A Career In Medical Research

When I applied to the BA/MD program as a senior in high school I had so much to write about my interest in medicine that the essay portion of my application came out to ten pages. I have even more to write about now, but four years and a hundred academic essays later, I have come to realize that the simpler answer is often the better one. Simply put, I want to to medical school because it will provide an opportunity to do work that is truly meaningful and of value to others. The experiences I have had shadowing physicians and working as a medical technician have convinced me that I want to pursue a career in medicine and medical research.

I grew up in a family of doctors, but the decision to pursue medicine was not an easy one for me. I remember …show more content…
The earliest and most significant influence has been my grandfather, Dr. Leo Parnes. At the age of eighty-two he still drives into Brooklyn to see patients three times a week. He greets many of them like members of his own family - people whom he has know for decades, celebrated with and comforted through the ups and down of life. Some have been his patients since he delivered them as babies. I have worked in his office in various capacities since the time I was fourteen years old and witnessed what compassionate medical care can be. Having the opportunity to see these relationships of trust and caring between doctor and patient up close has always reaffirmed my commitment to pursuing medicine and dispelled the cynicism that sometimes accompanies stories about the modern assembly line of care. Since beginning college I have had the opportunity to work with a number of excellent physicians in fields as diverse as ophthalmology, electrophysiology, and orthopedics The most meaningful of these experiences was my two year internship in the neurology practice of Dr. Ranga Krishna. As a technician for two nerve tests I saw hundreds of patients and wrote half a dozen case studies for publication. It was the most educational and challenging experience off my undergraduate career. I learned a great deal about the human brain and nervous system, and I learned even more about people. I comforted patients as they wept for the duration of a twenty minute test and . I discussed Bach and Mozart with tattooed truck drivers and learned to leave my assumptions at the door. I discovered that as much as I love science the greatest draw of medicine is the ability to interact with people and help them in what ways I