Holding the Pathology in our own Hands
My biochemistry training from MHC has given me a solid scientific foundation to my career as a general surgery resident at Stanford.
Major: Biochemistry
Advanced Degrees: MD, Stanford University School of Medicine
Research internships: Summer Research Student, Harvard Immunology Summer Program; Summer Undergraduate Immunology Research Program, Harvard Medical School
Employer: Stanford Hospital - General Surgery Resident
My biochemistry training from MHC has given me a solid scientific foundation to my career as a general surgery resident at Stanford.
After medical school, I chose general surgery as a career because of the enormous breadth of patients and problems that a general surgeon must know how to treat - we receive training in everything from appendectomies to organ transplants. As a surgeon, I am often involved in the care of some of the sickest patients at the hospital. I love that within the span of a day, we can make a diagnosis using a history and physical, then take a person to the operating room to see and hold the pathology in our own hands.
The biochemistry courses at MHC taught me about scientific basics that doctors must master when prescribing medications and understanding the pathophysiology behind diseases.
Preparing for projects like the 'comps' and my senior thesis gave me practice in looking at data with a critical eye and forming my own scientific opinions - a good trait for any academic surgeon!