In the MSTP at Stony Brook, the first-year of graduate school marks a year of academic service during which students facilitate program admissions, monthly seminars, and the annual Research Day. The GS1 service year is a “rite of passage” that gives students a sense of ownership of their program and provides each cohort an opportunity to work as a team toward developing important professional skills: organizing scientific meetings, leading seminars, and hosting a series of interdepartmental and off-campus speakers.

In particular, the MSTP Journal Clubs and Clinician Scientist Dinners (JC/CSD) are a means for GS1s to grow as student leaders by building up the community’s network of trainees and alumni, clinicians and scientists. GS1s set the agenda for these bimonthly program-wide meetings, working together with Program Co-Director Markus Seeliger to put together a series of talks that cover the broad and varied research interests and clinical specialties represented within the community.

The current GS1s have delivered an exciting and innovative JC/CSD series, notwithstanding COVID restrictions and with just six members, theirs is among the smallest classes in the program. Though the on-going pandemic precluded the traditional bi-monthly dinners and in-person socials, the GS1s have creatively made the most of the virtual format. The 2020-2021 JC/CSDs have featured diverse speakers, including many first-time guests from Stony Brook as well as outside institutions ranging from Boston Children’s and the Cleveland Clinic to the New York State Department of Health. Of the nearly twenty clinicians, scientists, and public health experts who spoke at the seminars this year, 33% were female and 40% POC, improving on five-year averages of 32% and 37%, respectively. As in previous years, some of the more prominent research topics have included cancer and internal medicine, neuro/psych, pathology — and, of course, infectious disease.

More remarkable has been the less-strictly-STEM themes that have consistently emerged in speaker presentations and student questions, such as discussions of LGBTQ health and advocacy with guest speaker Dr. Carl Streed (Boston University SOM) or a talk bearing on implicit and explicit bias in medical training and community medicine with Stony Brook’s own Dr. Jedan Phillips. In another memorable JC back in January, a three-woman panel addressed questions about the COVID vaccine, just as vaccine roll-out began to take off in the United States — a novel format for the JC. Panelist Dr. Oni Blackstone (Harlem Hospital Center) shared from her first-hand experience practicing medicine in low-income and racial minority communities where inequality-driven mistrust and vaccine hesitancy are prevalent. Several of this past year’s JC/CSDs have pushed past the strictly “professional” career paths and data plots — into the role of one’s values, politics, and identity in becoming a fully-fledged physician scientist.

By the GS1s’ own account, this is in large part by chance and in some part an apparition of the student-body zeitgeist. When asked about this trend, GS1s Camelia, Jay, and Alex expressed a mixture of surprise and gratification at the new balance of professional and personal topics covered during JC/CSDs. Camelia and Jay recalled seeing Dr. Carl Streed on a virtual diversity panel last September as part of the 35th Annual MD/PhD National Student Conference — an event that inspired them to invite Dr. Streed, originally not to a CSD but for the COVID panel. When he declined due to a prior commitment, Dr. Street referred Camelia to Dr. Oni Blackstone. Though the students had no set agenda in hosting Dr. Streed for a subsequent CSD, the questions that organically lined up in the digital Q&A queue probed into the relationship between his own open identity as a gay man and his research and practice in LGBTQ health. Perhaps there was something about the remote format of JC/CSD where, despite the alienation of virtual meetings, the glimpses we saw of each other in our homes caused something of our inner lives to bleed through the frames of the Zoom array and pour into the discussions. Jay and Alex both indicated that although they had not plotted to bring the world outside STEM into JC/CSD, they were pleased to see the uptick in community-wide conversations about the personal stories and stakes in our work as future MD/PhDs.

Though we look forward to resuming face-to-face science and seminars (with in-person free dinners), the Zoom Era of JC/CSD hardly hindered the GS1s in producing a stellar series. They have contributed both innovative approaches to MSTP seminars as well as ways of re-imagining what this space can be. We owe many thanks to Alexander Baez, Jay Gupta, Thomas Kim, Kevin Murgas, Dillon Voss, and Camelia Zheng for their efforts in sharing exciting science and keeping us connected in spite of social distance.

By Nuri Kim

Suppose they gave your first semester in medical school and everybody attended remotely. Such was the reality for our incoming class of 2020. Due to the pandemic, all first semester classes were taught remote (including anatomy) and the MS1 students will only have their first opportunity to meet their MSTP classmates in May for graduation dinner. Time for us to welcome them and introduce them. We are very proud to have recruited another academically exceptional class with diverse research interests, hailing from all over the place. In particular, we are excited to have recruited our first entering class with a majority of women. This is an opportunity to thank all of our students, faculty and staff (in particular Allison) who made the recruitment process possible. We wish our incoming class a great physician-scientist journey and as a start, many fun conversations fueled by their fun facts provided below!

Dhivyaa Anandan (Vanderbilt University)

Hometown: Palatine, IL

Fun Fact: I’ll always say that Chicago pizza is better than New York pizza there’s no point in arguing with me.

Research Interests: My research interests are in cancer biology, especially metastasis, tumor heterogeneity, and cancer genomics. My previous work in undergrad was in the Johnson Lab at Vanderbilt University that studied bone metastatic breast cancer, and my gap year work was in the McNerney Lab at The University of Chicago using genomics to study acute myeloid leukemia.

More about me: I went to undergrad in Nashville and it made me realize country music is actually pretty good.

Khalayi Martha Aywa (Wellesley College)

Hometown: Kakamega, Kenya

Fun Fact: I walked 459 miles in 2020 and 521 miles in 2019.

Research Interests: Currently, I am interested in understanding molecular and structural details of protein interactions. Before medical school, I worked on a collaborative project between two labs at Tufts University studying a polyomavirus phosphatase and its cellular targets to understand tumor development.

More about me: I enjoy walking and being out in nature.

Experience during first year: So far, I have enjoyed my first year.

Anthony Chesebro (Columbia University)

Hometown: Millville, NJ

Fun Fact: I was homeschooled K-12 (first in-person class was in college).

Research Interests: Computational neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Aging and dementia

More about me: I’m also a huge fan of board games (ok at some), rock climbing (bad at it, but fun!), and consuming chocolate (self-proclaimed expert, and Nutella with potato chips is an awesome combination).

Tiffany Kim (Stony Brook University)

Hometown: Dix Hills, NY

Fun Fact: I have a black belt in Taekwondo

Research Interests: I am interested in biomaterials for tissue regeneration and in drug delivery systems. In particular, I’m interested in the development of bioactive implants that can be manipulated with external stimuli for the controlled release of drugs or other factors that can promote tissue growth.

More about me: I like cooking, baking, and playing the piano. I also love musicals and listening to cast recordings; some of my favorites are My Fair Lady, Once on this Island, and the Band’s Visit.

Timothy Maher (Wagner College)

Hometown: Milford, CT

Fun Fact: I taught my golden retriever how to bring me seltzers.

Research Interests: I am interested in immunology and gaining a better understanding of the role of T cells in autoimmune diseases. I also am interested in unraveling the genetic susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and environmental factors that may trigger development with the goal of identifying potential preventative therapies and improve overall treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases. Before coming to Stony Brook, I worked in an immunology lab at Yale School of Medicine studying rare genetic immune disorders.

More about me: I am basically always with my dog Rylie. I enjoy golfing, watching sports, fishing, and backyard games. Huge fan of the New York Jets, New York Yankees, and Notre Dame for college football. I’m also an avid fan of The Office, Parks and Rec, and Game of Thrones.

Cuilee Sha (University of Michigan)

Hometown: Great Neck, NY

Fun Fact: I was on a hip hop crew for 3.5 years in undergrad.

Research Interests: Generally, I want to understand how to better use gene editing as a tool to answer questions about regeneration, particularly at the nerve-muscle interface, but am open to other systems and tissues. I am clinically passionate about surgery and am currently figuring out how to design my PhD research to bridge my clinical interests with my basic science interests.

More about me: I got a kitten (my first pet that was not a fish) around the time I started med school; his name is Maksi, and he is very cute and needy.

Sophie Shifman (Rutgers University)

Hometown: Jersey City, NJ

Fun Fact: My parents and grandparents came to the US together from the Soviet Union on the brink of its collapse, and both my brother and I speak, read, and write in Russian!

Research Interests: In general, cells and the brain are two fields of study I find fascinating. My research experience in both cancer biology and neuroscience has driven my aspiration to combine the two fields in my future work as a physician scientist. My previous research has focused on elucidating the effects of antidepressant on neurogenesis in the hippocampus and behavior of female mice across their reproductive cycle, on revealing cellular mechanisms in various cancer histologies of resistance to therapy through the MAPK pathway and of feedback inhibition within the PI3K pathway, and on investigating new approaches in targeted and combinational therapies for tumors resistant to conventional treatment. Going forward, I hope to bring my interests together in studying mechanisms of cancer in the brain and the systemic and psychological effects thereof in cell and animal models.

More about me: I love nature and staying active in general!

Experience during first year: In short – much better than expected! I’ve been really loving my time here in Long Island, and everything being online has actually worked very much in my favor, in having a lot more time to myself and enjoying learning on my own terms.

Kyungyoon (Yoon) Yoo (Vassar College)

Hometown: Redmond, WA

Fun Fact: I’ve finished an entire Costco pizza in one sitting!

Research Interests: My research interests focus on the mechanisms by which cells regulate their cellular processes. In the past, I’ve studied how Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, regulates its genes to survive in different environments, enabling its persistence and transmission from one host to another. I have also studied how eIF3 (eukaryotic Initiation Factor 3), a protein that has been implicated in the development and progression of various human cancers, mediates the initiation step of eukaryotic protein synthesis. For my PhD, I want to research areas related to bacterial pathogenesis and the host response.

More about me: I was born in Seoul, Korea and moved to the US when I was 10 years old.

By Allen Chen

This year from April 21 – April 30, the MSTP will participate for the first time in Stony Brook’s campus-wide Giving Day, an opportunity to enrich our program’s community and connectedness. A year of social isolation has been a stark reminder of the importance of the relationships we build during our time in the program. Research retreats, celebrations and alumni networking are more than just formalities, they are opportunities for collaboration, growth, emotional support and betterment of us all. Money raised from this year’s fundraising will go directly to student activities, providing the freedom to design programing that focuses on bringing students together and enriching our time together. While we recognize everyone has been financially affected by the pandemic, engagement though donations of all sizes will have a lasting impact on the Stony Brook MSTP. Raising funds allows us as students to chart our own path forward, innovating and connecting in ways we think will be most inspiring. We thank you for your participation in MSTP Giving Day and look forward to sharing the many ways funds will be used to better physician scientist training here at Stony Brook University.

By Lillian Talbot

This spring, our featured MSTP alumni is Dr. Catherine Salussolia, MD, PhD, a Pediatric Epilepsy Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Salussolia received her PhD in the Neuroscience Department in the lab of Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth where she studied the biogenesis of glutamate receptors and glutamatergic signaling. She went on to complete a pediatrics and child neurology residency at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Since completing her residency, she has progressed into both a postdoctoral research fellowship in the lab of Dr. Mustafa Sahin at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as her clinical Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship where she balances basic science and busy clinical endeavors.

Here, Dr. Salussolia shared much on her career including her academic journey into medicine and science from her time at Swarthmore College and personal family experiences, spoke on her neuroscience development in the M.D./Ph.D. program, discussed her next grant target, and summarized a typical day of balancing clinical & research obligations with MSTP student Tyler Guinn.

Background, College, & getting into research

What led you to pursue a scientific career? Who are the individuals or what were the important events that stood out to you for motivating you to pursue a scientific focus during before college, during college, or during your masters?

From a young age I wanted to be a physician, but my passion for neuroscience and the understanding of the molecular neural determinants of learning, memory and neurodevelopment in normal and disease states was influenced by personal experiences with my brother.  Chronologically, my brother and I are very close in age; yet, academically we have always been years apart. From an early age I knew that we did not process information – whether it be verbal, written, or tactile – in the same manner. Where I excelled in school, my brother struggled to perform even what one might call simple tasks, such as basic arithmetic.  Diagnosed with multiple learning disabilities – likely stemming from prematurity, hypoxic-ischemic injury at birth, and seizures throughout early childhood – my brother has significantly helped to shape my career in the field of Child Neurology and more specifically, sparked my interest in the molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy and neural function.

My decision to pursue a career in science was influenced by Dr. Maria Papadopoulos, a neonatologist at St. Christopher’s Hospital. Dr. Papadopoulos was an amazing physician, mentor and friend. While working in her laboratory during the summer between my junior and senior years of college, I saw firsthand that you could be a successful physician and scientist. It was during this time, I began to think about applying to MD/PhD programs, but rather than apply during that cycle, I wanted to be sure of my decision to commit to a career as a physician-scientist and pursued a two-year Master’s program in neuroscience where I would complete a thesis before committing to a 8-year program. My Master’s program reinforced my desire to be a physician-scientist.

How did your experiences at Swarthmore & Albany Medical College prepare you for a career in medicine/research?

At Swarthmore, my first introduction to the lab was as a lab assistant making fly food and taking care of the drosophila stocks.  During my sophomore year I began to work on a research project that studied learning and memory in flies: my job was to analyze the mating behaviors of different fly strains that had mutations that impacted their and memory. This experience taught me the patience and attention to details needed to be successful in science. My thesis projects at Swarthmore and Albany Med allowed me to work with mice and rats respectively. Through these projects I learned various behavioral and learning paradigms, as well as surgical techniques that have helped form a good basis for my future research.

Was there an area of medicine or research you were hoping to do when you started to apply to medical school?

Neuroscience- there was never any doubt. With regards to my medical specialty, I was always thinking I would do Child Neurology, but I did briefly consider Neonatology given my college mentor and that I am interested in genetics and developmental aspects, but Neurology was always my true love.

What did you study at Swarthmore? How did this influence your interest in research/medicine?

Swarthmore is a liberal arts school, so there was not a formal neuroscience or neurobiology major. So, I majored in Psychology and minored in Biology, allowing me to create my own curriculum in neuroscience.

Were there any other career paths that you considered?

No.

MSTP Training:

What were some aspects that drew you towards Stony Brook after finishing your masters at Albany Medical College?

The community! On my interview day and on my second look, I felt so welcomed and at home. Everyone was so friendly, and it felt like a great place to be. The possible mentors I met during those early visits were wonderful and the opportunity to work and collaborate at Cold Spring Harbor was a huge plus.

How were the first two years of medical school?

A lot of studying for megas (do you still have those?), full of laughter and good times. I had an amazing class and a great group of friends that made those years wonderful through all the ups and downs.

Were there any challenges that you faced from switching fields/institutions and what advice would you give students in similar positions pursuing M.D./Ph.D. training?

The advice I always give future MD/PhD applicants and even residents, is do not pick an institution for one particular person you would like to train with, as they could leave. Choose a technique or make sure there are multiple people you could see yourself working with so that you have options and continue to adapt and grow in your career.

Which labs did you end up rotating with?

I rotated with Holly Colognato and Lonnie Wollmuth.

How was the transition back into a research lab for PhD?

I was excited to be back in the lab and I didn’t feel like it was a huge transition since I felt like we didn’t really ever stop since there was a rotation prior to 1^st year, a rotation in the summer prior to 2^nd year and then after boards I joined my PhD lab. As with every lab you join, there is a learning curve, but it wasn’t too bad.  The bigger transition was back to 3^rd year. I thought I made a good decision starting with OB/GYN thinking it would be one system to focus on, but the shelf exam was a lot of medicine and surgery, so that was a little steeper.

Who did you ultimately end up picking as a dissertation lab?

I chose Lonnie’s lab after my second rotation and joined immediately following completion of my second year.

How did your undergraduate/masters focus influence your choice of a dissertation lab? What skills were you able to use during PhD that you learned from undergraduate?

My passion for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory led to me to join Lonnie Wollmuth’s lab. My goal was to learn electrophysiology, however my project took a different more molecular turn and I focused on the biogenesis of glutamate receptors. While I still learned basic electrophysiology and have a solid basis in the field, I am still hoping to complete my electrophysiology training in my post-doc.

What ultimately led you to choose the dissertation lab that you did?

First and foremost, the research question/material: glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and is pivotal in normal states such as learning and memory, but dysfunctional glutamatergic signaling is implicated in many disease states including epilepsy, mood/psychiatric disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders.  I also liked that the lab wasn’t too big, and that Lonnie always had his door open to talk over questions, review data or come into the lab and be hands on working through a problem I might have.

What were important milestones for you during graduate school? How did your mentors/PI help you with these?

I think one of the best things I did was include my outside member for my thesis committee at an early stage. I had my outside member present when I proposed, and it was very helpful to have him involved early as it allowed me to complete my thesis in four years and produce three first author papers.

How was the transition back into medical school from graduate school? What were helpful habits, hints, or tricks that you developed to navigate this or heard from other students who had undergone this transition?

In the last year of my PhD, I would work 1-2 ED shifts a month in preparation for going back to 3r year. I thought it was helpful to start getting back into the swing of things, coming up with a differential and working on my presentations.  I chose the ED so I could see a little bit of everything.  If you have the opportunity to do something like this, I would highly recommend it.

As you were approaching 4^th year of medical school, how did you come to the decision to apply to pediatrics/child neurology? What important medical school experiences led you to make this decision? How did your PhD influence this decision?

As I said earlier, I always was leaning towards child neurology, however during medical school I learned about neurodevelopmental disabilities residency as well, which I felt also fit my interests well, so I completed an away rotation at Boston Children’s in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD). I applied to both Child Neurology and NDD, but during my interview at Boston Children’s I met with Chair, Scott Pomeroy who was very honest and a mentor from day one even prior to me matching in the program and gave me great advice about my career as a physician-scientist guiding me towards Child Neurology and pursuing the R25 fellowship for Child Neurologists. The R25 provides 6 months of protected time in your last year of residency and 2 years of funding as a post-doctoral fellow.

Postgraduate Training:

After pediatrics residency, you than transitioned to Boston Children’s Hospital for Pediatric Neurology Residency. Can you speak about that transition? Also, what aspects from your experience stand out as important to keep mindful of when switching institutions, disciplines, areas, etc.?

Any transition brings new challenges and adjustments, I think it’s important to embrace it and don’t be afraid to ask for help. While scary, it was also extremely liberating and felt great to be finally in my specialty. One of the things I wasn’t ready for was that as soon as I started Neurology, attendings were asking what did I want to specialize in? As a first-year child neurology resident, you feel like you are already specialized, but there is so much more! Neuroimmunology, neuroophthalmology, epilepsy, epilepsy genetics, neuromuscular, movement disorders, neonatal, stroke, neuro ICU, headache and the list goes on!

After completing 5 years of residency, what experiences led you to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship position? Were there other options you were considering?

The R25 post-doctoral fellowship from NINDS is a great opportunity for neurologist and neurosurgeons. It provides 6 months protected time in residency as well as 2 years of funding following residency to allow you to gather data to prepare and apply for a K08. I learned about the R25 program during my interviews and applied during the start of my second year of neurology. I am currently working on applying for a K award. As Child Neurologists we are fortunate enough to be able to apply for a K12 award which is only for Child neurologists, as well as the K08.

As a postdoctoral fellow & a Pediatric Epilepsy fellow, can you speak to what most excites you about your current work?

My patients! Understanding the molecular mechanisms of genetic epilepsies excites me and makes me want to get into the lab and hopefully make meaningful discoveries that may lead to patient-specific treatments.

What is a typical day like for you?

Currently I’m a full-time clinical fellow- so I’m on service 3 weeks a month and have elective once a month. Right now, I’m actually covering the concerned parent pager and am on call from home tonight. From a research perspective, I go into lab during nights and weekends when I’m on a lighter service, as I’m currently making a mouse model for my upcoming grant applications.

Miscellaneous/Fun Q’s:

Did you develop any fun hobbies or go on any remarkable adventures during your M.D./Ph.D. training at Stony Brook?

For fun, I was a season ticket holder for the Seawolves football and basketball and really enjoyed attending the games. Before the football games, I would tailgate along with others who sat near us including my PI Lonnie and his wife. I also really enjoyed exploring Long Island- going out East to different farms, vineyards, or just a nice drive.  Port Jefferson is amazing, and I still miss it- studying in the old ship-building building, looking out onto the harbor, and that ice cream!

Are there any aspects, locations, or peoples that you miss about Long Island or Stony Brook?

Port Jefferson and the close ties to the community. I have come back to visit my lab and some of my close friends who still live in the area.

Article by Tyler Guinn, MS3.

The MSTP is not a 400-meter dash or even a 5K, and many who enter this path accept the challenge of the marathon-like endurance to get through a program that lasts nearly a decade. In many ways, getting to the clinical years of the MSTP is like mile 20 of a marathon: you’ve done most of the race, but the last portion can remain daunting. And yet, it can be the most exciting time of the program given that it will likely shape the next decade or more of your life. Having recently finished my third year of medical school, I took some time to reflect on the strengths and struggles the year offered after transitioning from PhD and preparing for residency.

Of relevance to 3^rd year, the MSTP seems to have a unique culture within the medical school and in the various graduate departments aiming to manage both research and clinical endeavors. However, the graduate phase and clinical experience taken outside of the MSTP context can be quite different. The biggest difference I encountered upon entering third year was the culture between basic science research and clinical medicine. On the face, these seem pretty similar: both are interested in academic rigor, research, education, and mastery of field-specific skills. What seemed different, however, was the autonomy and direction of your training. In graduate school, you are often creating this direction with your own autonomy. And if not you, in partnership with your PI, lab mates, or other personal. In the clinical world, this is often determined by your residents, fellows, or attendings, often outside of your autonomy. What this taught me was to be flexible in a given day what was asked of me, the study goals I set, and any left-over time for other aspects of life. To me, this boiled down to managing three things: a clinical workday, studying, and family. Everything else became minimized given the limited time. Others may be able to handle more or have different priorities. I found given time constraints, I could handle one additional aspect of life (e.g. hobby, research, exercise, etc.) to studying & a workday.

The second concept regarding third year that stands out is the topic of having a PhD. Understandably this is of importance to many people, however, colleagues and supervisors on the wards may have similar, indifferent, or countering opinions. In my experience, the PhD definitely gave me time to mature as a person. I didn’t feel as anxious in the hospital, rude clinical comments that may have bothered me before mattered less, and I felt more confident answering questions with my opinion. But what the PhD did not do for me is teach me about being a good clinician: taking a great history, doing a proper physical, refining your differential diagnosis thought process, sculpting a great clinical plan. Therefore, despite the benefits of the PhD experience, what I found personally useful for improving medical mastery was to assume minimal gain in clinical skills from the experience and begin working on improving these competencies like any other clinical student.

How can one acquire these skills? There is no single solution. Some people prepare before going back to medical school, some people wing it, some people learn as they go. From my own experience with third year, I found learning by imitation from medical students, residents, fellows, and attendings was the most effective strategy for improving my clinical competence. I think the most helpful individuals were often other medical students. They seemed to be sharper, more knowledgeable, and often very thoughtful on the clinical questions I was interested in. These individuals from all clinical levels performed duties I found admirable, so I started 3^rd year by observing those who I thought acted in manners that I hoped to emulate one day. There were many examples including seeing patients interviewed a particular way, giving calm to a distressed patient with body language, nailing an oral presentation on rounds, or using analogies when educating patients. Seeing these clinical examples created positive feedback that forced me to read up on various clinical components and gave me dozens if not hundreds of real-time examples of knowledge, behaviors, and skills I could try to progress towards.

Another big concept that I attempted to do throughout third year was to try to give every clerkship a fair shot as if I would go into that area for residency. Even though in my own experience I felt I leaned towards surgery, my time in the MSTP taught me that interests can often change and that keeping an open mind can be one of the best activities for emerging opportunities. For example, I thought I was 100% set on internal medicine when I joined the MSTP. I had it all planned: PSTP in medicine, get a hematology-oncology fellowship, do a 3-year postdoc, get a grant, start a lab, live happily ever after. There was only one problem: I fell in love with surgery. So, I switched paths. Knowing that my own interest had changed during the course of a PhD gave me the evidence to keep open-minded when I was on rotations like OBGYN or primary care. After the end of these rotations, I realized I wouldn’t pursue them, however, I believe I benefitted from them more by leaving the door open to potentially go into these areas as residents and attendings seemed more willing to teach and give advice for careers in medicine.

So, once you’re in third year, what are the actual specific details that can be done to get through the clerkships? At the most basic level, I tried to be a minimalist. This meant I used as few resources as possible and then I stuck with them all year. This may not work for everyone, but I felt it provided me a habit that I could rely on throughout third year. I had three broad categories of resources: spaced-repetition for daily knowledge practice/recall, a simulation tool (question bank) for the shelf exam, and lastly a text-like resource for referral when the first two didn’t seem sufficient or I needed more information for presentations, in-house exams, or working up a complicated patient. For me, this was Anki, UWorld & AMBOSS question banks, and AMBOSS knowledge library. The specific resources listed here aren’t as important I believe as the approach of minimization and sticking with resources consistently.

To conclude, interests may change during third year which may overlap with your PhD or it may have nothing to do with it at all. I’ve seen many MSTP individuals continue clinically in areas similar to their previous research and others switch fields completely very successfully over the years. Whichever path you choose, third year gives a great opportunity to explore that question of: ‘What do I want to do next?’ The rigorous habits and thought processes one accrues during graduate school seem to be a valuable commodity in essentially every field of medicine and therefore finding where one may hope to apply such skills can be an exciting time to explore during third year.

Article by Tyler Guinn, MS3.