During
my first two years at medical school, the course was designed to
“establish a sound basis of scientific knowledge on which
clinical experience can be built.” Two years later I had had my
fair share of pipetting, centrifuging, and looking down microscopes. So
why did I think a summer of research at Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston, United States, might do me some
good?
I visited
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in January for a week, and
there was not enough time to visit Boston itself. So I decided to come
back and spend part of my summer exploring the city and doing some
medically related work. After several application forms I received in
March an offer for summer work at Harvard Medical School. Mountains of
paperwork loomed ahead of me and by mid-May, I could hardly see
the carpet under the visa applications scattered over my floor. I now
have all my personal details engraved on my desk from the endless
filling out of forms, and I kept wondering why the US embassy
couldnt just buy a
photocopier.
With great cooperation
from the laboratory, I was soon flying across the pond. I found myself
at Boston Logan Airport in an outdoor sauna. Typically, my timing was
perfect: my visit coincided with the biggest heat wave on the east
coast for two decades.
My personal
interest in immunology led me to the Ezekowitz Laboratory of
Developmental Immunology, which studies innate immunity and the
molecular mechanisms that underlie phagocytosis. The ultimate goal was
to understand phagocytosis in flies and apply this to mammalian
systems. Massachusetts General Hospital is the third oldest hospital in
the United States, the largest in New England and is the main affiliate
of Harvard Medical School; I felt privileged to be working
there.
I was assigned to an eight
week project on bacterial spore phagocytosis by Drosophila,
mouse, and human macrophages. With modern immunofluorescence
microscopes and incubators the size of houses, I began to feel drowned
in a sea of technology. I soon realised that I was not in the deep end
(yet) and found my footing with the help of my patient supervisor and
some basic scientific
knowledge.
Over the weeks, I applied
many of the experimental techniques learnt in my preclinical years such
as following protocols, analysing results, and presenting information.
The practical application of previously acquired knowledge allowed me
to appreciate the perspective of scientific research. Learning is one
thing, carrying out an experiment that nobody else has done is another,
and combining the two is a winning
formula.
The researchers have to be
passionate about their field to do full justice to the job. The hours
were intense, and the laboratories are often teeming with workers keen
to further the boundaries of science until as late as 10 or 11
pm.
At weekends I visited Boston,
one of Americas most cultural and friendly cities. Scattered
between the usual plethora of McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendys
(coming soon to a town near you, no doubt) are many magnificent
buildings dating from 18th century revolutionary Boston. Most can be
viewed by foot on the Freedom Trail, a two mile walk through the city,
with the usual conveniently placed overpriced gift shops and
cafes.
Cambridge is a small city across the River Charles from
Boston, and its residents consider it a separate entity. I met an
elderly man from Cambridge on the bus while travelling into work one
morning and he asked rhetorically, “Well would you guys consider
Mayfair separate from London?” I realised my knowledge of Mayfair
was limited to the expensive purple square on the Monopoly board, but
shook my head in agreement all the same. Cambridge is widely considered
a large district of Boston easily accessible by subway or by foot. Some
push for Cambridge to have its own identity because it is home to two
world leading educational institutions: Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and, of course, Harvard. Both have their strengths, though
Harvard offers a wider range of courses. From the outside,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology looks palatial, with a dome its
most distinguishing feature. The Harvard campus has a dignified air
about it, and although the students of technology with whom I lived
acknowledged Harvards superior reputation, the souvenir shops
saw an ironic side, selling T shirts for technology fans with
“Harvard—because I couldnt get into MIT”
plastered across the
front.
I would strongly
recommend a stint abroad, to pursue a passion for science, if you are
interested in medical research. Such an exciting experience not only
enhances cultural awareness but more importantly, gives a firsthand
insight into todays research and could help you pursue a career
in this field. For me it was an invaluable summer; even heat waves
couldnt spoil the fun.
