path would suit me better than pursuing either the PhD or the MD alone. To apply MD/PhD one needs to have substantial/enough research experience and have interests in both degrees. The average MD/PhD program is ~7.5 years so those interested must make sure that this is truly a path that the person wants to pursue.

I think what’s most important when applying (besides the obvious decent grades and MCAT) is having a good personal statement and good letters of recommendation. Everyone applying to MSTP programs is also competing against people in the general MD-only applicant pool for spots in a medical school class, so it is important to illustrate in your personal statement what makes you unique whether that’s difficult times you’ve been through or circumstances that really shaped you. I did not write a personal statement that showed all that I had done; instead, I wrote a personal statement detailing obstacles I had overcome. I think writing a personal statement that is more personal sets it apart from the typical “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor” or “I like to help people” essays that are very common, although genuine, themes. The same goes for letters of recommendation. Having a good letter writer who genuinely knows your strengths and weaknesses, and wants to see the best for you will be very evident to admissions committees and give more weight than a weak letter of recommendation (which may actually hurt you in some cases). I spent the majority of my time on my personal statement, I asked my letter writers months in advance, and submitted my AMCAS in a one-week span after I completed the MCAT at the end of September (not recommended).

The application for MD/PhD requires a couple more AMCAS essays than applying MD-only. On the AMCAS not only is there a personal statement for medical school, but those applying to MD/PhD programs also must complete a maximum 3,000 character “Why do you want to do MD/PhD” essay along with a 10,000 max character Research Statement essay where you detail what research you’ve done, your role in the project, what the outcome of the research was, any conferences you may have attended to present the research, and what you learned from the project that helped you develop as a person (specifically one interested in MD/PhD). Also, after submitting your primary AMCAS application, which sends your application out to all the schools you want, schools will send you secondary applications. Secondaries essentially want to know why you are particularly interested in a certain school and why they should pick you. These are like the MD-only application except that for some schools, applying MD/PhD requires you to not only apply to their medical school but also their graduate school as well. Therefore, the secondary will be longer because you will have graduate school essays to answer as well. The secondaries can get a little pricey, so be sure to keep that in mind.

I personally ended up applying to 4 MD/PhD/MSTP programs and 1 MD-only program. I honestly forgot to turn in one of the MD/PhD secondaries; however, I received interview offers at the other 3 programs and from the MD-only program. Compared to MD-only interview, some of the MD/PhD interviews were 3 days long where the first was for travel and meeting everyone and the second and third days were for interviewing with both graduate and medical school interviewers. Travel, meals, and housing at these interviews, at least where I applied, were covered by the programs I was applying to. Biggest advice for interviews: know your stuff, relax, and be yourself. No one knows your life, your experiences, and what you’ve done better than yourself.

I think the MCAT is what you make it. If you know yourself and maximize learning in your own way, I think it goes well, if not, then it won’t. But it is important to stay confident and practice preparing for the MCAT by taking practice tests to build up your “test day” stamina."

You’re currently an MS2. What’s a typical day in your life like? Are you currently doing any research, or will that wait until after you’ve finishes your second year of medical school?

"Currently? Step One prep as I have to take the exam in March. Right now we have block classes where we have a new class that starts and finishes within 6 weeks with exams every 2 weeks concluding with a final NBME exam at the end of the 6th week. I actually enjoy the blocks because they’re not too bad once you get into your rhythm and know how you learn best. Currently I have class (sometime mandatory, sometimes not) every morning from 8-12 and have every afternoon off to study or do whatever else I want to do. I stay active in intramural sports with other medical professional students and we play various sports a couple times of week, weather permitting. I personally aim to take Friday and Saturday off from studying to relax and enjoy time with my friends. As for research...I am not doing research during my MS2 year. As part of MD/PhD we are required to do lab rotations summer before MS1 and summer between MS1 and MS2 so that when we finish our Step One exam, we have our lab picked out and can start on our project. I just recently picked the lab to complete my PhD."

What’s been the best part of medical school so far? Is there anything in particular that you’re looking forward to?

"Patient exposure has been the best part for me. I did not do any shadowing in college and so getting the chance to work in the clinic as a medical student has been an invaluable experience. All the information you learn through college and medical school (i.e glycolysis enzymes, etc.) you actually get to see the real-life effect that lacking an important molecule, protein, or receptor can actually substantially affect health. Seeing that everything you’ve learned is not just book knowledge but something you can meet in the flesh shows you that all the information is important and valuable. I’m really looking forward to working the wards in third year after grad school; however, I’m really looking forward to grad school as well. Bringing all the clinical information I’ve absorbed since start of MS1 into grad school could help have a different perspective when it comes to my thesis and grad school work. I’m curious to see how it all shakes out myself."

What advice would you give to current neuroscience undergraduate students interested in applying to MD/PhD (or other MD dual degree) programs?

"With anything but particularly with MD/PhD, you need to be sure of yourself and that you truly want to walk the path you think/believe you do. Most importantly, that it is yourself, not others, for wanting to walk that particular path. MD/PhD is a longer program averaging about 7-8 years per individual. A lot of life can happen in that time. As most programs are setup, you start off with a med school class then transition to graduate school while those med school friends will graduate and move onto residency while you may be struggling with an experiment in your 2-3rd year of grad school. Then as you finish grad school you may lose contact with those grad school friends as you transition back to 3rd year of medical school and they transition to post doc positions. Meanwhile you’re in a new medical school class with people who have been together for the last 2 years of medical school, not to mention you may be a couple years older than these peers. It is imperative to know where you stand and have a good group of people around you whether that is family, friends, or whatever you may find support in.

It is a long path, but I wholeheartedly believe it is worth it. The experience and perspective you obtain is invaluable. 1% of all MDs are MD/PhD—otherwise known as unicorns. Not only are you the expert in a medical field, but you’re also a qualified expert in a research field. The combined expertise may allow the individual with the MD/PhD to see things a bit differently as that individual may have additional experience that the MD-only or PhD-only individual may not have. You meet a lot of great people on the journey and get the best of both the clinical and research worlds. And although you may end up making less than someone who simply does MD-only and follows the exact same career path due to that person getting in the workforce earlier, it does make it a little easier (at least for me) to not have to worry about money, tuition, or loans during this time since MSTP/ dual MD/PhD programs give stipends and cover graduate and medical school tuition.

P.S- be sure to know the difference between MSTP programs and dual MD/PhD programs. Although a MSTP is a dual MD/PhD program, the converse of that statement is not necessarily true. The reason this is important is that MSTP programs are NIH-funded and therefore medical tuition is covered. At some non-MSTP, dual MD/PhD programs an individual may end up paying for their medical tuition; yet, their graduate school will be covered."

Written by Jasmine Cunningham