I am no Football fanatic, but this past weekend surely consisted of a lot of football. On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys won their game against the Detroit Lions, which is the reason why I am able to sip my celebratory free coffee from Dunkin Donuts while writing this weekly report! However, in addition to the recreational aspect of football, I was able to look more into America’s favorite sport from a researching point of view.
On Saturday, I had my interview with Dr. Kumar, a renowned neurologist and the official doctor for many former NFL players. Given that Dr. Kumar was scheduled to discuss his research projects with his colleagues right after meeting with me, there was not much time to interview him, but he was kind enough to allow me to listen to his research presentations. In general, Dr. Kumar and his team researched the health effects of football on NFL players. They explained how football players are more susceptible to depression and anxiety due to concussions, with mental illness rates ten times more than the average football player. This information was quite surprising, and for a future assessment, it would be interesting to look into this trend and what the NFL has done in response to this research. In addition, Dr. Kumar mentioned how he often involves college students in his research, and he told me that he would love to have me on his team once I am a freshman in college. The future beyond high school holds ample potential and ISM is to thank! Furthermore, with Business Symposium in just two days, there is hope that more interviews can be secured through the connections made at this networking event.
0 Comments
It has been exactly a month since school started, and it is quite interesting to compare where I am today with where I was one year ago. Watching the ISM I students learn the art of handshakes and cold calling brings back nostalgia of times when the thought of talking to professionals was daunting. Nowadays, I have been following up and calling five to six professionals every class period in order to secure interviews, so it is much easier to interact with other adults as well.
Since this week the class took a break from doing an assessment, the free time was used to get ahead in other subjects so ample time could be allotted during class for working towards setting up potential interviews with neurologists. I have yet to schedule another interview since Dr. Aiyagari, but hopefully my persistence will pay off soon. Furthermore, the ISM Business Symposium is happening next Wednesday, so there is much to look forward to because networking with different professionals can help in establishing a line of contact with neurologists. So far, my ISM journey has been developing my perseverance, and hopefully in two or three months, I will look back at this time and remember how the obstacles faced paid off in the end. Calls, calls, and more calls: that is what this week primarily consisted of. In efforts to attain more opportunities to interview neurologists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I spent most of the ISM class periods pacing back and forth in the hallways while leaving messages in voicemail boxes. Although little success was achieved in actually getting through to professionals, there is still ample hope because there are many professionals in the area to contact.
On a more positive note, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Aiyagari on Wednesday, and the stories that he told about his experience in neurocritical care have sparked further interest in the field. The most inspiring part of Dr. Aiyagari’s journey in neurology was his decision to move to the United States even though he struggled financially. Because the medical technology that is available here is unrivaled, he decided to pursue his love for knowledge in exchange for security, and this choice showcases the persistence and drive for knowledge that medical professionals must have. Thus, after the interview, I feel less discouraged about only having interviewed one professional. In addition, Dr. Aiyagari also offered to provide more contact information for neurologists in the area, so the upcoming weeks will consist of more calls and emails. This past weekend was much needed. Above every other type of weather, the rain is the most soothing, and it rained so much this weekend. As the raindrops gently pitter-patter on the window, the world almost seems to come to a standstill. And in those moments, I get my best work done.
After one week of unsuccessful cold calls and emails, I decided that this had to change, so this weekend consisted of hours and hours put into enhancing my ISM journey. To start off, I researched more neurologists in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area, and added them to my contact lists. In addition, my friend has been researching with a neurologist for college, and he shared his contact information, so there is quite a lot of hope. The hard work truly paid off because Dr. Aiyagari from UT Southwestern Medical Center just emailed me back, and he said that he would be happy to speak with me. Thus, Wednesday will be when I have my first interview. It is exciting that my ISM Journey is headed in the right path. So far, cold calling has been much harder this year than it was last year. Often times, secretaries and office managers answer the phone instead of the actual neurologist that I want to speak to, and my message ends up getting lost. However, given that neurologists have such a high-stress job, I understand and shall remain persistent. It’s been about two weeks into senior year now, and the stress is slowly building up. Tests, quizzes, and projects: they are all rolling in and managing this on top of extracurriculars, work, and, of course, college applications is testing my level of productivity. Usually, a short nap was the first thing on my schedule upon getting home, but lately, there has been no time for that either. Sleep is for the weak!
In terms of ISM, however, there is ample security because of my past connections from the summer. I started by reaching out to people who I already have a direct line of contact established with because then more connections can be made. Over the summer, working with Dr. Dike allowed me to learn more about him and neurology, and he even expressed interest in participating in the ISM program. In fact, he also told me that he would be more than happy to help with networking. Thus, Dr. Dike was the first person I contacted. In addition, over the summer, I was quite determined to watch a brain or spinal cord surgery, so I contacted many different neurosurgeons. Out of everyone that I emailed, Dr. Braga responded, and he told me that unfortunately it would not be possible. In order to increase my neuro-network, I made sure to ask him about any potential contacts that he would be willing to share. Even with the school year starting, one of my goals for ISM is to watch a brain surgery. Although neurology is my topic for this year, it would be such an interesting experience to observe a surgery involving my favorite organ. As we progress into the year, all of the ISM students will slowly branch out from the classroom as they start pursuing their topics more in-depth through interviews and mentor visits. I wish everyone a happy ISM journey! |