“Failure instructs better than success. A single death shapes the surgeon’s psyche in a way that fifty “saves” cannot.” I remember this quote every time I look back to commemorate my beloved grandfather who suffered a stroke during my early teens. At his bedside, I watched nurses come and go, checking his vitals and checking the monitors. But it was the neurosurgeons who fascinated me. When they explained what they could do surgically to help, I thought I wanted to be like them, learn what they know, and have the ability to heal as they do. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away, but my curiosity and desire to be like the neurosurgeons did not and actually started me on my path toward a medical degree.
Fast forward to medical school, I took advantage of an active surgery interest group that I and a team of medical students started. Guided by my anatomy professor, I organized a brain dissection workshop. For many of my peers, it was the first and perhaps the last time they would see the inner structures of the brain of a cadaver. During my surgery core rotation, I rotated in the neurosurgical service scrubbing into several cases involving AV malformations, hematomas, decompressive craniotomy, and spinal procedures. During my 4th year elective rotation, I got increasingly involved in patient care responsibilities and came to a firmer grasp of the reasons for the clinical decisions made. I remember Dr. Kanan, leaving behind a portion of the thrombus untouched when evacuating an intracerebral hemorrhage. I understood that it aimed at minimizing potential bleeding from a freed artery that was once collapsed by the thrombus.
Although technical excellence and clinical judgment are imperative for all surgeons, a commitment to studying fundamental disease pathology is essential for advancing the field of surgery. Hence, after medical school, I joined the University of Washington to conduct research to better understand the root causes of neurodegenerative diseases and to develop new approaches to address them. During my elective rotation in the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, I realized that neurodegenerative diseases. I focused on Exosomes that drive neurodegenerative diseases that severely reduced the quality of life in patients. Exosomes were hypothesized to facilitate the spread of β-amyloid and α-synuclein from their cells of origin to the extracellular environment leading to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. I would use this knowledge in a residency program to further my fundamental understanding of disease and the discovery of innovative therapies to improve outcomes, especially for patients in underserved communities.
I have elected to pursue my residency in Neurosurgery in a country considered the leader in medical education. I was fortunate to have medical colleagues who encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon in a country where the teaching model strikes a balance among three ingredients of surgical education: dedication, mentorship, and exposure. I am particularly impressed with the country’s education approach which emphasizes a strong commitment to training the next generation of leading surgeon-scientists who can wield state-of-the-art surgical procedures in traditional operating rooms and in Advanced Simulation, Training, Research, and Innovation Center, where they practice the latest surgical technology.
In a career I consider a lifelong learning commitment, I now bring my knowledge and clinical competencies to the next level with a residency program I consider the next logical sequel and intellectual progression to what I have been doing over the last few years. Realizing I still have so much to learn to bring me closer to my career aspiration in my new homeland, I consider this residency program in neurological surgery as foundational in this direction. I hope to advance my competencies in providing safe surgical services to patients and gain a wealth of experience with exposure to a broad diversity of patients, and the variety of complex medical cases that such exposure brings. Along the way, I am excited to participate in collaborative research projects where I can contribute to enriching the knowledge base in neurosurgery to benefit both my colleagues and my patients.
After completing my residency, I plan to pursue a functional neurosurgery fellowship that will further enhance my competencies as a Neurosurgeon. Further down the road, I plan to take a faculty role to help shape young minds to become future doctors and, in the process, give back to society what I have been blessed to gain in building my medical career. I look forward to realizing these plans soon through this residency program.