Kayla DownsJunior MOLBIO Major What to become, what to become, what to become? (GC)I always loved biology, but being a doctor never struck my fancy. Becoming a veterinarian to save baby animals was still on the table when I arrived at Pitt, but while pursuing involvement in research, I rooted out what really buttered my brain: genetics. I took Genetics at Pitt while working in a lab focused on evolutionary development, and molecular biology and research became my career ground zero. I started to ponder genetic counseling when my mom brought up an organization she had worked with, National Organization for Rare Disorders, and how they collaborated with genetic counselors in their studies.
Genetic counseling is, for the most part, exactly what it sounds like: being an advisor and a river guide to people who might benefit from genetic testing in their healthcare. Either in-person or over the phone, genetic counseling (GC) is a conversation with someone who is trained to understand your family history and how heritable traits could affect you or your children. It is their job to suggest appropriate genetic testing for your situation and ensure you understand not only the process but also any results. Most GC work in settings with other doctors and can provide general care or specialize in areas such as:
Clinical genetic counselors work a relatively standard office 9-5. They see patients that are referred to them by associated physicians and work up case files about their visit, things to discuss, and notes on any research for their condition. One of the great things about genetic counseling is what a young medicine genetic testing is. New discoveries are being generated all the time, and GC’s are tasked with staying up to date on new research and tests so if a patient wasn’t able to be tested before, perhaps they can be now. GC’s in large medical establishments are often in charge of advocating for their field by attending meetings to remind physicians of the things they can/cannot refer patients for and provide their unique perspective to the medical ecosystem. “But you said you loved lab work?” Laboratory Counselors do both! They work behind the scenes, reviewing the tests ordered, analyzing and clinically correlating results, educating health providers, and working on research and development. Research-focused genetic counselors can collect information such as detailed family histories and pregnancy information that facilitate advances in research and care for people with genetic conditions. Genetic counselors are primarily acknowledged for their knowledge of genetics, but their counseling is often of unspoken importance. While GC’s don’t spend their days with absolutes like “you have cancer” or “your baby has down syndrome,” they do spend a lot of time with people in the “what-if” stage of worry. For many, not knowing is even worse than certainty and it is the counselor’s job to hear their concern and help in any way possible to make the process as streamlined and easy to understand as possible. Analyzing risks in their health, the client needs to feel at ease to open up and to know that what is being measured is not “will/will not” but rather “less/more likely to than the average bear.” Like in any difficult conversation, a friendly and understanding aura goes a long way. Sound interesting? Stop by my office hours Wednesdays from 6-7 to learn more. Check out more here: National Society of Genetic Counselors: https://www.nsgc.org/ Pitt Genetic Counseling Program: https://publichealth.pitt.edu/gcprogram Pitt Genetic Counseling Program requirements: https://publichealth.pitt.edu/human-genetics/academics/ms-in-genetic-counseling/admissions
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Lauren LotkaMOLBIO (Cell & Developmental Bio) Senior Being a STEM major and pursuing a career in the field has many challenges. While studying for exams and completing long lists of assignments is a big source of stress, this is not the only cause of anxiety. In addition to classes, we are expected to join research labs, attend conferences, give presentations, UTA and much more. With these accomplishments and successes should come a feeling of competency and confidence in your abilities. However, this is not always the case. What you may be feeling is a phenomenon called imposter syndrome, which is common in students and professionals in the STEM field. It can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. It is accompanied by chronic self-doubt and “intellectual fraudulence” that overrides any feelings of success or accomplishment. I first experienced this after joining a research lab in the department. I always felt insecure about talking about science and my research because I didn’t feel like I was qualified or competent enough to talk about it despite the positive feedback I received from my fellow lab members. For me, the first step was recognizing how I felt and that the feeling is more common than I think. It is helpful to know you are not alone in your feelings and that it has nothing to do with actual competency or success. https://students-residents.aamc.org/attending-medical-school/article/imposter-syndrome/ But why does this happen? Researchers suggest that imposter syndrome doesn’t equate with low self-esteem or a lack of self-confidence but instead is linked with perfectionism, especially among women. For those with imposter syndrome, it is common to have such thoughts and feelings as “I feel like a fake” or “It’s just luck.” Imposters often believe they give the impression that they are more competent than they actually are and have a deep feeling that they lack knowledge. There is also a tendency to downplay accomplishments and attribute success to luck or other external reasons and not their abilities. So how can we overcome these negative feelings that come with imposter syndrome? Like I mentioned, recognizing your feelings and why you are feeling them is the first step. For me, learning imposter syndrome existed alleviated a lot of the feelings I was having. However, it is still not perfect. It is ongoing and you have to constantly work at it. Remind yourself that it is okay to not know everything because there is a lot you do know. Take failures as learning opportunities and be kind to yourself when you make small mistakes (because everyone makes them). Also, talk about your feelings! Whether it is with friends, advisors, or trusted professors. It is likely that they have felt similar feelings before and talking out what you are feeling can be extremely helpful. So, remember to celebrate your accomplishments and know you are smarter than you think you are. You are where you are for a reason and that was through the hard work you put in. Want to learn more and read about some seriously amazing people who also have imposter syndrome: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/working-womans-handbook/overcome-impostor-syndrome https://hbr.org/2008/05/overcoming-imposter-syndrome https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/01/27/why-imposter-syndrome-is-a-good-thing/#73db41ad472a https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_cox_what_is_imposter_syndrome_and_how_can_you_combat_it?language=en Talking about imposter syndrome is the best cure. Want to talk? Please let us know!
by Sam RaviSenior Micro Major Last semester, I had the opportunity to take BIOSC 1860: Microbiology Lab (for microbiology majors) with Dr. Stefanie Hedayati. Dr. Hedayati is a wonderful professor; she makes sure to make the classes she teaches are an enjoyable experience for the students, as well as applicable to future professions that students may be interested in. Currently she is teaching BIOSC 0150: Foundations of Biology 1. With the first midterms coming up, I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up with her as well as talk to her about biology and life in general. How was your winter break and what fun activities did you do? My winter break was good overall. I didn’t do a lot of fun activities except celebrate Christmas and spend time with the kids. Speaking of kids, a big part of winter break was them being sick. We took turns spreading the germs around in the house so everyone got to enjoy them :) I also spent a good amount of time prepping for the spring semester. So, overall I would say not too much fun stuff going on but it was overall good and enjoyable. What classes do you teach and what is your favorite class to teach at Pitt? In the fall I taught BIOSC 1860, the Microbio lab for majors. This semester I’m doing BIOSC 0150: Foundations of Biology 1 and BIOSC 1010: Communicating in the BioSciences. My favorite class...that is tough. I do like microbiology a lot and lab is always fun. But I’m also very partial to the material taught in 0150. So currently it’s a toss-up between those two. What made you interested in the field of biology? I was initially planning on going to med school but then during my last years in high school, I was part of our school’s first response team. My friends and boyfriend at the time were super into emergency medicine (a bunch of them were also volunteering with the mountain rescue teams we have in Southern Bavaria where I’m from) – so I got roped into that. I realized how terrified I actually was of helping someone medically and making a mistake. So then I decided not to become a physician. Biotechnology was a new major in one of the schools where I applied, and I figured it has lots of potential. Ultimately, I got into 'regular' Biology in Munich, which was really great. From there I focused on Microbiology, Biochem and Cell bio and have stuck with it ever since. It is so great and valuable to learn about how life works and it is not only useful for exams, research or any science-related career, but it also helps you understand certain aspects of your daily life better. What is your favorite biology topic? Protein folding and degradation. I haven’t really worked in it since grad school but it is still my favorite. I always hoped to study protein folding in extremophiles – never worked out though. But I enjoy reading and talking about it. When not teaching or being involved in the bio department, what are your other hobbies? Well, in grad school I started road biking. It was great to bike up the SF Bay area foothills to the Pacific and back. But I had no kids then and so I had a lot more time. My bike is still with me but I haven’t used it in years. I’m hoping to get back on it at some point. If anyone has some useful tips for routes around here – send them my way! I started ice skating again after a 20 year hiatus since my 6-year old really wanted to try it and that is great fun to do together with her. Otherwise I spend a lot of my free time with my kids (parks, Children's Museum, Science Center… Pittsburgh is GREAT for that) and during the little alone time I have, I knit. I love knitting! Socks, sweaters, hats, scarves – anything really. How did you make your decision to go to graduate school and to pursue a PhD? That somehow just all fell into place. I finished my coursework in Munich, but before committing to a lab for my final thesis, I wanted to go 6 months abroad and do some research in microbiology. My professor in Munich established contact to a person in the US. Long story short, 6 months turned into almost 16 years that I have been here now. I knew I wanted to do a PhD to have options. I liked research and I was open to academic as well as industry research, but I also knew that a PhD will provide more flexibility. And while grad school definitely has its up and downs, it was overall a fantastic time and I’m so glad that I did it. I never regretted my decision. What research are you interested in and currently involved in? I’m hoping to spend some time this summer working on the secretory pathway in parallel to prepping for 1860 again. It is an authentic research-based course so there are always kinks and issues that could be worked out for future renditions of the class. If you were to give advice to incoming students interested in pursuing a degree in the biology department what would it be? Stay open to the many possibilities that biology offers. There is so much variety in the sub-fields of biology – you may come in with a certain idea of what you want to do, but openly evaluate everything we are trying to teach you to really see what strikes your interest. Many things will also fall in place in your higher semesters. While we all do our best to connect concepts and topics, in the beginning it is all very overwhelming. You have to take the material seriously and study, but you will also see that many things “click” in upper-division classes. Talk to your professors and instructors. We all love biology and teaching so become part of the community, help us get to know you. And try to join a research lab. That is another great way to meet people who share similar interests and it is a good way to figure out if research is your thing. What would your advice be for students who are graduating and are unsure of whether to pursue grad school or med school? I think both are very good options and it ultimately depends on how clinically involved you want to be. MDs often also run labs in addition to practicing in hospitals, so you can definitely stay involved in research. But it probably will have a more medical/clinical aspect to it than the basic science PhDs often do. Both degrees also allow you to work in the pharmaceutical industry. On the other hand, with an MD it is not as likely to pursue routes like publishing, editing, science writing, patent law. I had quite a few friends who left university after grad school and became editors/writers for scientific journals or pursued a career in patent law. So a PhD may offer a little bit more flexibility for the time after grad school. It can be daunting to approach professors to ask questions or have general conversation. But, professors are fantastic people who have much experience and are willing to help students in any way they can! Feel free to attend the events run by the Bio department; they are great opportunities to be introduced to professors as well as a great way to network with others.
Hope MartinJunior Computational Biology major Having only recently become set on a major, I have had a lot of back and forth exploration throughout the biology department through my years at Pitt. One thing that really stood out to me before even trying to pick a major was how excited I was by living things, whether they were amoebae, plants, or rats. Due to this interest I decided to apply to a vet internship last summer at the National Aviary. I applied not because I wanted to be a vet, but instead because that department at the Aviary seemed to be the most hands-on with the birds. I applied for position explaining my situation and how I liked the idea of doing some observational research on the birds, whether very scientific or not. I think I stuck out having this unique interest others did not have. Everyone else I worked with there was either a vet student or pre-vet student. I got to help out with many different tasks including husbandry as well as medical procedures. Since the birds that we saw daily needed special medical attention, we had to make sure everything was clean for them and that they got the right treatment at all the proper times of the day. Treatments differed from patient to patient, but the birds that were really old or had a chronic illness lived in a fancy “old folk’s home” for birds. The hospital was in charge of the “bird old folk’s home”, so soon enough I learned all of their treatments by heart. Since the birds that live with the hospital always are too unwell to go back to the free flight areas, they get really used to the hospital staff and their personalities really come out. I had never thought of birds to have unique personal traits or attitudes before this job, but they really do each have very distinct personalities. One of my favorite “residents” we had was named Buddy. He was a European Starling which is a very common bird I had recognized from laying in Schenley plaza on the warm days of the semester. Buddy did not have anything chronic going on, he was just extremely old. He would yell at me when I brought him his food and fall asleep while he was exclaiming. Another one of the birds we had on full time care was named Hermie. He was a hybrid bird and made really unique noises at set times of the day. Hermie had anxiety when things were changed around, when they had renovated the hospital center and he got a big new enclosure he got really upset and anxious so they had to put him back in his original smaller home with his silly bird toys from the pet store instead of the new natural elements they have in the renovated area for playing. I did not realize how each bird individually had needs aside from what is suggested of their species. His enclosure was “too small” in terms for the species he was but with more space he got very ill and upset and pulled out his feathers. Every day at a vet hospital is different, there can be emergencies, there can be births, there can be routine check-ups, and procedures. This made the internship really exciting and left me with so much new knowledge and respect for what goes into caring for birds. I hope from sharing just a few things about my amazing experience this summer, people can get an idea of how wonderful and top of the line the care is at the National Aviary. I could talk about so many things that went on there and how amazing it was forever, but I won’t right now (I feel like birds deserve a HIPPA form too!). Come and see me at my office hours to learn more! |
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January 2022
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