Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Your co-Editors-in-Chiefs,
Rui Dai
Vinayak Venkataraman
table of contents
2 Letter From the Editors
Rui Dai, MD/PhD student & Vinayak Venkataraman, MS4
associate editors
Ashley Adams MS2 Bilal Ashraf MS3
Gireesh Reddy MS2 Kun Wei Song MS4
S. Tammy Hsu MS3 Kelly Murphy MS4
Madelyn Stevens MS3 Neechi Mosha MD 14
faculty editors
Raymond Barfield MD, PhD Karen Jooste MD
Background Photography Credits:
Credits/Contents: Aarti Thakkar, MS2
Academic Medicine: being lost in the journey
I can barely remember what day However, I increasingly found edgment left a bitter taste why
of the week it is. I just spent the last myself dissociated from where I couldnt I be emotionally invested
3 hours trying to debug the code I was. Being emotionally connected in where I was currently while being
was writing, only to remember that to loved ones who were far away professionally invested in where I
I had already accomplished this and intellectually connected to wanted to be in the future?
last week on a different computer. research projects that were also I knew the right words to say. Its
I check my watch to find that it is occurring elsewhere left too little the journey, rather than the destina-
3:15 am, giving me about 5 hours of myself available to my medical tion, that makes us who we are. The
before my last anatomy exam. school experiences. Nihilism, the experiences we have now consti-
Needless to say, my first year of ugly cousin of exhaustion, took tute not only the types of physicians
medical school to that point had residence in my mind, and made that well be in the future, but also
been less than ideal. In short, my committing to any individual en- the caliber of men and women that
mental capacity had been split deavor all the more difficult. well be in our everyday lives. But
between my long-distance girl- The very essence of the path of putting these platitudes into prac-
friend, my single mother an equal a physician or physician scientist is tice mostly was lost upon me.
distance away, several manuscripts one of delayed gratification. Checking my watch again, it is
in varying stages of review and In this context, medical students now 8:15 am. I get up, promptly trip
preparation, and the various clinics, and professionals ostensibly and over the piles of research articles on
labs, and exams associated with the invariably view their training as a the floor, and eventually make my
basic science training of medical price to pay now in order to reap way to the bus stop. Bleary eyed,
school. the rewards later. What often goes I wonder about things far in the
At first it was fun. After all, the unsaid is that this price comes with future, with the present only as a
people I look up to balance seem- a heavy tag, including anxiety and a weight to be unceremoniously shed
ingly endless arrays of disparate loss of meaning and self-esteem. upon the eventual addition of the
projects. I remembered reading I could justify that my disso- letters M.D, Ph.D. to my white coat.
early on of Elon Musk sleeping 4 ciation from my classmates and
hours a night while coding during all the more genuine experiences of Alex Vaz is a second year medical
of his waking hours and toiling away medical education was the price of student who enjoys cooking and playing
in a rented office that doubled as a getting ahead in the world of aca- guitar in his free time.
home. Isnt this the stuff of legend? demic medicine. But that acknowl-
Balance
Photo Credit: Jania Arcia Ramos, MS2
Gratitude Revisited (25 years later)
As a clinical social worker were threatening to take over. of her admission, when I heard
teaching and working within In contact with our pediatrician discussion in the hallway about
higher education and medical throughout the night, we had policy, Dr. Schulmans voice
systems, I have seen the cour- tried the steamy shower mists rose above the others with the
age and tenacity of patients as and the bundledup walks out- definitive word on the matter.
they face illness, injury and pain, side in the crisp night air; each He informed the staff that to
moving always in the direction of had provided only temporary minimize trauma for our baby, I
health. relief. should be allowed stay around
I have also observed profound Dr. Daniel Schulman personally the clock rather than be forced
heroism in physicians who prac- took each phone call and ad- out after visiting hours, and that
tice excellence in their work and vised us to proceed to the hos- furthermore, I had his permis-
truly understand the vulnerability pital where he would meet us. I sion to crawl into the croup tent
of the patient. knew that he heard the panic in with her. Separation would only
The finest example of what my voice; his calm and steady complicate my babys journey
medicine can be is best ex- directives helped me function back to health; presence could
pressed if I return to a moment effectively when time was of the streamline it. Attachment mat-
where I faced a life-threatening essence. tered to Dr. Schulman and he
issue and was met with medical Racing down the road, I kept refused to let it be disrupted.
expertise coupled with empathy. assuring myself that we dont I climbed into the tent with the
Soon after our youngest child lose babies anymore to croup assistance of the charge nurse
celebrated her first birthday, we but I could see the terror in my and over the following 72 hours
found ourselves en route to the babys eyes as she struggled for came out only to eat and go to
local Emergency Department air. the bathroom.
with a baby who was struggling Alerted to our imminent arrival, Triumphantly, we both emerged
to breathe. A bad cold had taken the ED staff flew into action and three days later: Deborah was
a sudden turn and the unmis- the rest is a blur to me. What breathing well and I was shaped
takable barky coughs of croup I do remember is the support- like the letter Z. No matter; my
ive and professional manner in baby was alive!
which we were served and the Do doctors get thanked
voice of my doctor. enough? I do not think so. Dr.
I could surrender my baby into Schulman, I will never forget
their competent hands because you.
I knew their highest priority was Cheers and kudos to the physi-
saving her life. cians who understand the med-
Our daughter was admitted to ical needs of their patients and
the Pediatrics unit, and yes, she the emotional needs of the ones
did survive. The following three who love them: you showcase
days included potent medica- medicine at its finest.
tions, frequent respiration ther-
apy treatments and constant Marissa Happ, LCSW, is an As-
surveillance. sistant Professor of Social Work at
I felt like the entire world re- Aurora University (IL) and coordinates
volved around the welfare of our the Health Care and Gerontology
baby, no questions asked. Specializations
This would not have been
possible if our physician had not
advocated for us. On the night FALL 2016 VOL 6, ISSUE 1
Game of Orbits Universe
Patts excitement burned we were on the same frequency heard that his pure-mech oppo-
through the exhaustion that already. nent had long ago abandoned
usually accompanied the sec- You idiot. That converter was the second-gen Monte Carlo
ond dawn on XAer. Ah, fatigue your own invention. Anyway, and third-gen Riviera search-
would not be something that a hows my dad doing? es. It instead used a modified
pure would have to deal with. An uncharacteristic pause. Shenkov-Maruyama-Bronstein
She waved her hand over her Uh slow start. Down by algorithm, the same base code
chest sensor, cycling through 15G. that had cracked P vs NP in one
her outfits. She settled on her What?! masterstroke. But this was the
most formal one, tightened her Game of Orbits. It still belonged
Log, move 18 (145.33): Aldeba-
bionic limbs, and boosted out to the bio-mechs. Her father just
ran, Sector3. Gravitons +2/-1.
the door. had to prove it, one more time.
Log, move 19 (Edet Surr):
Edet Surrs first 10 draws
WASP-52, Sector3. Gravitons Log, move 57 (Edet Surr): Ke-
zoomed up from the Gravitas
+3/-2. pler-214, Sector7. Gravitons
machine: 3 giants, 3 class IVs,
+11/-5.
2 coms, a yellow, and a red. At Patt nervously scanned the
Log, move 58 (145.33): Castor,
least the coms are useable. Edet board. The translucent surface
Sector8. Gravitons +6/-9.
picked up a small gray stone extended out from the center of
from the pile and placed it down the Gravitas machine, represent- Patt could hardly breathe now.
in the bottom right corner of theing the astronomical scales of She saw her father calmly sur-
board. As soon as it touched the spacetime on a 10certa x 10cer- veying the center of the board,
ta grid. As the two players took
surface, its tail sparked to life. where the pieces were arranged
Only a 1G opening. But Edet turns placing their pieces on the with the greatest precision,
was saving the gas giants, and board, the fabric of spacetime where the ripples in the fabric of
wasnt risking any of the dwarf warped according to the gravi- spacetime were the most exqui-
stars or class IV planets on the tational strength of each piece. site. She recalled his voice from
Her fathers best moves not only
first turn. After all, Edets oppo- when he had first taught her the
nent today was the only other warped a large portion of the game as a child. All curves lead
undefeated Game of Orbits fabric, but also caused his op- to the center.
player in the universe. ponents pieces to orbit around Edet Surr waited as the next
his own. Each players warps 10 draws came up. And final-
Log, move 1 (Edet Surr): Comet
and orbits were translated into ly saw it. A class I rolled out
X/2455, Sector7. Gravitons +1/0.
a Graviton count, a quantitative of the Gravitas machine, and
Hey Patt! Youre late! measure of the influence the a confused hush fell over the
Her friends voice boomed into players had over spacetime. audience. It was a piece that
her left earpiece and made her Edet had chosen counter to
Log, move 32 (145.33): Alcyone,
wince. established theory, which re-
Sector5. Gravitons +4/-2.
Way to make me feel guilty, garded it as one of the least
Log, move 33 (Edet Surr): Den-
Trake. And deaf. valuable planets in the standard
eb, Sector9. Gravitons +7/0.
Patt quickly ducked into the repertoire. But Edet had calcu-
open seat next to her friend. Patt felt her pulse quicken. lated that this piece would be
They were in the front row of a The calculations became much critical against this particular
completely packed stadium, the more difficult at mid-game, and opponent, at this specific time.
largest on XAer, and she was for the first time in her life, she Edet placed the class I straight
feeling a bit self-conscious. suspected that her father was into the center, between two
Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot that at a disadvantage. She had gas giants circling around one
6 SITES.DUKE.EDU/VOICES FALL 2016 VOL 6, ISSUE 1
Bernhards Letter
another. With a flash of blue and from my grandfather Bernhard D., who died in 1919, when my
green, the tiny planet began to Mom was nine.
sparkle. Then its axis tilted ever
so slightly, pulled just enough Dear Granddaughter Mary, like a germ. Folks didnt rightly
by the force of a dwarf star on
know in-flu-en-za nor e-pi-dem-
the other side of the twin giants. You only knew my wife Lizzie ic
The delicate tension governing during her bad patches. til it knocked on their own front
the middle of the board shifted,
door,
warping the fabric slowly at first, Her troubles began when our and knock on mine it did.
but then with increasing speed, girls
as star after star toppled into got old enough to catch the eye You got your red hair from me
one majestic orbit. The rippling of Uncle Leo. If Ida lived, your love of sports,
of spacetime between the play- he wouldnt a dared. and your fate, to be an exile
ers mirrored the waves of shock
within your own family,
rushing through the crowd, But dont you judge all as I was for reasons
which quickly overflowed into all them Holtermanns on account I was never to know
of the hundred worlds. of Leo. Sister Mary sweet on earth.
as they come with a true faith-
Log, move 71 (Edet Surr): Ter- calling to be a nun. Whats a letter from the grave,
ra, Sector1. Gravitons +45/-45. Your Great-Aunt, the maiden my dearest granddaughter,
Tesuji. Mae without a mention of death?
Log, end (145.33): Resigns. who sent you birthday cards There at the last,
Patt slowly stood up. Her eyes and stayed in the background in the darkened bedroom
met her fathers. They both knew which made you love her more. off of your Moms kitchen,
that this was a moment they you heard Lizzie moan
would never forget. Education was different between sips of brandy.
A pure-mech had finally solved in them days, country folk Moans dont always mean
it. and immigrants not prized pain though,
by schools and such. Twas youll know that well
Jong Park is a second year medical Lizzie who taught them girls when your time comes.
student who loves science fiction, nicer ways with words and
board games, and gravity. This sci- manner. Twas Lizzie I loved, Always and Forever
ence fiction short story was inspired first and last, such a fine lass. Your Grandpa
by two recent scientific break-
throughs: the experimental confirma- And, dear granddaughter,
tion of gravitational waves, and the she loved me back nice and Persona Poem by Mary L. Barnard,
Go match between Lee Sedol and equal. who is a Chatham County NC
AlphaGo. I got off the farm for her, for us, resident. When Mary steps onto her
and drove that delivery truck, gravel road for an early walk, she
every turn taking me closer doesnt know yet what image or
to the last drop-off, when Id thought will inspire her next poem.
get to go back home to her.
Taking a Break
Photo Credit: Jania Arcia Ramos, MS2
PHOTO CREDIT: Aarti Thakkar, MS2