London, England, United Kingdom
A second year UCL medical student with a profound interest in neurology due to my work experience, reading books, and attending conferences. I am also keeping an open mind towards other fields and proactively seeking out opportunities for further academic and personal development.
Currently undergoing a research project with the NHNN about the management of shoulder pain in post-stroke patients which will soon be published as a paper.
The Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) is research led by Imperial College London. The aim of SCAMP is to acquire a breadth of information on adolescents in terms of lifestyle, cognitive function and mental health. The research initially focused on the effects of mobile phone use on adolescents, however the research is currently open to researching various other factors that may potentially influence adolescents, identifying co-variables that may aid in drawing these conclusions. My role as SCAMP Ambassador is to continue to work closely with researchers and collect data throughout the next few years in order to provide the information of how certain factors during adolescence has impacted adulthood. The data that I contribute to SCAMP can be used for the greater good of understanding and preventing lifestyle habits that may lead up to certain problems in adulthood. I have already led a team in organising a data collection session at my sixth form and have successfully collected biosamples (such as saliva, urine, grip strength, weight, and other measurements) as well as encouraging students to complete a Psytools assessment measuring cognitive abilities.
Every week I visited University College Hospital (UCH) with the primary goal of communicating with patients from every ward in order to uplift their moods. I am aware of the fact that these patients are in a vulnerable state of mind and body, and thus this volunteering experience has allowed me to enhance the intricacy of communicating with patients, as well as building compassion and empathy towards these people, each with unique backgrounds. Speaking to each and every patient in a clinical setting has given me a clear realisation of what it means to be a doctor. It is commendable to be equipped with the medical knowledge to treat people of their illnesses, however what makes an outstanding doctor is one who is willing to take a holistic approach in treating each patient, taking into account subjective experiences.
Achieved a First-Class (1st) Honour in my dissertation through producing an undergraduate style article titled, "Killing Cancer: Are we too tough or not tough enough?" The article went into depth regarding what cancer is, how it is caused, conventional cancer treatments, and alternative and complementary therapies. Through writing this, I was able to interweave the arguments as to whether the advantages of specific cancer treatments outweigh the disadvantages, all while building critical points in terms of whether the side effects of treatments justify the outcomes, and whether we should be focusing our research on killing cancer or living with cancer.