New week, new post!
This week brings another interview with Jessica, and this time we will be talking about her experience with the Undergraduate Research Society. If you haven’t already checked out her previous interview on the blog, you can access it here. We previously spoke about her great achievements as a PTE medical student and her student life balance and she shared some great insights with us. Today, she will be talking about her journey in research at PTE and she will also share some tips for those interested in involving themselves in research work at PTE.
Q: Thank you Jessica for joining me again for the second time in this interview. To start off, how did you first get involved in research and in TDK?
J: I first got involved in research following my 3rd semester of medical school. After completing the neuroanatomy exam, I had the opportunity to teach alongside Dr. Balázs Gaszner in the Anatomy Department. It was during this time that I heard about his research in the field of neuroscience, which immediately sparked my interest.
The project I was drawn to the most was actually one of his wife’s, Dr. Viktória Kormos from the Department of Pharmacology, about the investigation of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus in the pathophysiology of migraines.
Q: Oh great, so that means you worked with the Department of Pharmacology right?
J: Yes. For the past three years I mainly worked in the Pharmacology Department. While I was there, I had to do in-vivo work primarily centred around behavioural tests in mice, and so I also conducted some work at the Institute for Translational Medicine.
Q: And what kind of work did you do at these departments?
J: At the Pharmacology department, I gained a lot of experience in various in-vitro techniques such as immuno-histochemistry and RNA scope. Amongst other things, I learned how to do a perfusion of a mouse and how to prepare the brain slides for further examination. At the Institute of Translational Medicine, I was introduced to the handling and conduction of metabolic measurements of rats.Nowadays I am engaged in clinical research at the Neurology Department as I pursue my PhD (as part of the MD/PhD scholarship).
Q: How did you choose your topic?
J: I chose an area of research based on the field of expertise of my former supervisor, and my TDK topic evolved as my research journey progressed.
Q: What has the research process been like for you?
J: During my very first TDK semester COVID-19 and the quarantine began, which prevented me from physically working in the lab. However, I used this time to immerse myself in the literature of the field and familiarise myself with the theoretical know-how of the techniques. Subsequently, in the following semesters I became part of the Pharmacology (and later Translational Medicine) lab. Right now, a significant portion of my work is remotely from home, involving tasks such as keeping up to date with the current scientific literature, collecting data, creating a patient database, and doing statistical analysis.
Strive to understand every aspect of your current field of research, from the literature background to the techniques your lab employs.
Q: This is so interesting. So how much guidance did you receive from your supervisor? Was she there the whole time or did you have to figure things out by yourself?
J: I received a ton of support from my supervisor. Viktória is an excellent researcher and serves as an outstanding mentor for TDK students. She patiently led me through the fundamentals of research, while always maintaining a positive attitude and welcoming every question and suggestion regarding our research pursuits. During my time in the lab, I also benefited greatly from the support of Ammar Al-Omari, one of Viktoria’s current PhD students, and later also my co-supervisor. Their combined mentorship has played a crucial role in my development as a novice researcher and in my personal growth.
Q: How much time did you dedicate weekly to your research work?
J: It varied. At times during the semester, I was in the lab every week or every other week, while at other times, I used every spare moment to work on abstracts or prepare for upcoming conferences. Now, being a PhD student myself, I am engaged in research on a daily basis.
Q: Are there any valuable resources that you found out about that most people do not know of?
J: In my experience, Mendeley is an incredible tool for managing citations, and I highly recommend it to anyone who may not know it yet!
Q: What are the perks of participating and also of placing in a TD conference?
J: Apart from the invaluable research experience gained, winning at the Dean’s competition enabled me to complete my thesis by the end of 3rd year, while placing at the TDK conference exempted me from the defence. This gave me a little more time in 5th and 6th year to concentrate on my PhD research. Additionally, participating at research events and joining the TDK board connected me with many students from the Hungarian medical program, leading to lasting friendships.
Q: You placed first in your category. Congratulations again on that. That means you also got to participate at OTDK. How was that experience? How is it different from TDK at PTE?
J: Absolutely. Winning in your category at the TDK conference grants you entry to the national TDK conference, the OTDK. Held at the University of Semmelweis in Budapest, last year’s OTDK presented a new environment with different challenges for me. The broader categories ensure an even more diverse range of topics from various fields of research, often featuring medical students working alongside highly renominate full-time researchers, exposing you to the latest cutting-edge techniques and research pursuits. To say I have learned a lot would be an understatement. I am looking forward to participating again in 2025.
Q: Do you have any tips for success, especially for someone who has no experience in research?
J: Strive to understand every aspect of your current field of research, from the literature background to the techniques your lab employs. Don’t hesitate to seek clarification if something is unclear. Maintaining curiosity, coming up with new ideas and remaining open to alternative approaches are crucial aspects of successful research.
Q: How many conferences have you participated in since your first?
J: I’ve participated in 3 TDK conferences, 1 OTDK conference, 1 Grastyán conference and 1 TDK and PhD Neuroscience conference. This semester, I plan to attend the ESOC 2024 (European Stroke Organization Conference) in Basel, Switzerland. In the upcoming semester, I aim to present at the TDK conference once again, with intentions to participate in next year’s OTDK conference.
Q: Having involved yourself in so many of these, does that play a role in your choice of field in your future career?
J: Undoubtedly. My interest in neuroscience began during my neuroanatomy classes and was further fueled by my early research experiences in the Pharmacology Department. Presently, my doctoral research revolves around studying the predictors of outcome in ischemic stroke patients. From a clinical point of view, I find myself particularly drawn to acute cases, reflecting my desire to potentially work in an emergency department, perhaps as a neurologist. While I envision continuing research, I am equally passionate about working directly with patients in the future.
That’s it for this interview. If you are interested in involving yourself in research work, now is as good a time as any to start. If you start now, you could be presenting in the next TDK conference in the next academic year.
How Do I Start?
- You need to start at the uni’s website homepage. Go to the Menu tab.
- Under Divisions, select Student Organisations.
- Select Undergraduate Research Society.
- Select the Student Research Topic Search.
- You can search for a particular supervisor, a particular topic of interest or key-words related to that topic.
- If you click on the arrow, a drop-down menu lists Clinics and Departments and the number of research opportunities available and you can also find a suitable topic in this manner.
You can then reach out to the supervisors and discuss your intentions topic. If you would like some tips for the process, check out my previous blog post which was made for the thesis but remains relevant for this as well.
Life as a medical student here at PTE can be challenging but every so often, we meet students who are doing more and more with the opportunities offered by the university. Jessica is very clearly one of them and every part of her academic story is absolutely inspiring and something to strive towards. Once again, if you have not read her previous interview here on Aula Conversations, check it out here.
Author’s note: Once again, my deepest gratitudes to Jessica for agreeing to come on again to give us a glimpse of her experience as a proficient student at PTE.