As a postdoctoral fellow who spends her days conducting basic science research, I have noticed mice unexpectedly become a familiarity within my daily life. However, the first mouse I ever encountered wore red shorts with white buttons and white gloves. Mickey Mouse, printed on matching shirts that my grandmother gave to my sister and me,… Read More »From Mickey to Morris – A Reflection on Mice, Metaphor and Medical Science The post From Mickey to Morris – A Reflection on Mice, Metapho...| Biomedical Odyssey
One of my responsibilities as a graduate student in the history of medicine is to serve as a teaching assistant to Johns Hopkins undergraduates who elect to take the department’s courses. Traditionally, the history of medicine survey course has mostly attracted premedical students who are looking to satisfy the school’s writing requirements with content that… Read More »The Case for Studying History As a Medical Student The post The Case for Studying History As a Medical Student first...| Biomedical Odyssey
A toddler born with a severe neuromuscular disease takes their first steps. A woman born blind sees a sunset emblazoned across a mountain valley her friends used to have to describe to her. A child born deaf hears their mother sing a soothing lullaby for the first time. The advent of gene therapy has made… Read More »Restoring Hearing, Redefining Identity: New Therapeutics and Challenges The post Restoring Hearing, Redefining Identity: New Therapeutics and Challenges first appeared on Bio...| Biomedical Odyssey
This article has been deidentified to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of the patient in the story. Any matches in names or circumstances to other patients are entirely coincidental. Guest Blogger Ursula Gately is a second-year medical student at Johns Hopkins from Arizona, who discovered her passion for medicine while working as a wrangler on… Read More »Patient-Centered Medical Homes: Lessons from Community Medicine in Japan and the Johns Hopkins HHT Center of Excellence The po...| Biomedical Odyssey
Winning the Fulbright During COVID-19| biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org
By Susana Rodriguez, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology| Biomedical Odyssey
Equal treatment for all is one of the values on which this institution was founded. In an 1873 letter from Mr. Johns Hopkins to Johns Hopkins Hospital trustees, he wrote that the hospital must care for “the indigent sick of this city and its environs, without regard to sex, age, or color, who may require surgical or medical treatment.” We take this charge to heart.| Biomedical Odyssey
The Mental Health Crisis in Medical Education: Sharing Stories, Normalizing Unwellness and Seeking Help| biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org
When I graduated from high school in 2012, I did not expect that I’d still be in training 13 years later. Not only that, but l still sometimes wonder if I am ready to care for the patients I see every day. I distinctly remember how unprepared I felt at the end of medical school.… Read More »Spiraling into Control The post Spiraling into Control first appeared on Biomedical Odyssey.| Biomedical Odyssey
When I moved to Baltimore in the spring of 2024, I found myself quite unprepared for the homesickness that was to follow. By week 4, I could not sleep. The only thing that could comfort me was a steaming hot plate of biryani. I am from Karachi, a vibrant, sleepless city, also known as Pakistan’s… Read More »Homesickness is Cured in the Kitchen The post Homesickness is Cured in the Kitchen first appeared on Biomedical Odyssey.| Biomedical Odyssey
Children in Baltimore City are about twice as likely to have asthma as children nationwide. The country Tuvalu is disappearing because of sea-level rise, with more than one third of its citizens applying for climate visas in Australia. Extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods, put thousands of people in the United States at risk of illness, injury or death. What I learned in medical school (in excruciating detail) is that we are biological organisms. What my classes haven't ackno...| Biomedical Odyssey
This article has been deidentified to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of the patient in the story. Any matches in names or circumstances to other patients are entirely coincidental. If, right now, someone asked me what I’d been up to today, I might start with the phrase, “I had dinner.” Then I’d tell them about… Read More »Getting Up The post Getting Up first appeared on Biomedical Odyssey.| Biomedical Odyssey
Aravind Eye Hospital in PondicherryGuest Blogger Shruti Anant is a fourth-year medical student at Johns Hopkins from Northern Virginia. Her professional interests include using technology to address the burden of preventable blindness and in improving access to care for refugee populations. In her free time, she enjoys running, videography, film photography, and live music.| Biomedical Odyssey
As a child, my mother would take my siblings and me to the local public library. I would check out so many books that the librarians would often ask if I was sure I could read them all. I met their challenge, however, to the point where I would sometimes get in trouble at school for reading under the desk. In high school, my friends and I would spend hours in the library reviewing calculus problems and laughing at comic books during our study breaks. In college, we had 24/7 access to our scho...| Biomedical Odyssey
I am sitting in one of the most beautiful architectural marvels I have ever seen: the iconic Rose Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library. A thoughtless turn of the head while stretching my neck and I catch a glimpse of centuries of knowledge in their primordial form — first edition journals and volumes neatly displayed in stacks of thousands. I could look up and be mesmerized by a scene that is reminiscent of a trip I once took to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, with a ceiling inlaid ...| Biomedical Odyssey
When I was in high school, I had the privilege of participating in a research internship at my local state university through one of their science outreach programs. This was a formative experience for me in many ways. For one, it was my first time working in a lab, which solidified my interest in pursuing… Read More »Reflections About Science Outreach and Why We Need More of It The post Reflections About Science Outreach and Why We Need More of It first appeared on Biomedical Odyssey.| Biomedical Odyssey
Tucked away on the first floor of The Johns Hopkins Hospital is a room that looks closer to a 19th-century parlor than anything having to do with clinical care. The room is covered with patterned sofas, lamps and reading nooks. Littered around are books covering everything from women’s history and leadership to guides on physical examination.| Biomedical Odyssey
July 1 marked a monumental day for all first-year residents, also known as interns, across the country. All freshly minted medical graduates began the rite of passage of what purports to be the most challenging year in medical training. No longer medical students, interns suddenly must take up the mantle of responsibility and make real-life medical decisions. This transitional time is riddled with anxiety and stress. Two years ago, two interns working at reputable hospitals in New York commit...| Biomedical Odyssey
Last year — on a whim, and to temporarily escape the stresses of neuroscience research — I began to take improvisational comedy classes with the Baltimore Improv Group (BIG). Once a week, I’d leave the world of pipette tips, blinking displays and squirming mice and instead be transported to whatever reality my scene partners and I would create.| Biomedical Odyssey
How Business School Is Making Me a Better Doctor| biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org
We’ve come a long way from the humble pedometer. Today’s wearable technologies, such as fitness trackers and smartwatches, collect a wealth of biometric data that researchers are only beginning to explore for insights. As these devices become more sophisticated and widespread, they present intriguing possibilities for health research on a much broader scale than was previously feasible.| Biomedical Odyssey
During a recent panel, trainees shared their thoughts on how changes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used to improve access to careers in science and medicine going forward.| Biomedical Odyssey
During my last outpatient pediatrics clinic in residency, a patient and his mother reminded me that the therapeutic relationship can transcend language. I had been taking care of a young boy, whom I’ll refer to as “A,” since the beginning of his life. He had developmental delays and several other medical problems. His mother was the subject of domestic violence and consistently screened positive for food insecurity. Although she wanted to leave her abusive partner, she had no time to wo...| Biomedical Odyssey
Our higher education system must be radically changed at every level to ensure an equitable and safe future for Black scholars.| Biomedical Odyssey
Last week, NPR published “Academic Science Rethinks All-Too-White ‘Dude Walls’ of Honor” on its website. This article addresses the message that walls of honor that mostly feature white men may send to nonwhite and nonmale trainees. Several academic institutions are dismantling or relocating their “dude walls” to send a more inclusive message, and this has been met with mixed opinions.| Biomedical Odyssey
In 2012, the Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Diversity (ACDWGD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) produced its first report. The committee stated plainly that diversity increases core scientific principles — creativity, innovation and rigor — and that the NIH had a responsibility as a publicly funded body to maintain the basic fairness of equal opportunity. To support greater representation of minorities in the biomedical sciences, the ACDWGD issued recommenda...| Biomedical Odyssey
Working in science can sometimes be an arduous, solitary journey. While being a graduate student is challenging enough, the pressure is ratcheted up when one is a postdoc. A postdoctoral fellow, or postdoc, conducts mentored research after obtaining a doctoral degree, prior to moving on to a more permanent position. Postdocs are expected to generate scads of data while also carving out time to write grants and mentor trainees. The chronic pressure and competitive environment can also exacerba...| Biomedical Odyssey
In the months after America’s reflection on systemic racism, student groups are continuing to fight for initiatives to support underrepresented minority trainees at Johns Hopkins.| Biomedical Odyssey
Climate change, global conflicts, poverty and antiscience: Peter Hotez gives us his take on these issues and their relationship to neglected tropical diseases and vaccines.| Biomedical Odyssey
Maame Yaa Konadu Idun is a dual degree candidate in the public health and business administration master’s programs, with concentrations in epidemiology and biostatistics/health technology and innovation. Her writing draws inspiration from perspectives coming straight from the nuanced bits of all corners of the world. I wake up to my 5 a.m. alarm, a constant showdown between| Biomedical Odyssey
You are on a roll. In the morning, you delivered a compelling business proposal. You were the center of attention at lunch and your colleagues loved your witty remarks. In the afternoon meeting, you stood your ground and brilliantly defended your case with irrefutable arguments.| Biomedical Odyssey
In the wake of a seismic shift in the political environment in the United States, with a new presidential administration and the promised rapid repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), medical students across the country are making their voices heard. Health professions students have unified under an ancient, fundamental ethical principle set forth in the Hippocratic Oath: “primum non nocere,” or “do no harm.” Repealing the ACA, these students have argued, “wi...| Biomedical Odyssey
On Nov. 9, 2016, our country awoke on the precipice of a new beginning. The recent presidential election was historic in many ways, but one that particularly struck me was the unprecedented lack of enthusiasm shown by voters toward both candidates. This lack of enthusiasm reflects the hopelessness many people in the United States feel toward the actions of our government, a feeling that is also pervasive throughout the medical profession. As physicians, the idea that we are unable to affect c...| Biomedical Odyssey
As an international medical graduate from Lebanon, training in the United States is an opportunity I’ve dreamed about for many years. Yet, while I immerse myself in fellowship training at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, my heart and mind often drift thousands of miles away, to my homeland, which is currently ravaged by war.| Biomedical Odyssey
Last month, my friend came back from Mount Kosciuszko with stunning photos and a seriously painful-looking sunburn. As I prepared to undertake the same hike based upon his enthusiastic recommendation, I decided to pack some SPF 50 and planned to reapply every 30 minutes. Without experiencing a sunburn firsthand, I knew to stay sun-safe, thanks to the brain’s innate ability to learn very effectively by watching others — a phenomenon called observational learning.| Biomedical Odyssey
The website from which you got to this page is protected by Cloudflare. Email addresses on that page have been hidden in order to keep them from being accessed by malicious bots. You must enable Javascript in your browser in order to decode the e-mail address.| biomedicalodyssey.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org
Nothing spells summer in Baltimore like the smell of hot asphalt, the sulfurous haze of backyard fireworks and the sweet siren’s call of a faraway ice cream truck.| Biomedical Odyssey
This past April, you may have noticed a surplus of sparkling lights scattered throughout Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. For those who participated, Light City Baltimore provided food, music and fun. This event was so popular, it even attracted people from outside of Baltimore, including residents from Philadelphia and New York City, among other places.| Biomedical Odyssey
The Department of Neuroeconomics and Neuromarketing sounds like a title chiseled on the wall of a corporate division in a dystopian future; the highlight of a consumerism episode of Black Mirror. But Dino Levy, a researcher in this seemingly dystopian department at Tel Aviv University, was quick to readjust our preconceived notions of what his lab studies when he spoke at Johns Hopkins several weeks ago. Neuroeconomics and neuromarketing are terms that refer to the science of choice: How do...| Biomedical Odyssey
The American Medical Association, or AMA, is the largest association of physicians and medical trainees in the United States. This organization has also established itself as one of the most powerful political lobbying groups in the country, ranking third in dollars spent for this purpose over the last 20 years. Additionally, the AMA has a very active medical student base, the Medical Student Section (MSS), which meets biannually for national meetings just like its parent organization, the AM...| Biomedical Odyssey
Aloha! Being a medical student has its perks. Over the past semester, my medical school experiences have taken me across the country. I’ve traveled to various conferences in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and this month, Hawaii, where I attended the American Medical Association (AMA) Interim Meeting in Honolulu. The AMA is the largest coalition of physicians in the United States, and it serves as a system of leadership among medical practitioners while providing a voice for physicians t...| Biomedical Odyssey
Guest blogger Katie Pham is a neuroscience Ph.D. student interested in visual processing and memory research. She was born in Hanoi and raised in Northern California. Outside of lab, she enjoys spending time with her cats, watching Family Guy, and reading literary fiction.| Biomedical Odyssey
The history of cannabis use likely traces back to Asia as early as 500 BC. The plant’s purpose then was medicinal, but there are reports from ancient Greece of recreational use by the Scythians. Fast forward thousands of years to July 1, 2023, when the recreational use of cannabis was legalized in Maryland. While the| Biomedical Odyssey
I was surfing Amazon the other day when I came across the most peculiar thing. It was a brain stimulator, a research tool like the one we often use in the lab I work in to study the brain. Yet this wasn’t a device manufactured for research purposes; it was marketed to the average consumer as an all-in-one panacea to boost cognitive performance, treat mood disorders and accomplish who knows what else. Naturally, I was intrigued, a curiosity that led me down the rabbit hole of direct-to-consu...| Biomedical Odyssey
What is artificial intelligence today? | Biomedical Odyssey
There’s been a huge amount of news lately about large language models, such as ChatGPT, and how they may impact medicine. From passing licensing exams to co-authoring papers, ChatGPT is rapidly being used in biomedical science applications — even as human-powered regulatory agencies and publishers scramble to understand the ethics and implications of this expansion.| Biomedical Odyssey
Scientists at MIT Sloan created a data-driven interactive role-play exercise to drive home the urgency of the climate crisis. Ph.D. candidate Talia Henkle shares her experience participating in this exercise.| Biomedical Odyssey
The Green New Deal is the first plan in Congress that acknowledges the magnitude of the climate change crisis and draws two main bases for further policy proposals: what America has to do and how to protect people from such a drastic transition.| Biomedical Odyssey
Baltimore murals are more than just landmarks. They are also windows into the communities that sponsored them and have deep roots in the neighborhoods’ histories and cultures.| Biomedical Odyssey
Each November, the American Medical Association (AMA) Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates is held. The House of Delegates is a policy and legislative body comprising nearly 500 elected physicians. The House of Delegates convenes under one roof with delegates from each state and specialty society to discuss the direction of medicine and medical advocacy for the coming six months. The following topics were at the forefront of negotiations at this meeting in November 2023.| Biomedical Odyssey
What steps are clinical teams responsible for to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) recommendations are accurate and unbiased before using them in patient care? If a care team member uses AI to automatically write a note in a patient’s chart, how should this be indicated in the electronic medical record? Once an AI has been shown to have largely accurate performance, is it necessary that a physician be able to explain the AI’s decision in an individual case?| Biomedical Odyssey
The incorporation of machine learning into daily living has exponentially increased in recent years after the release of ChatGPT for public use. From generating digital artwork and creating personalized playlists to predicting medical outcomes and election results, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken up an indispensable role in improving the efficiency of our recreational and professional| Biomedical Odyssey
