Summer Undergraduate Research Program - Fred Hutchinson ...

the challenge of stepping into an unknown situation and working to develop a plan to
address challenges presented.
My many hours conducting cancer related research at XXXX, XXX and now at the XXX XX
Research Center this summer also have taught me how to identify problems, outline and
execute experiments, and analyze the outcomes. Executing any plan requires
communication skills and teamwork or project management responsibilities. From my
experiences shadowing physicians at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and in an
orthopedic clinic, I have come to perceive a physician's role as being quite similar: taking a
history, making a diagnosis, forming a treatment plan, coordinating with a team of
providers, and communicating with the patient and family.
Beyond teaching, I experienced a priceless cultural exchange with the Ashram students.
The students taught me traditional Indian and Nepali dances, took me to their homes to
meet their families, and brought me gifts, including a huge papaya one boy carried on his
two-mile hike to the school. Visiting the hospital was, however, the most memorable part of
this exchange. And while I became aware of the acute medical needs in XXX, I also
recognize the ongoing need for doctors, especially primary care physicians, in the United
States. My experiences in India, lessons learned through dance, and my hours spent in
research labs and in shadowing physicians have all infused me with the desire, and
provided me with the practical skills, to pursue medicine, and to eventually contribute to a
need that only will continue to rise in the United States and around the world
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