Carlos Urrea / Dr. Sabrina Strickland: Week 2

This week started with the exciting MRI course by Dr Prince on Sunday where I was able to learn how MRI machines worked and got to scan myself and my peers on them. It was interesting to learn what radiologists look at in this scans and understand how treatment decisions can be made from these images. On Monday, I finally got the chance to shadow Dr Strickland working in the OR. It was exciting to see the variety of cases and to watch the role dynamics between every person in the OR. I saw a MCL allograft procedure and how they used donor tissue to recreate the ligament. Additionally, I was able to watch a MACI (Matrix Induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation) procedure where they used a patient's own cells to cover an osteochondral defect. Finally, I was able to see how they use the MAKO robot to perform a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement. I was amazed at the ability of the surgeons to utilize this technology and talked with the company agents to talk more about how the technologies worked. Later on the week, I shadowed Dr. Strickland in the clinic and observed again how she engages with the patients and addresses their concerns. I was also able to understand better how she decides the particular treatment a patient should follow and what goes into making those decisions. Finally, I was able to learn more about the research project I will be working on the summer in Posteromedial meniscal root repair biomechanics and look forward to start working in the lab next week.


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