MSTP Graduation
With the sun setting across a stunning ocean vista the Stony Brook MSTP program gathered for our favorite event of the year-the MSTP Graduation Dinner. Each May, we come together to celebrate the profound achievements of our graduating students. While our graduates are the main cause for celebration, the dinner offers a chance for each MSTP student to honor their own year of achievements and milestones. MS1s have survived anatomy and are now flourishing as systems course superstars. MS2s breath easy knowing they have slain the Step1 beast. GS1&2s have passed qualifiers and proposals. GS3s have published papers and generated mountains of data. We celebrate the persevering GS4&5s who have defended their theses earning their first doctoral degrees. MS3s rejoice the end of a year of early mornings and recurring shelf exams. Even for just an evening, an end becomes both visible and attainable for students in every phase of the program as we share a meal and reflect on the past. Our graduates this year are Dr. Ioana Rus, Dr. Anand Bhagwat, Dr. Hiren Patel, Dr. Sean Kelly, Dr. Benjamin Newcomb, Dr. Tomoki Nomakuchi and Dr. Glenn Werneburg. Our newest physician-scientists are pursuing diverse medical specialties at renowned institutions across the country. After glasses were toasted and bread was broken Dr. Frohman delivered his annual graduate roast, sharing stories of the grads during their time at Stony Brook. Throughout the event students of all years mixed and mingled with one another and faculty, sharing advice and strengthening our community. The event was beautifully photographed by Ki Oh and Allen Yu. We wish our graduates good luck and are very grateful for their contributions to Stony Brook MSTP.
Ask-A-Grad
On May 18, 2018 seven Stony Brook MSTP Graduates proudly walked across the Wang Center stage for the
ir second doctoral hooding at the medical school graduation. Stony Brook MSTP proudly presents our graduates Dr. Glenn Werneburg (Urology at Cleveland Clinic), Dr. Sean Kelly (Neurology at NYU), Dr. Tomoki Nomakuchi (Pediatrics/Medical-Genetics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), Dr. Benjamin Newcomb (Internal Medicine at Barnes Jewish Hospital – Washington University School of Medicine), Dr. Ioana Rus (Anesthesia at Johns Hopkins), Dr. Hiren Patel (Urology at Rutgers), Dr. Anand Bhagwat (Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). Before our newly minted physician scientists departed from Stony Brook to embark on the next phase of their training we asked them to respond to a few student generated questions about their time in the program. Read on in the newsletter to find out more about their future endeavors, advice for current students and favorite Stony Brook memories. Congrats Grads!
What are some important things for MS1s and MS2s to consider as they choose their labs?
Dr. Werneburg: Consider the dynamic between among the rest of the team members. Is it a collaborative environment, a competitive environment, or a mix? In which of these environment(s) do you thrive? Also, consider the success of previous graduate students in the lab. Did they publish well? In the context of their productivity (grants, papers, etc.), was their time to graduation reasonable?
Did you develop any fun hobbies or go on any remarkable adventures during your MSTP years?
Dr. Werneburg: I developed an affinity for the study of wine and have become a Certified Sommelier. To do so, I acquired knowledge of wine theory and developed analytical tasting skills, as well as an expertise in formal wine service. Requirements such as transpo
rting full champagne flutes to a table of Master Sommeliers, or effectively decanting and describing an aged wine to them, have presented me with learning opportunities in maintaining professionalism, composure, and clear thought processes while performing high-pressure and time-sensitive tasks.
Who were your favorite faculty (research or medical) and why?
Dr. Rus: Dr. Markus Seeliger! who was on my committee and had the most practical and interesting suggestions. Dr. Joseph Sorrento-the surgery clerkship director who has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything and is a probably one of the best educators, along with my own mentor Dr. Giuca. My mentor, Dr. Matthew Giuca is probably my most admired role model, he is an awesome anesthesiologist and it is both helpful from a learning perspective but also motivating to watch him think prepare for his cases and take care of his patients. Every case feels like he is ready for anything! One of my favorite things about working with him is to see his ability to read his patients’ needs and his response to make them comfortable and ameliorate their concerns.
What will you miss most about Long Island?
Dr. Rus: The people I met and the lifelong friends I have made, many of whom are from there or have stayed there after training. If I’m being honest, I’ll also miss the amazing pizza and bagels.
How did you decide on your clinical specialty? Was this a difficult decision?
Dr. Kelly: Some people know long before they ever reach the wards what type of doctor they want to become. For more of us, including myself, it is not so obvious at first and it was difficult initially because I honestly found every rotation to be exciting and eye opening in a new way. However, over time it became easier and more evident which specialties were at the top of my differential diagnosis. In some cases you will know you could not stand doing X or Y for more than a few weeks, so eliminate those things when you’re sure of them. On the other hand, in considering what you do like, think about what the day-to-day is like for a resident and for an attending (not for a medical student) because that is what you will ultimately be doing when you enter the specialty. Consider that some specialties are about solving the clinical riddle and making a diagnosis before recommending a treatment, while others are about taking direct action to abate a problem. Others are about improving patient’s quality of life or guiding them through surgeries, or having a sharp eye while looking at a microscope slide or film. Which one fits you? As you move through the later part of third year, consider these types of questions in the back of your mind, but mostly just focus on learning the core concepts of medicine. I promise by the end of third year you will naturally be better equipped to decide on a clinical specialty.
Have you attended any interesting academic conferences you would recommend to others?
Dr. Kelly: The Combining Research and Clinical Careers in Neuroscience course was extremely worthwhile. The travel is paid for and it has a large variety of useful sessions geared toward fostering young physician scientist careers in Neurology. I recommend going during the later stages of the program (possibly early MS4). Attending any basic science conference where you present and meet others in your field is a must as well.
Tell us about one of your role models in your research or clinical field and what makes them stand out to you.
Dr. Sean Kelly’s Answer: My former research mentor Elizabeth McNally comes to mind because she was the first physician scientist I ever worked with who truly balanced clinical duties and the role of running a large successful basic science lab on a weekly basis. Over time having direct interactions with Dr. McNally led to many special insights into how she accomplished such a delicate balance. To my surprise, it really came down to two simple habits – focusing singly on key tasks and using time strategically each day. For example when it came to lab meeting, it was a time to focus on the nuts and bolts of the science without distraction, with a special mind on identifying the concrete changes needed to advance the significance of the project. Similarly, in terms of time management she scheduled dedicated times for meeting with lab members, writing grants, and even specific hours for checking email. Finally, maintaining a highly specialized clinical focus on the cardiac problems associated with Marfan’s syndrome and muscular dystrophies allowed her to be engaged in exciting and rare clinical cases regularly while still leaving enough time to be productive in research. Today, Dr. McNally is the director of the Center for Genetic Medicine at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She continues to run a successful lab while also seeing patients and spearheading a clinical data collection program investigating the genetic causes of sudden unexplained death.
What top three things powered you through the program?
Dr. Kelly: Without a doubt I could not have survived this program without the support of my wife, who went through a PhD program herself and has been living with me through most of the past 9 years hearing what I have had to say about it. Second, I think I benefit from regular involvement in team sports such as basketball or ultimate frisbee. CSHL has a great biweekly game for anyone interested. I find that these activities wake me up a lot and elevate the mood, even if I am dead tired from a rotation. And finally, the occasional visit with classmates to Checkmate or Country Corner after journal club have helped sustain many great friendships and memories from my time in the program.
What one accomplishment over the last 8 years are you most proud of?
Dr. Kelly: It is always nice to be recognized by fellow members of the MD/PhD program. For me, writing a successful F30 that could be passed on to others in the program as an example felt like the first thing I had accomplished while in the program, and I always appreciated being asked to share it. It’s a small thing, but even after finishing the proposed project and writing the dissertation, I am still proud of the F30, which was really a struggle to complete at the time.
If you could have gone back and done one thing differently during any stage of your MSTP training, what would it be and why? / If you could go back in time and tell yourself 3 things at your white coat ceremony, what would they be?
Dr. Nomakuchi: I’m mostly happy with the ways I did things. I probably should have tried to go to bigger conferences related to my field earlier on in my PhD, and not let the fact that I didn’t have much to present stop me. If I could go back to my white coat ceremony, I would stress the fact that you’re in charge of your own learning and choose freely but wisely who and what to learn from.
How did you decide on your clinical specialty? Was this a difficult decision?
Dr. Nomakuchi: I stayed open to anything during my 3rd year, and enjoyed most clerkships. I enjoyed pediatrics because kids are fun and cute, and you get the chance to really make a difference in their lives. I enjoy talking to the parents too, because for the most part they are very motivated for their children. The specialty of medical genetics ties in nicely with my research interest, and it’s also a relatively new and evolving field. The practice and scope of medical genetics will be different by the time I finish my training, and that prospect is pretty exciting.
What are some of your go-to pick-me-ups after a rough day in the hospital/lab?
Dr. Nomakuchi:I joined a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym in Huntington right before I started my first year. No matter how mentally or emotionally exhausted I was, wrestling people and trying not to get choked out for an hour would always reset my mind and prepare me for the next day. But once I had to give a talk at Cold Spring Harbor with a black eye. I also like to run and go to the gym, and I always made time for some of these activities regardless of how busy I might be .I also enjoy cooking and eating. I spend too much time each morning cooking my favorite breakfast and waking up my housemates with the smell of bacon, but it definitely gets my spirits up before a long day.
