Week 1

I did not get a chance to meet my mentor, Dr. Timothy D’Alfonso, this past week due to his being out of town.  As a result, I spent the first few days walking around and getting acquainted with the city, visiting museums and trying out different restaurants.  It’s a stark contrast to what I’ve gotten used to in Ithaca, and it’s taken some time to properly orient myself.  I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far, though, and I look forward to continuing to explore.

Later on in the week, I was able to meet Dr. Michele Drotman in Radiology, whose work focuses on Women’s Imaging.  She discussed the imaging technology used to aid in the diagnosis of breast cancer and showed me various examples before I visited the reading room to speak with some of the fellows as they assessed various scans.  I was also able to watch both mammograms and breast core biopsies (stereotactic and ultrasound-guided) as they were performed, and was struck by two observations.  One, everything was handled with extreme efficiency and the procedures were done much more quickly than I would have expected.  Two, the patients were treated with nothing but respect.  Every single question they had was answered carefully and truthfully, and the doctors and staff did everything they could to ensure the patients were comfortable.  This was especially evident during the biopsies, where some of the patients experienced discomfort or pain, and all of them to some extent fear of what the results would be.  Someone was always there to hold their hand or to comfort them if they were especially nervous or felt pain at any point in the procedure, all the while explaining the various steps and why they were being done.  Every patient throughout the day was treated in the same manner, regardless of how many patients had been seen before them or how many questions they had to ask.

It was a relatively short amount of time but one I enjoyed, and I am grateful to Dr. Drotman for being so accommodating on such short notice.  I am now looking forward to working in Pathology with Dr. D’Alfonso, a continuation of sorts of what I saw last week.