Perry Katsarakes / Dr. Rohit Chandwani - Week 8

 I had to leave the immersion term a few days early due to some unexpected family problems, but looking back this was such an amazing experience and I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity! It's hard to believe that at the beginning of this summer, I never even imagined I would have the chance to watch a live surgery in the operating room, interact with dozens of cancer patients at all stages of treatment and recovery, or watch talented doctors analyze a vast array of medical data to collectively determine patient diagnoses. Yet, I was able to do all these things and more over the course of just a few short weeks. I've learned a great deal from my time at the immersion program. There was a lot that surprised me; I couldn't believe how personal Dr. Chandwani was with his patients, getting to know them as intimately as a family member over the course of months-long treatment regimens. I had vague impressions (as we all do) of how intelligent doctors are, but getting to witness firsthand the sheer amount of knowledge and expertise Dr. Chandwani and other medical professionals at Weill Cornell displayed was amazing. Their ability to determine conditions from the slightest abnormality in a CAT scan as well as their skillful handling of patient interactions clearly arose from many years of practice and study. This experience has been such a huge source of motivation to excel in my own research as I begin my Ph.D. this year, and I can only hope that many years from now I will be able to achieve a similar level of expertise in my field! It was so valuable to have been able to participate face-to-face with the patients receiving treatments that I eventually hope to be working on as a researcher in the future. Without this program, I would likely have never gotten that hands-on experience until much later in my career, if at all. This amazing summer has undoubtedly reinforced my passion for biomedical engineering and my dream to revolutionize cancer treatment, and I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone who made it possible!

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