2023 Global Health Experience

View 2017-2018 Experience

I was very fortunate to return to the England to continue and extend the research I began during my Fulbright in 2017-18 as the initiating part of my PhD, and be part of new research experiences with my thesis co-advisor, Professor Helen Dawes, PhD. While I was initially gutted* to no longer be staying in Oxford where it all began, I quickly and excitedly got to explore a whole new region of England that I never got the chance to visit before.

I was now at the University of Exeter, conducting research involving a range of individuals with motor and cognitive disabilities, using a very modern and comprehensive data monitoring system where we looked at neural, cardiovascular, physical and cognitive features in a state-of-the-art simulation center. This facility can simulate different temperatures, angles, vibrations, etc., all in a freely moving environment. I won’t be surprised if we start working with Virgin Galactic in the near future (especially because my professor and I are quite interested in aerospace medicine).

During my free time, and when I wasn’t skiving* my work duties, I biked the coast of Exeter down to Exmouth, and climbed up parts of Jurassic Coast, and checked out all the little towns of Cornwall. Clotted cream tasted way better here than in the other areas of the U.K.

I am very happy to have had a productive, albeit short, research visit and will continue to work remotely on fun/creative projects involving disabilities and motor dysfunction through a neurocognitive lens.

*Some British slang I picked up.

2017-2018 Global Health Experience

View 2023 Experience

I was able to go to Oxford to work under Professor Helen Dawes at the Oxford Instituted of Nursing, Midwifery, and Allied Health Research for the first year of my PhD in Biomedical Engineering. It was an incredible experience being exposed to scientists with clinical backgrounds in medicine, neuroscience and rehabilitation. My project involved using portable brain imaging to assess the extent of impact of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) on motor cognition, and how we can use that technology/methodology to evaluate receptiveness to a physical training intervention. While learning some of those techniques, I applied similar concepts in a “smart” wheelchair project, where we could see the immediate impacts of using assistive device features within a complex and active environment.

I learned so many skills at international and leading academic institutions, while embracing a new culture. Learning the unique aspects of how medical and scientific training are conducted between the U.S. and U.K. gave me an appreciation for the MD/PhD that I was embarking on. I also learned that working in highly collaborative environments, particularly in medical translational research, is invaluable to everyone, as regardless of where you live, we all face very similar problems that need solutions.

I loved the time with my team and my friends in the U.K. I'm missing the lemon drizzle cakes, and maybe even missing the often-discussed English weather.

 
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