Post by Karanjot Chhatwal

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧. At the start of medical school, research felt like a locked room.  Everyone talked about “publications,” but no one explained how to get involved. I watched others get experience, some through family friends, others through opportunities I hadn’t heard of. I felt behind.  So I did the only thing I could: I wrote cold emails. Dozens of them. Most didn’t reply. A few replied politely, but said no. Eventually, one said yes, and that yes changed everything. It led to a project that culminated in my 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, working on virtual wards and remote patient monitoring. For the first time, I saw how research could influence healthcare policy and redesign the way care is delivered, and I was part of that change. From there, I kept building on every opportunity. I joined the Imperial Health Impact Lab, worked on national studies in AI and digital health, presented my work in the UK and US, and received awards from globally recognized institutions. But none of this would’ve happened without that first opportunity. It made me realize: there are so many brilliant students out there who never get that chance. Not because they’re not good enough, but because no one opened the door for them. That’s why I teamed up with Dr. Sammy Arab, M.D. Arab, current Research Fellow at Mayo Clinic and a graduate of Imperial College London Medical School. Together, we co-founded TheMedNex, the answer to the question: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰?” TheMedNex 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄. Whether you’re just starting out with zero experience, or you’ve already done research, there is space for you. What you gain: ✅ Step-by-step support from protocol to publication ✅ Mentorship from experienced researchers ✅ High-quality national and international research projects  ✅ The opportunity to collaborate with institutions like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard and more ✅ Authorship for your work; no fees, no gatekeeping We have already grown to 3,000+ members. Over 50 students have co-authored papers with us and are now leading projects of their own. 📣 We’re inviting medical students and doctors to join our 2025–2026 committee and help shape the future of MedNex. Committee members will be featured on our newly commissioned professional website (link in the comments below). Comment "𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐍𝐞𝐱” and we’ll send you the application form. Dr. Kish Mankad | Dr. Fadi Adel | Dr. Rashmi Akshikar | Dr. Sam Sayed | Dr. Jude Merzah | Dr Dev Gakhar | Dr. Issam Motairek | Michael E. Bryan | Hamaad A. | Rasi Mizori | Dr. Thomas Hargreaves | Dr. Michela S. | Ahmed Salih | Alisha Mahmud #EquityInResearch #MedicalResearch