Lunctime Yoga

Hi! I’m Cosette, an MS1 and a lover of yoga!

Cosette DeChant, MS1

I’ve been practicing yoga since high school and it has had such a positive impact on my life, both physically and mentally, that I wanted to find a way to share it with other people, so I participated in a teacher-training program during my gap year. I’ve been teaching classes at the gym since moving here to Durham, and when I saw the empty space on the sixth floor of TSCHE, my first thought was, “what an awesome space for yoga!” A few of my classmates and I were interested in doing some moving and stretching in the middle of a long day of class, so I emailed the administrators to ask if we could use the space. Not only did they say yes, but they also asked if they could extend the invitation to the entire staff, and even offered to buy yoga mats for the building. Our first “lunchtime yoga” session was such a success that we made it a weekly event for the rest of the semester.

Child's Pose on the 6th Floor of TSCHE

The idea behind doing this was that we could all benefit from yoga in some way. We spend so much of our time each day sitting, whether in class, at the office, or in the car. This can really take a toll on our bodies, including tight hip flexors and tightness across the front of the chest and shoulders from slumping forward over a computer or steering wheel. Yoga offers an opportunity to reverse some of that by stretching and moving in ways we don’t normally get to in the course of our daily activities.  Additionally, yoga is a great compliment to any other type of physical activity that people do, whether it’s running, climbing, or spending all day on your feet in the OR. For me, it has been particularly interesting as we’ve gone through our anatomy course – we live in a body made up of muscles that move bones, and yoga is a chance to USE those muscles we’ve been learning about! And finally, yoga provides a much-needed mental break – a chance to set aside whatever stresses, anxieties, expectations or responsibilities we have, even if it’s just for an hour.

Check out those Warrior IIs!

We’re continuing with our lunchtime yoga sessions next semester, and we would love to have you join us! Yoga is open to anyone of any level of experience. We have class every Wednesday at noon on the 6^th floor of TSCHE, and mats are available to borrow. Come take a break in the middle of your day to breathe, stretch and move with us!

Mountain Bound

One of the many great things about fall in NC is getting to see the mountain foliage! Now that I’m in MS3, there is more time to explore the area! Last year, we traveled to Asheville, a mere 3 hours from Durham! 

Heather Burrell, MS3

A few weeks ago, my fiancé and I traveled to Charlottesville, VA to go wine tasting and camping in Shenandoah National Park. Charlottesville is a scenic 3-4 hours from Durham. We stopped at several different wineries along the way (Democracy, Loving Cup, Jefferson, Pippin Hill), enjoying the delicious Virginia wine and beautiful mountain views! We continued on to Shenandoah National Park where we set up camp despite chilly 40 degree weather! We went on a hike around the park and got sweeping views of the valley then returned back to camp to cook over the campfire! As we were cooking, we began to realize that we were going to need a lot more firewood to cook dinner and to stay warm throughout the crisp autumn night! After dinner, we had to make s’mores, and they tasted even better sitting by the fire! We stayed warm and enjoyed wine from our visits to the vineyards earlier that day! The next day, we woke up and cooked breakfast over the fire (eggs, sausage, and potatoes!) and went on a mid-morning hike. After packing away the tent, we left the park and drove back to Charlottesville to go apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchards. After all that hard work picking apples, a visit to the orchard wasn’t complete without apple cider donuts!

Fourth Year Fun

Anna Brown, MS4

Hi, I'm Anna, an MS4 who is busy with the interview season but always up for a fun time with volunteering. This past Saturday I had a blast with Duke in Durham Day helping with HubFarm, a great organization that promotes sustainable farming and health education for adolescent children. I particularly enjoyed the role of DJ and getting to choose songs we could jam out to while planting strawberries, helping build a tiered wall for gardening space, or painting fun signs.

It was raining but we still had a great time and just wore colorful ponchos. The medical school's dedication to service and volunteering as well as community involvement is one of the main reasons I chose Duke for medical school. It truly is a fantastic, fun community and I've enjoyed being a part of it.

You can check out the HubFarm here: http://www.thehubfarm.org/

Davison Ball

Mimi Xu, MS3

Hi! I’m Mimi, an MS3 and the Social Committee Chair on the Davison Council, the student council for the School of Medicine at Duke.

This past Saturday, we hosted Davison Ball, an annual formal event that brings together all class years of current Duke medical students. On this evening, everyone dresses in their finest to have a great time with familiar faces and to meet soon-to-be familiar ones. This year, the Davison Ball took place at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham; the exhibits were open to us, which, as you might imagine, was the perfect venue for a bunch of doctors in training.

               

 The photobooth is a constant favorite! We had tons of treats including (but not limited to) towers of cream puffs; mini red velvet cupcakes; madeleines; chocolate chip mini muffins; chips and hummus; meat, cheese, and cracker trays; and, so that we can get our fiber, veggie trays. We had a fantastic time catching up with old and new friends and dancing the night away! Can’t wait to see you at next year’s Davison Balll!

Duke in Durham Day

Aladine Elsamadicy, MS3
Photo Credit: Mimi Xu

I am the Davison Council Chair of the Service Committee. One of my tasks is to organize Duke in Durham Day (DIDD). DIDD is a bi-annual event where Duke Medical Students from all classes volunteer with local organizations. We had over 90 students volunteer, at over 10 volunteers sites. The sites included: Duke Remedy, Durham Rescue Mission, ReStore Habitat for Humanity, Urban Ministries, Diaper Bank, Sandy Creek Renovations, The Hub Farm, Scrap Exchange, Reach Out and Read Carolinas, El Centro Hispano/Durham County Health Department, and Veterans Health Fair. This is an opportunity for students to understand the needs in our community and to give their time to help better it, even if it is just for 3 hours. These organizations are very appreciative of our time volunteering and try to maximize the volunteering efforts with the group of students.
 

Durham Rescue Mission

I receive emails from the volunteer sites expressing their appreciation, which would make anyone happy. Sandy Creek stated, “What a group!  They got three important jobs completed, in spite of the rain.  Thanks to them and to your program for reaching out to Sandy Creek Park.” Another site, Hub Farm, emailed me, “Thank you all so much for coming out to the Hub for a very fun, wet, and productive workday! It was wonderful to work with you and we are so grateful for all your help and enthusiasm!”.

Reach Out and Read Carolinas

What are you waiting for? Most organizations in Durham would love to have you volunteer and spend time with them. DIDD fosters this collaborative connection with the community, and I cannot wait to see how we can make it even better in the Spring!

 

For more info, check out:
Duke Davison Council Service Page: http://www.dukedavisoncouncil.org/?page_id=50

Organizations:
Duke Remedy: http://sites.duke.edu/remedy/

Durham Rescue Mission: https://www.durhamrescuemission.org/

ReStore Habitat for Humanity: http://www.restoredurhamorange.org/

Urban Ministries: http://umdurham.org/

Diaper Bank: https://www.facebook.com/DiaperBankOfNorthCarolina/

Sandy Creek Renovations: http://www.sandycreekparkdurhamnc.com/

The Hub Farm: http://www.thehubfarm.org/

Scrap Exchange: http://scrapexchange.org/

Reach Out and Read Carolinas: http://www.reachoutandreadsc.org/

El Centro Hispano/Durham County Health Department: http://www.elcentronc.org/

Veterans Health Fair: http://caareinc.org/?page_id=72

Let's Be Well RED

Rajvi Mehta, MS3

Currently a third year medical student at Duke, I am also the founder of Let’s Be Well RED (LBWR) a social venture in India which aims to combat the widespread prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia (80% Indians are anemic) by providing iron-rich nutritional bars called GudNeSs. Each bar contains the WHO recommended daily dosage of iron.

Before I get into my time at Duke, a little more background may help: I was born and raised in Mumbai, India and pursued my undergraduate studies at Brown University. During my first semester there, I started feeling sick and pale—I was exhausted all the time, couldn’t focus while studying, and my grades suffered. When I went back home over winter break I got tested and found that I had iron deficiency anemia and through my interactions with local physicians, I also found that Iron deficiency is a huge public health problem in the country. Two things intrigued me: one, I was born and raised there, but had never heard of anemia being such a big problem and two, why is anemia such a huge problem when the solution is very simple—all you need is an adequate amount of iron in your diet! To understand the situation a little more, I conducted anemia testing and treating camps in urban slums in Mumbai and through my interactions with anemic women I realized that while most of them understood the importance of adding iron to their diet and many of them had already suffered the consequences of the condition, they were looking for a simple solution to the problem—they were looking for one food product that contained the WHO recommended daily dosage of iron. When I surveyed the Indian market, I did not find any such product, so to fill this need we created our very own iron-rich nutritional bars called GudNeSs.

GudNeSs bars launched in 2012

By the time I graduated from Brown, I had a small startup in India but I decided to go to medical school. I wanted a medical school with a great global health program, a good affiliated business school and one that encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit within the student body. Duke met these expectations and when I started medical school at Duke, I had two goals: I wanted to continue growing my company and I wanted to conduct a clinical trial to prove efficacy of GudNeSs. What I wasn’t ready for was the support I received from my Duke family! 15 classmates joined me in spreading the movement and 10 of them spent their spring break in India to start our clinical trial. Dean Andrews and Dr. Clements supported us from the start and provided the necessary guidance and encouragement. The trial proved efficacy of the bars and the results will be published shortly.

Duke medical students with LBWR health scouts in Mumbai

Medical students spreading awareness about anemia in India

Patient recruitment for a clinical study

Press meets and fun in Mumbai

At the same time, we participated and won the Duke Start Up Challenge--a yearlong program business plan competition. This allowed us to spread our services to 3 more states in India, establish our own production unit and today we have 40 employees looking after manufacture, marketing and sale of 100,000 bars/week.

LBWR wins the Duke Startup Challenge

I had no idea I would get so much support from the faculty and the medical students at Duke. I am confident that with this continued support, we will achieve our goal of combatting iron-deficiency anemia in India!

More about LBWR: http://www.home.letsbewellred.org/

Connect with us: https://www.facebook.com/SpreadGudness

                            https://twitter.com/spreadgudness

Fry Me Over The Moon

Even second years make time for the most glorious, fattening, farm-animal-filled 10 days in North

Stephanie Roses, MS2

Carolina: the NC State Fair in Raleigh! I had just finished my surgery rotation and the shelf exam Wednesday before opening day and had spent weeks planning my route for maximum intake of sugar, salt, and fried Oreos (a food group in itself). My classmates Victoria, Valentine, and I took a break from our hectic lives in the operating rooms of the Duke Medical Pavilion and dark recesses of radiology to enjoy the sunshine, pet bunnies in the rabbit barn, and watch as souped-up tractors raced each other on a dirt track at volumes that could lead to noise-induced hearing loss.

 

MS2s take on the NC State Fair: Victoria Bendersky, Valentine Espositio, Stephanie Roses status post “Fry Me Over The Moon” (Reese’s, Hostess Cupcake, Moon Pie, Oreos stacked then fried)

We thought about joining the turkey shoot, where one competes with shotguns and targets to win a turkey, but reconsidered due to our lack of hand-eye coordination and that whole “do no harm” thing. Only after sufficiently stuffing our faces with all of the food we tell patients not to eat (until nearly vomiting) did we decide that rides would be a poor decision - so we took a selfie in front of the ferris wheel instead before heading home and passing out by 9 pm, just as we would have after a long day in the hospital. Until next year!

The midway from above - Part of the first year curriculum is making sure your Insta game is on point (kidding)

 

Trucks on Trucks

Margot Cullen, MS3

Food trucks. Delicious food of immense variety that travels to YOU around the city… need I say more?

Durham is a city in the midst of a cultural revolution. New restaurants, bars, and local businesses are popping up all over town, and the once rather sketchy tobacco city is flush with new life and new opportunities. One of the most delicious results of this expansion is that of the new Food Truck Empire that reigns over Durham. Even 5 years ago Food Trucks were scarce. Now… well, now we can rodeo over 40 trucks in a single space and culinary experience. Mind. Blown.

Food Truck Rodeos sound like the best thing since sliced bread. However, with the intrinsic laziness that comes with being a third year medical student off the wards, there are these horrible things called “lines” that form and make you “wait” for your food. Lines... what a horrible invention. This is what led me and 3 friends to a magical event – one where you pre-bought a ticket for a limited no-lines mini 20-truck rodeo.

Stuffed is an understatement when you make it through 18/20 Food Trucks (and that is sharing a ticket, BTW). From pulled pork sandwiches to kimchi quesadillas to nutella crepes, the list of taste bud glory continues on and on.

So I could continue to just list delicious foods for a couple paragraphs, but (as hard has it is to believe) the best part about this experience was the opportunity to hang out with close friends for the first time since getting out of the hospital! Being in the hospital is a different world, particularly as a second year medical student – you are always on and always thinking about the next test, the next pimp session, how your patients are doing, how much sleep you are going to manage, etc etc etc. More than anything, third year has been a chance for a mental break! A chance to relax, to catch up with friends and NOT talk about shelf exams, and to reclaim our lives from the hospital to which we will dedicate so much of our future.

Basically, third year is the best. So here’s to a year filled with food, friends, and fun!

One Block Down, Three to Go!

Kelly Buchanan, MS1

The first year med students just finished our first block of first year pre-clinical courses!! Granted, the first block (Molecules, Cells and Tissues) was only 6 weeks of our nearly 40 weeks in class this year, but of course, many of us used our successful completion of MCT as a reason to get out of town.  Some of my classmates went to Asheville, NC, some traveled to Washington D.C., and a group of us went to Topsail Island for a beach weekend. It was amazing. I am from Chicago, and driving 2.5 hours southeast from Chicago would put me in the middle Indiana’s cornfields. So, I was pretty amazed that driving 2.5 hours southeast of Durham landed us on the Carolina beaches.  The weather was perfect, and the company was even better. We drove down Saturday morning after a fun mixer on Friday night with the MS1s from UNC Med. We spent all day at the beach, rented out a house for the night, and returned to the beach Sunday morning for one last dose of Vitamin D before driving home. After 6 weeks of classes, it was an appreciated vacation. 

Photo credit: Jania Arcia Ramos and Sruti Pisharody

It was an awesome weekend with some of my amazing classmates, and I honestly cannot believe that I just started medical school and met these people a little over 2 months ago. Adjusting to med school could have been difficult, but having a school full of people who are genuinely excited to learn, eager to help others succeed, and always willing to explore Durham and the surrounding areas has made the transition easy. After an awesome weekend of swimming in the ocean and staying in the sun for way to long, we started our second block, Normal Body, on Monday. As fate would have it, in the first lecture, we learned about skin...and about the harmful effects UV rays can have on the skin if you don’t wear enough sunscreen.

MSFree

Taylor Broome, MS3

So I made it. 12 months of clinical rotations, 8 specialties, 5 Shelf exams, 2 pair of hideous danskos, and enough caffeine to power a city. Second year was an amazing experience. I learned an insane amount of information and had interactions that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

My vacation? 6 weeks of studying for Step 1. My second year was very heavy towards the end. I finished up the year with my surgery, then internal medicine rotations, so I wanted to keep the momentum going and knock out Step 1. I won't bore you with a recap of the last month, aka: me sitting in my pajamas with my cats, eating cereal, and listening to Dr. Husain Sattar. I am now 2 1/2 weeks away from my exam and desperately trying to maintain my momentum. But I am looking forward to having Step 1 behind me so I can fully embrace my third year.

Sterling thinks First Aid is good for sitting.

So I will be a busy bee once Step 1 is over. My research this year is basic science and will be in Dr. Sampson's lab, which focuses on creating and testing immunotherapies for brain tumors, notably glioblastoma multiforme. My specific project will be to create an immunotherapy for a pediatric brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. To be totally honest, I have never done wet lab research before (I did mathematical modeling as an undergrad), so I don't know how this year will go. However, I am thrilled to be involved with a lab doing such amazing things. Completely switching gears, I will also be directing the Student Faculty Show this year. The Student Faculty Show is a full-blown musical that is written, directed, and performed by medical students each year on Medical Families Day. I don't want to give too much away, but I will give you this preview: Dr. Chudgar in a mullet.