First Day: Pittsburgh MD/PhD

June 1, 2011

My first day in the MD/PhD program at University of Pittsburgh!  It's crazy to think that it is finally here. We all showed up for some complimentary breakfast and to get all of our forms and get started for the summer.  I was pretty intimidated that I was beginning a program that I would be in for the next 7 years, but it was a great feeling.  Our entering class is excellent.  We have four girls in the class: me, Michelle, Annie, and Shinjini.  It will be fun to get to know everyone.

My first day I went over to lab in the Children's Hospital.  I took the shuttle from Oakland and was at Children's in no time.  This summer I am working in Dr. David Hackam's Lab. (Hackam Lab Website) He works on the innate immune response in the digestive system.  It's a great lab and connection to Inflammatory Bowel Disease.  I am so excited to be working in his lab this summer and learning with the group of clinicians and post-docs who are there.  There are also a few medical students doing summer research there and finishing up their scholarly projects.  We have really hit it off and have running jokes about different lab quirks, it's pretty hilarious.

We are getting started on a few projects that are going to be really exciting.  I have a good feeling that I will most likely be returning to the lab and staying in touch over the new few years.  It's a good fit and a fun lab to work in!

In addition to laboratory work during the summer, we also have class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  It's like a journal club and we discuss a paper each Thursday.  I will be presenting the first two weeks, so it's nice to be able to get it out of the way.  Hopefully that will allow me to focus on my lab work and make some progress.

I am feeling right at home...