By Tetyana Rogalska, HBSc, MSc, MD
Tetyana completed her undergraduate studies and a Masters degree in Virology at the University of Toronto. She completed her medical degree at Queen’s University (Class of 2016) followed by Family Medicine Residency at the University of Ottawa (Class of 2018), where she currently works as Family Physician..
Here she shares her experience of doing summer research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, a fully affiliated teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
The field of medicine is driven by a collective desire to help the human condition, to restore function, and to give the patients we treat as much opportunity for fulfillment as possible. Incredibly, the limits to these possibilities are redefined every day, and it is this potential that drives my passion for clinical and translational research on wound healing. I became interested in this research opportunity because of my particular interest in wound healing. This fellowship offered an incredibly exciting opportunity to apply and build my skills in a stimulating and innovative environment, with international leaders in the field.
I learned many great things from this experience. One of them was the power of collaboration on a global scale. An evidently synergistic effect comes from working with individuals from different backgrounds and disciplines who are enthusiastic about exchanging ideas, perspectives, and experiences. It is not only motivating but also can lead you to discoveries you would never have made by working alone.
For future student applicants interested in research abroad, here are a few tips:
- Find your passion and follow it. It requires determination, perseverance, and perhaps some traveling.
- Build skill sets that are important to you. Whether specific (e.g. laboratory methods) or broad (e.g. leadership abilities), ask yourself, what skills do you need to be successful in your goals?
- Challenge yourself! Getting out of your comfort zone is essential for personal growth. As a future medical student and physician, you must be prepared to deal with challenging situations on a day-to-day basis. The earlier you are exposed to these challenging situations, the quicker your personal development.
