Preparing for the MCAT? Consider using Khan Academy’s FREE Test Prep
Khan Academy is currently working with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to provide MCAT test prep, including all videos and practice questions (as a free resource for students).
Article: Fight Over Covid’s Origins Renews Debate on Risks of Lab Work
By Carl Zimmer and James Gorman, June 20, 2021
At a Senate hearing on efforts to combat Covid-19 last month, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky asked Dr. Anthony S. Fauci whether the National Institutes of Health had funded “gain-of-function” research on coronaviruses in China.
“Gain-of-function research, as you know, is juicing up naturally occurring animal viruses to infect humans,” the senator said.
Dr. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, flatly rejected the claim: “Senator Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect, that the N.I.H. has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute.”
This exchange, and the bit of scientific jargon at the heart of it, has gained traction in recent weeks, usually by people suggesting that the coronavirus was engineered, rather than having jumped from animals to humans, the explanation favored by most experts on coronaviruses. The uproar has also drawn attention back to a decade-long debate among scientists over whether certain gain-of-function research is too risky to allow.
Spurred by some contested bird flu experiments in 2012, the U.S. government adjusted its policies for oversight of certain types of pathogen studies. But some critics in the scientific community say that the policy is overly restrictive and that its enforcement has been far from transparent.
The stakes of the debate could not be higher. Too little research on emerging viruses will leave us unprepared for future pandemics. But too little attention to the safety risks will increase the chances that an experimental pathogen may escape a lab through an accident and cause an outbreak of its own.
Sorting out the balance of risks and benefits of the research has proved over the years to be immensely challenging. And now, the intensity of the politics and rhetoric over the lab leak theory threatens to push detailed science policy discussions to the sidelines.
“It’s just going to make it harder to get back to a serious debate,” said Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who has urged the government to be more transparent about its support of gain-of-function research.
Have HP/STEM questions during the summer? Here’s how to get in touch
Hiring Engagement Fellows for the 2021-2022 Academic Year!
Are you interested in serving as a CCI ambassador, helping to share CCI programs and resources with fellow students and positively contribute to the CCI brand and mission?
Do you have some experience with marketing and promotion -OR- a passion for social media campaign strategies, creation, and content ideation?
Are you a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior who wants to help prepare students to translate their Middlebury experience into a successful pursuit of their post-graduate goals?
Then consider applying to be a Peer Career Engagement Fellow for the 2021-2022 Academic year!
Want to improve Middlebury’s STEM departments? Start HERE.
Want to help Middlebury’s STEM departments learn more about how they can create a robust community of scientific thinkers and learners? Consider taking a survey designed by Professor Genie Giaimo and Khuslen Otgonbayer ’23!
Have HP/STEM questions during the summer? Here’s how to get in touch
Article: How medical schools offer admissions flexibility during pandemic
By Brendan Murphy, December 8, 2020
An economic downturn amid a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic has been the likely reason for an increase in medical school applications. The unprecedented conditions, in spite of the uptick in application volume, have also led to medical schools offering more flexibility in the admissions process.
According to a recent survey of medical school admissions officers across North America conducted by Kaplan, 93% of respondents have made their admissions process more flexible due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
“This is not the application cycle that any aspiring doctor could have predicted or wanted when they took their first premed class as a freshman, but medical schools seem to be taking steps to make the process as straightforward as possible under extraordinary conditions,” said Petros Minasi, senior director of pre-health programs at Kaplan.
“Premeds should keep in mind, though, that although most medical schools are taking steps to remove roadblocks, that it won’t be any easier to get into medical school than in recent years,” Minasi said. “In fact, with applications surging, it’s more important than ever to put together the strongest application possible.”
What flexibility looks like
Over the past eight months of uncertainty and facility closures, major aspects of a medical school applicant’s portfolio—such as in-person volunteer experience and physician observation—have become more difficult to obtain.
“It’s the consensus with my colleagues across the spectrum of med schools that we’ve all come to an understanding that this cycle is going to be limited in terms of expectations based upon what would be the normal volunteer activities,” John D. Schriner, PhD, told the AMA. He is associate dean for admissions and student affairs at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, one of 37 member schools of the AMA’s Accelerating Change in Medicine Consortium.
In addition to volunteer experience expectations, Kaplan’s survey revealed that medical schools are:
- Accepting pass-fail grades for prerequisite courses.
- Extending score submission deadlines for the Medical College Admission Test, which had been disrupted during key windows in the testing cycle.
- Moving admission interviews online.
A less rigid approach to admissions could potentially provide stress relief to applicants who have been through a cycle riddled with tumult and uncertainty.
“Applicants hold a pre-pandemic vision from advisors and near-peers of what it takes to succeed in the admissions process,” said Kim Lomis, MD, the AMA’s vice president for undergraduate medical education innovations. “That is daunting, since many of the traditionally valued experiences and metrics have simply not been possible to attain this year. Hearing that schools are cognizant of these constraints and are being open-minded will hopefully reduce anxiety and let students focus on their enthusiasm for a career in medicine.”
Want to improve Middlebury’s STEM departments? Start HERE.
Want to help Middlebury’s STEM departments learn more about how they can create a robust community of scientific thinkers and learners? Consider taking a survey designed by Professor Genie Giaimo and Khuslen Otgonbayer ’23!
Article: How Health Care In The U.S. May Change After COVID: An Optimist’s Outlook
By John Henning Schumann, May 13, 2021
With more than one-third of U.S. adults now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, there’s growing optimism on many fronts. A majority of states have either lifted health-related restrictions or have announced target dates for doing so.
Already, many clinicians and health policy experts are thinking about what the post-pandemic world will look like.
COVID-19 demonstrated that even in a behemoth industry like health care, change can come quickly when it’s necessary. Patients understandably avoided hospitals and clinics because of the risk of viral exposure — leading to quick opportunities for innovation.
For example, the use of telemedicine skyrocketed, and many think it’s an innovation that’s here to stay. Patients like the convenience — and for many conditions, it’s an effective alternative to an in-person visit.
Dr. Shantanu Nundy, for one, is optimistic about the future of health care in the U.S. He is a primary care physician practicing just outside Washington, D.C., and the chief medical officer at Accolade, a company that helps people navigate the health care system.
Nundy has bold views, based on his current roles as well as prior positions with the Human Diagnosis Project, a crowd-sourcing platform for collaboration on challenging medical cases, and as a senior health specialist for the World Bank, where his work took him to Africa, Asia and South America.
He spoke with Shots about his new book, Care After Covid: What the Pandemic Revealed Is Broken in Healthcare and How to Reinvent It.
You seem pretty optimistic about changes to U.S. health care because of the pandemic. What changes or new practices do you think are most likely to stick around?
I am optimistic. Health care has changed more in the past year than during any similar period in modern U.S. history. And it changed for the better.
Doctors and other front-line workers finally started meeting patients where they are: in the community (e.g., at drive-through testing and mass vaccination sites), at home (e.g., with house calls and even hospital-level care at home), and on their devices. Doctors and patients connected in new ways: In my clinic, which serves low-income patients in the Washington, D.C., area, I was given an iPhone for the first time for video and audio visits and found myself messaging with patients between visits to refill medications or follow up on their symptoms.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Summer Internship
Courtesy of University of Colorado Boulder
Internships can be crucial in developing new skills, understanding the world of work and securing a full-time position in the future. They allow you to “test drive” opportunities to find a position that’s a good fit for you. Here are some ways to make the most of your experience and impress your employer this summer.
Communicate efficiently and effectively
Communication is a great skill to develop while you’re working at an internship. Whether your internship is in-person, fully remote or has limited in-person staff interaction, it’s important to communicate efficiently and effectively with your supervisor and co-workers.
Make sure to respond to emails and other forms of communication in a timely manner (preferably the same day or within 24 hours). Be professional in your responses, but allow some of your personality to show as well. Pay attention to how others communicate at your company, and mirror the ones who are able to balance professionalism and personal touches.
Get to know your co-workers
Check with your supervisor to learn about ways you can interact with your new colleagues. That might include short video calls to introduce yourself, or opening up a chat thread where you can communicate with your team. You might even want to organize coffee breaks or lunch by video conference or with small groups.
Regardless of the format, an internship is a great way to learn from others and their work experiences. Find out more about their career paths and what they do in their roles, and ask for advice on your own career options.
Be a go-getter
Taking initiative is a skill that many employers desire in their employees. Focus on how you can excel at tasks that are within your abilities. This includes
- Managing and completing tasks before deadlines
- Volunteering to take on extra work
- Seeking answers before asking your supervisor
- Proposing a project idea to your supervisor
It is especially important to be self-motivated, efficient and hard-working in a remote setting where it can be challenging for supervisors to see the effort you put in.
Ask for feedback
While employers don’t expect perfection from interns, they do want to see that you’re learning and improving. Use your internship as an opportunity to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Check in with your supervisor throughout your internship to assess your progress. Ask questions such as, “What can I be doing better?” or “Is there anything else I should be doing?” Listen to their feedback and look for ways to improve.
You might make mistakes and that’s OK. In fact, it may be expected when you start a new job. Owning your mistakes and talking through possible solutions can help you develop as a professional.
Keep in touch
The connections you make this summer can help you build a strong professional network. You never know who might have a great job opening or piece of advice in the future. Stay connected with those you meet during your internship by adding them on LinkedIn. Before your last day, write a sincere and personal thank you note to those who influenced your experience. Gestures like this can make a lasting impression on the people around you. It shows you valued your time with them and everything you learned.
Reflect on your experience
Take some time at the end of your internship for reflection. Did you like the work you did and the work environment? Did it provide direction for your future or eliminate a career path or role you thought you were interested in? Keep track of the projects you worked on and skills you developed by updating your resume or LinkedIn profile, and reflect on them as well. Make note of what you learned and how it might influence your future options.
Internships can be great launch pads for your career. Taking these steps, as well as demonstrating your professionalism and willingness to learn, can help you at any organization.
