summer big apple style
Jonathan Zelken M'07
I decided a long time ago that I want to be a surgeon and an academician. I had, and still have, no prospective specialty in mind, but I've known for some time my personality and goals are better suited to a career in surgery than one in, say, firefighting. I decided more recently that I wanted a combined degree in business and medicine; that the climate of modern medicine necessarily calls for business-savvy physicians. I chose Tufts over some other schools because I could achieve a goal, at Tufts alone, of becoming a physician-manager. I later realized my decision to be an MD and an MBA made my goal of becoming a surgeon-scientist a somewhat distant reality. Hesitantly, I decided I would drop the MBA in pursuit of my academic interests in surgery. I spent almost two years prior to my first at Tufts in New York City as a researcher under Robert Buly, MD, at the Hospital for Special Surgery. My research was fruitful and I walked away with a publication in the Journal of Arthroplasty, but there were many loose ends, and many unresolved opportunities to get my hands wet with new projects. At the expense of my ongoing matriculation in the combined-degree program, I returned to New York for the summer- I paid a one-time fee to Columbia University and lived in their dorms, and I commuted downtown to the Upper East Side every day. It was a nice setup and very manageable. At work, my projects varied from investigating acetabular fracture after total hip replacement, to predicting femoroacetabular hip impingement using axial CT images and CAD-based engineering software, to observing my mentor in the OR, and monitoring the ongoing wellness of patients who had revision hip surgery under the care of my mentor. Another project we are working on is the development of questionnaire designed to measure hip dysfunction in patients who do not have arthritis per se, but mechanical symptoms like labral tears or loose bodies in the joint. At night, I went to some great bars in New York. My favorite may have been this one called Keats in Midtown, where every night was Karaoke night and the Billy Joel and Springsteen flowed like the beer from my cup onto the floor. Nightlife is so vibrant in NYC in the summer- some nights, it begins at 11PM and ends at 4 or 5 AM. After work, and before I went to the bars, I rowed at the New York Athletic Club in Pelham, and cycled the beautiful Central Park when the rowing conditions were inclement or I couldn't find a ride to Pelham. I also had the chance to see some Broadway shows and eat at 5-star restaurants like the Gotham Grille and Bluefin with some Tufts classmates. Best of all, I donned my Yanks cap daily, with pride (instead of in fear), and watched five or six home games in the Bronx. What a summer. I had a spectacular time in the City, but I must say I was excited to return to Boston. Like last year, I left my job satisfied with the experience I received, but disconcerted that I lacked sufficient time to complete the work I began, that knowledge that might benefit the scientific community is contingent upon only a few more months of research. I am doing all I can from "abroad" to go on with my work in New York, but temporal, geographical, and financial constraints overwhelm my goals. In addition, I only studied clinical outcomes over the past few years. I did not conduct primary research, not this summer or last year, or in college. With all this in mind, I am considering a research year, next year, to try and finish my work and look into some additional primary biomechanics research. I have the go-ahead from the powers-that-be in NYC, pending external fellowship funding. One of the projects I am looking into involves cartilage biomechanics. Another is more technical and involves computerized navigation as an operative aid. Fortunately for me, I chose a great medical school that affords medical students the opportunity to do a year of research as full-time students. Ask Tish in the OSA or one of our Deans about the research concentration program. I encourage all of you with a similar mindset to consider this great opportunity to benefit the scientific community, whether at Tufts or elsewhere. And be sure to ask about the Williams Fellowship offered by Tufts for summer research.