Week 2

This week I became much more familiar and comfortable about everything immersion: my mentor, the operating room, the lab, and the city itself. This has really put me much more at ease. With other members of the program, we have begun to explore all that NYC has to offer: good sights, good good, and great drinks. Being here in the summer is great. There are many free events such as seeing the NY Philharmonic in Central Park that we have been able to enjoy. 

In the OR, I observed and learned about new surgeries. Perhaps, the most difficult and interesting surgery I have seen thus far was a repair of the left oromaxillary fistula with left radial forearm free flap. This was the most complex and longest operation I have seen. I was particularly fascinated with the isolation of the free flap and the microsurgery needed to reconnect vasculature once the flap was put in place. This procedure really helped to reinforce discussions I have been having with my mentor concerning clinical needs for vascularized tissue. We often talk about the disconnect between research and clinical work, and the many considerations researcher must take when designing materials/grafts for clinical applications. These talks have been particularly powerful for me, and I hope to utilize them when considering research problems. As engineers/researchers we need to do a better job of understanding the clinical implications of work, and the impact it can have. This idea was further reinforced during our weekly meeting with Dr. Wang. 

I also spend much more time in the lab this week. During this time I gained a much deeper understanding of each lab members projects. It was interesting to see how individuals from different backgrounds (medical vs. engineering) bring different perspectives and skills to each problem/project. Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Shahin Rafii and members of his lab. I learned some very exciting procedures for how isolate cell populations from primary tissue (getting tissue samples from the OR is one of the benefits of working near a hospital). I really want to continue working and learning from Dr. Rafii periodically over the summer. 

I plan to continuing making progress each week and get some significant work done before the summer immersion is over. Full steam ahead.