Week 3

This week was just as busy in the operating room as last week, with surgeries each day. In the OR with Dr. Spector, I observed a reconstruction of the neck with a pectoralis major flap and skin graft, removal of ruptured silicone implants/bilateral mastopexy, abdominal wall reconstruction with bilateral component separation, reconstruction of left nasal mohs defect with full thickness skin graft, and closure on two brain surgeries. The ability to observe so many surgeries has been really beneficial. I now have become very family with most of the more common surgical procedures such as flap placement, skin grafts, and abdominal wall reconstruction, and have learned many of the "ins and outs" of the procedure. I have had the opportunity to discuss and interact with everyone on Dr. Spector's team, which has been very helpful. Dr. Spector has been very proactive to include me and make sure to discuss each step of the surgeries, making for a really great experience. In our weekly meeting Friday, we discussed the possibility of scrubbing into surgeries with Dr. Min. I am very excited of the possibility of being able to participate (even if its only a small part) in a surgery in the coming weeks.

In the lab, my project is picking up steam. I now have my work/project planned out for the rest of the summer, which is very exciting. Utilizing the Spector lab's expertise in creating vascularized tissue engineered constructs and the CRK lab's knowledge of tumor cell migration, I hope to make some head way in creating a model for studying intravastation. But this may be difficult given the limited time. In the meantime, I have been helping other members with characterizing their constructs and methods for imaging a lot of their samples. They have thus far appreciated the view from an engineering.

In my free time, I have spent more time exploring the city and all it has to offer. Specifically, I was able to head to the meat packing district, financial district, and the lower east side. They all have been really enjoyable, each with their own vibe and feel. Next, week I will try and check out some more of the many parks across the city. So far I have only been to Central Park, but it is by far one of my favorite places in the city.