Settling In - Coulter Ralston / Dr. Ellenson / 06242022

With another week of immersion done, I am finally beginning to feel a bit more confident with the medical terminology and how the various teams operate within gynecologic oncology! To understand pathology in more detail, I have been attending more sign-outs to understand how histology slides are interpreted, and I have been reading a pathology textbook to go back and learn at a much slower pace. 

This week in particular, I was able to speak with Dr Momeni about projects relating to molecular pathology and how types of mutations will present differently in specific endometrial and ovarian cancers using the patient data provided by MSK. I am particularly excited to get started, because it is all new information that I would love to learn for not only my project here, but also future work for my PhD!

This week, I have also had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Zamarin to understand patient interactions and patient planning firsthand. Seeing empathetic communication and transparency was really reassuring that the doctor really cares. And this week has taught me that there is a whole team behind computers, microscopes, desks, zoom calls, and more that all inform those interactions between the patient and the doctor. 

Next week I hope to continue shadowing in radiation oncology, medical oncology, and pathology. In my spare time, I look forward to learning more about my project and beginning data analysis to understand the mechanisms leading to endometrial and ovarian cancer presentations. 

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