October 2018

Another month has flown by, and my appreciation for doctors bringing hope and life to patients swells everyday. The number of drugs, drug interactions, mechanisms of action, and any information that could complicate a patient's recovery are just a few components of what doctors must have mastered to be able to safely treat their patients. So far we have built upon the foundation established during the Basic Principles module with more common diseases like heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and many others with the ANS and CV/Renal modules. The ANS module has been particularly exciting as it has given me a new perspective on the vascular surgery research I have been a part of over the last three years at Vanderbilt Medical Center. There we have been attempting to develop a method to prevent vein graft failures after bypass surgery and determine the best solution to store veins during surgery. We also focused a lot of our research on the endothelial-dependent vasodilation of smooth muscle cells which is major component of the Tulane's ANS block. Being able to see exactly what mechanisms are involved in smooth muscle vasodilation is key to determining when endothelial function is damaged, what is the appropriate drug to restore endothelial function, and what drug can be used to manually incite vasodilation.

Outside of the classroom, I have had the privilege of volunteering at KiPP primary school. With the help of Josh Lowe, we have been able to help clean up the school, organize books for the kids, and prepare the school for inspections so that the kids can continue to receive education. Although we have not yet worked directly with the kids at the school, Josh has helped provide some insight into the what their school's goals are. These kids come from impoverished backgrounds and a lack of family structure so college is rarely something these children plan for. KiPP decorates their halls with different college gear from across the country and aims to provide college as an option for their kids. College is not for everyone, and college is not necessary for "success." But KiPP gives these kids the opportunity to not have their dreams be limited. Should a child want to become a doctor, lawyer, or any other career that requires higher education, KiPP says that dream is within reach and that their financial or family troubles can be overcome with hardwork and dedication.


12 hours of volunteer work at KiPP.

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