Key concept for physician-scientist trainees (and programs) to embrace is that “Real Life” doesn’t wait for us to finish training, nor should it. I am an intern, father, scientist, husband, colleague, friend, neighbor, son… and I am all of these things at the same time.
I'm happy to announce that the Pepins will officially be returning to the US for medical residency. Although the exact location is still pending, we would (honestly) be thrilled to join any of the programs on my list!
#Match2022
On cardiology fellowship
#MatchEve
, I'm left feeling tremendously grateful to have been interviewed by some of the best cardiologists in the profession. A few highlights (in chronological order):
@AdamRodmanMD
I think he would appreciate the limitations of each. We don’t usually get daily CT scans on our hospitalized patients, and it doesn’t cost our patients $3,500 to listen. Trends matter in medicine, and the physical exam is something we can do every day.
I was asked the question, "How did you balance having a family while staying productive in graduate school," and all I could think about was this picture (from 2018)... sharing my passion for science and medicine with my daughters kept it lit.
I am pleased to announce that I have just submitted my 2022 Residency
#ERAS
application! As a first-generation MD and/or PhD, it is an honor to simply apply. Thanks to many of you for your encouragement/advice!
So many people made this day possible, but the first one was my mom. Homeschooling us with just a GED, her efforts have yielded 3 doctorates, 2 masters and 3 bachelors degrees. Oh, and she’s since gone to college and is now an oncology nurse…
Birthday celebrations in the
@BrighamMedRes
cafeteria were undeterred by a 28-hr call, big thx to the incredible
@sarahaboualaiw
, who insisted on taking my pager and "kicking [me] out" of the MICU for it.
Another big day for the Pepins! Big thanks to
@BrighamMedRes
for the training, friendships, mentors, and incredible patients. Moving westward isn’t “goodbye,” but perhaps just a longer commute from
@StanCVFellows
.
Making a student handbook for third-year medical students and came up with this illustration on giving an effective clinical presentation. Thoughts/suggestions?
It would be super helpful if residency programs could preemptively describe (in detail) family/dependent health insurance, parental leave, lactation rooms, and childcare. These benefits fall into the "more-than-a-benefit" category and are sometimes uncomfortable to ask about...
With Match lists now fixed, I wanted to share a few simple thoughts for my fellow physician-scientist aspirants, including a few possible challanges during the interview (and post-interview) experience with physician-scientist training programs (PSTPs).
@A_P_S_A
Highlight of intern year (so far) has been digging into the the raw data... from sketching out vasculature on coronary angiograms to a meticulous bedside exam, "Adler Rounds" are the capstone of BWH cardiology pre-fellowship (AKA
@BrighamMedRes
).
Can silencing a single gene prevent HFpEF? Check out our new PREPRINT highlighting the role of Nicotinamide Nucleotide Transhydrogenase (NNT) in cardiometabolic HFpEF.
@JohannesBacks
@uniklinik_hd
@CRC1550
Found this in the mail, and I could not feel more undeserving! Even so, it is more evidence that “your success is measured by those around you” (M. Wolf
@BrighamMedRes
). Thank you,
@uabmedicine
and
@UABMSTP
.
PSTP applicants: "waiting for interviews" is considered the most stressful stage of
#ERAS2023
, and typically wait 2-4 weeks to hear back from these programs... So, you are not alone.
@A_P_S_A
@Phys_Scientist
Parenting in medical school had its tough moments, but I never expected a residency interview to hinge on allowing emails to interrupt bedtime stories... An interview invitation came while putting my kids to bed (my no-phone zone), and now no slots are available.
Celebratory breakfast as the outgoing
@BrighamMedRes
night crew (cardiology, oncology, GMS, MICU), AKA the Delirium Team - bc we’ve lived somewhere between a dream and reality. 😴😱😵💫
Honored to have been awarded the Humboldt Research Fellowship to work in Heidelberg, Germany with
@JohannesBacks
! Eager to begin our funded work studying the epigenetic basis of heart failure-associated carcinogenesis. Thanks also to virtual residency interviews 🔬🤷💻...
Ran into (and then with) a
@AdamWende
Lab younger sibling at
@JointMeeting
in Chicago. Very excited for a day of reconnecting and meeting new colleagues.
PSTP applicants: a program is probably the "right fit" if it encourages (and supports) you to be different, and where belonging ≠ blending.
@A_P_S_A
@Phys_Scientist
Absolutely thrilled to start orientation at @
@StanCVFellows
! Half of the booths were on an OUTDOOR pavilion and the entire process streamlined into a hour-long assembly, offering a reassuring kickstart to the next 5+ years!
What should MD-PhDs look for in a residency? Perhaps there are too may answers, but if you want to be surrounded by like-minded physician-scientists in a supportive resident community where your attendings are authoring the latest guidelines/textbooks, consider
@BrighamMedRes
.
When 48 hrs between clinic shifts = 22 hrs travel + 16 hrs
@uniklinik_hd
for samples to sequence in Boston (cheaper vs shipping) + 8 hrs @ home. Even time for a lab meeting & 🍺🍺 w
@JohannesBacks
! Next time I’ll skip the blizzard in Iceland 🥶…
@BrighamMedRes
@Phys_Scientist
The emotional challenges facing families of patients in COVID-era medicine is so very real... My wife and I have COVID, and our son was just hospitalized with a basilar skull fracture after falling off some stairs. Words can hardly describe this feeling.
@EricDodds01
@JessicaLTami
Interesting questions that reveal how reliant academia is on the unfair treatment of graduate trainees, insisting that their indentured services are needed to perpetuate this top-heavy academic model. Maybe the point here is that we should create a better system. Thoughts?
Ringing in our new academic year in the CCU, and what a time it was. Running codes, placing lines, and managing some of the sickest patients in our hospital is only a fraction of what makes this team one for the books.
#neverworryalone
@BrighamMedRes
@RW_Ariss
Spectacular turnout and discussion
@EMBLEvents
#EMBOCardiobiology
,
@JohannesBacks
! Such a privilege learning and presenting to this interactive group (and also seeing old friends). I’ll keep coming back to this one!
Tonight my wife was hit by an intoxicated cyclist on our way home from dinner. Immediately 5 strangers stopped, began watching our kids as I tended to my wife and the man. Someone phoned the ambulance, another stopped traffic. (1) community = priceless, (2) cycling > autos.
Thrilled to receive the one-year
@YoungDZHK
Digitalization award to build an interactive RNA-seq analysis interface/database for scientists who do not wish to code. Thanks,
@JohannesBacks
, for the support!
@dzhk_germany
Today, my PhD mentor
@AdamWende
became a tenured scientist! It is such a privilege to have been a part of his journey, and I cannot wait to see what the Wende Lab discovers next!
@UABPathology
@UABCardiology
@UABSOM
.
It was an honor to interact with
@DrJoelKatz
during my interview and, although I would loved to work under his leadership, I’m confident that his 22 years has firmly established a legacy and culture of support within the
@BrighamMedRes
family.
The incredible
@DrJoelKatz
, longtime IM Program Director
@BrighamMedRes
, is stepping down after 22yrs of wonderful service to generations of
@BrighamWomens
interns and residents.
@DrJoelKatz
, thank you for everything you’ve done for us! We owe so much to you.
We will miss you!
Incredibly satisfying to see these videos used. After nearly a decade of work (in between class, lab, and clinic), we now have a series of physical examination videos designed to help medical students master the physical exam.
#AHA23
tip: stay in a local hostel! (1) learn about the city, (2) meet cool people (including fellow attendees), (3) save taxpayers’ money, and (4) free beer after 9PM (?!).
Packing to leave Germany for our flight back across the Atlantic, and it doesn’t feel like going “back” at all… Much has changed in 2 years, mostly in us. I thought about sharing a few things we would miss, but I'd like to share something more important: the people. 🧵
It is such a privilege to learn from
@Dr_RajatGupta
. In this review, we highlight the known mechanisms linking CAD-relevant SNPs and endothelial (dys)function, underscoring the exciting potential of CRISPR-based screens to accelerate these discoveries.
Hard to believe that, 10 years later, we’d be celebrating our wedding anniversary by taking a train to Paris. Naturally, we had to wear tinfoil hats because, as the symbol 10th anniversaries, tin/aluminum is a durable metal that keeps its shine. So, ‘Prost’ to never rusting 🍻🍷
Incredible time with great scientists, exciting presentations, and even dipping out for some snowboarding at
#KeystoneSymposia
on 🫀Dev & Dz. Thanks
@SeanM_Wu
, Cricket Seidman, and Wolfram Zimmerman for organizing!
ATTN. 2021-2022 Applicants to Internal Medicine Physician-Scientist Training Programs (PSTPs): please consider completing this survey, and share/retweet with others!
@A_P_S_A
@BenjaminReisman
@jpwaller
@A_P_S_A
Question among PSTP applicants
@A_P_S_A
: "Can I even do research during residency?"
My short Answer: It depends. Clinical competency should be the top priority, and "research blocks" don't offer enough time to do anything substantive.
My longer answer: You can still do it! ...
And so, as I await the
@TheNRMP
results, I am reminded that this journey has already given me many new friends. And, as Dr. Wolf told me on my
@BrighamMedRes
interview, success is "defined by the people around you." So really, even as a family of 6, we cannot lose.👨👧👧👨👦👦🫀
Wishing my fellow medical students the best success in their residency interviews! I have accepted a postdoctoral fellowship position in Heidelberg, and will thus hopefully see you all as interns during my residency interviews!
@drmlb
#TipsForNewDocs
It's easy to criticize without context. Instead of using a glance to make disparaging posts, focus on something you admire and highlight that... I see a different story in this picture.
(Also, airports are 💯 dirtier than hospitals)
Built a (beta-version) web-based analysis tool to compile, annotate, and visualize
@VisualSonics
Vevo Lab® Echocardiography reports for pre-clinical phenotyping. Plz DM with Q's/issues/suggestions!🫀⚙️❤️🩹
@dzhk_germany
@YoungDZHK
@AvHStiftung
Helped diagnose and publish a rare condition known as "smoldering" thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura (iTTP). More than anything, it was an honor to learn from this patient, a man who endured this disease with resilience and hope.
@uabimres
@abhishekpar
@UABSurgery
As both my former classmate and (subsequently) my senior resident on trauma surg, Jozef has proven to me that good people make great doctors.
I took a moment to reflect on the aspects of applying for residency that contribute to my feeling stressed. Defining the problem is half of its solution...
Wow, congratulations to
@DrVickersUAB
on his new position as President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering! Dr. Vickers has been a visionary leader at UAB, and his support for basic science has been a key component in our growth and success.
The take-home message is simply: Please keep your patient’s families involved as much as possible. Their absence from the bedside does not reflect a lack of concern or desire to support, today more than ever.
Honored to represent TWO projects at
@AHAMeetings
:
(1) Cardiometabolic HFpEF with
@JohannesBacks
at the "Best of AHA Specialty Conferences" session.
(2) Vascular Cell-type heterogeneity with
@Dr_RajatGupta
in the "Tissue and Single Cell Transcriptomics" session.
@BrighamMedRes
These girls are superstars. After just one year of living in Heidelberg, they’re too fluent for Vorbereitungsklasse (language support class). I wish I could say the same for myself…
Such a fun surprise to see another
@uabmedicine
grad here in Boston, even if via mispage. Also rewarding to help teach someone that would become an authority figure!
@Phys_Scientist
#MedEd
To pursue something, it helps to know (1) it actually exists, and (2) that we can do it. The people around us make a big difference.
@SEmdphd
@UABMSTP
!
@PaigeLemen
@PhDVoice
@AcademicChatter
I can relate with this feeling. I supported a family of 5 on my graduate stipend, which placed us well beneath the poverty line for nearly a decade (all while working > 60 hrs/wk). I was allowed 10 hrs/wk of “extracurriculars”, which I used to make ends meet by tutoring.
Anemia might be the most common lab finding I’ve seen in my first month on inpatient servide. Although frequent blood draws are the most common cause, it helps to think broadly:
For anyone unable to attend today's
@AvHStiftung
session on the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (
@dzhk_germany
), here is my virtual tour of Heidelberg University's Institute for Experimental Cardiology. Enjoy!
@YoungDZHK
I am happy to report that the program was eager to accommodate, and extended an additional slot without question. Thank you all for your support and advice, as always!