Week 5: Gabriella G

As summer immersion starts to come to a close, I have been spending more time reflecting on what I hope to gain from this experience, how I plan to achieve those goals, how much progress have I made towards them so far, and whether I am on track to accomplish everything before the program concludes. 

I came to summer immersion with three main goals: participate in a research project, observe at least one surgery, and learn more about the social elements of healthcare. 

Towards my first goal, I have conducted a literature review, read extensively about Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), conceptualized survey domains, and designed/refined a quantitative research plan. I am on track to complete the data analysis in time for our presentations in the next two to three weeks and am beginning to draft the motivation for the subsequent paper. 

For my second goal, I observed a prostatectomy using a surgical robot last week and have reached out to several additional surgeons. If everything go according to plan, I will have the opportunity to observe at least four surgeries within the next two weeks and shadow one of the surgeons in clinic. 

However, I think its towards my third goal that has received the greatest share of my attention. I have always been fascinated by the intersection of  technology/designed systems with people. Nothing operates in a vacuum yet it often feels as though the focus is place on what can be done rather than how people will actually use it. A medication can be highly effective at putting a patient into remission, but if a patient is unable or unwilling to adhere to the treatment plan, its impact is negligible. In fact, at least two of the presenters for the summer immersion lecture series highlighted translating their findings into clinical workflows / practice as a key challenges and points of ambiguity for their work. Hospitals and healthcare systems are a excellent examples of the complex, human-centered systems that constantly exist at the intersection of design infrastructure (e.g., technology, practice, and work flows) and people. 

Because of this, my mantra for summer immersion was to "get curious," and I have tried to bring that mindset to every activity I have participated in during this experience. 

Formally, I reached out to and interviewed five physicians to better understand their experiences with the healthcare and medical education systems. How did they conceptualize these systems? Where do they see as the tension points? What do they think are the current topics of focus/concern? These conversations have also opened new doors for me. In fact, it was through one of these discussions that I was able to shadow the emergency department. Similarly, my efforts to gain additional surgical experiences stems from an interest to understand how different disciplines approach to surgical care and clinical management. 

Informally, just about everyone has been subject to my questions. I asked countless questions to the individuals I shadowed in the emergency department, my summer immersion PI, the researchers who presented in the lecture series, and even my peers. Pretty much anyone and everyone has had the opportunity to hear my many, many questions. While I sometimes worry about imposing, these conversations consistently lead to valuable insights. 

Overall, I believe I am on track to achieve the goals I set at the beginning of the program. More importantly, I feel that my goals have allowed me to get the most out of this experience. Summer immersion has helped me develop a deeper understanding of the conceptualizations of physicians, the intentional design decisions embedded within healthcare system, and the very real challenges facing healthcare today.