February flying by

Total 2nd semester service hours as of 2/28: 14

Wait...tomorrow is March? Wasn’t last month March?!

Following up the end of the last post - the second dose of the COVID vaccine hit me hard. Luckily after a few doses of ibuprofen, a smoothie, and some much needed rest, I was good as new in time to take our neurology module exam. I still feel extra grateful as I watch the vaccine rollout continue and more friends and family get vaccinated.

This month’s modules were super interesting. A lot of the material in the neurology module brought me back to one of my favorite classes from undergrad (Neuroscience of Brain Disorders). It was really cool to circle back to the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s again and learn how the pathophysiological mechanisms inform drug targets. Our final module, psychopharmacology, hits close to home. While learning about drug treatment algorithms for depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, I couldn’t help but think of how many people in my life have struggled to find drug treatments that work consistently for them.

Sadly, this month the Monday afternoon farmer’s markets overlapped with a module exam and an interesting discussion in environmental pharm. I am looking forward to getting back to the market and to exploring other service opportunities.

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October: Hemostatics and Hurricanes

Wow, did October fly by! After knocking out three modules in three weeks I feel like almost an expert on autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular pharmacology. A lot of the content this month pertained to problems more commonly seen in adult patients, so it was a steep learning curve for this former pediatric scribe. With so many drugs to memorize in a relatively short amount of time, I found that podcasts could be a great resource to turn to when I could not look at a screen anymore and needed to go for a run or do dishes. I shared my playlists with several classmates and plan to keep doing so from here on out. Learning about CV pharm this month really hit home for me since both my grandparents have AFib and my grandpa recently had a fall. Knowing the mechanisms of antiarrhythmics and reversal agents of the anticoagulants and being able to explain them to my mom really put us all at ease. Dr. Clarkson – I really took the “be able to explain this stuff to your grandma” to heart!

January (& a sprinkle of December)

Total 2nd semester service hours as of 1/31: 14 January felt like the shortest and longest month in all of the best ways. December was also pretty long - after the end of last semester I was basically counting down the days till we started classes again! I was grateful to be able to spend time with my family over the holidays, especially since I hadn’t seen my younger brother in almost a year because of COVID. Over winter break I was able to volunteer at Glass Half Full NOLA. I was equally shocked and thankful at the steady stream of people that showed up to drop off their glass for recycling. This organization is so important to one of my friends, and getting to participate in something that makes her light up was awesome. I also have continued to volunteer at the ReFresh Farmer’s Market every other Monday selling candles for Hagar’s House. The community of vendors and patrons there is amazing, and I always like being able to tell people about the mission of Hagar’s House. Last time

November: Semester one, done

Total service hours as of 11/30: 12 This month I was able to volunteer at a farmer’s market in Mid City selling candles for Hagar’s House. Hagar’s house provides a safe space for women and children, and they have created opportunities for the women to earn money while staying there by making candles, lip balms, and herbal teas. It was so great to be able to safely engage with the community and the other vendors at the market while also feeling like we were making a difference for the women that would receive the sales proceeds. I also volunteered with World Relief Durham while home in North Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday. I prepared and delivered a meal for a refugee family that came from Afghanistan just two weeks prior. I attempted to make shorwa and shir berenj, which involved ensuring the meat I bought was halal and that I followed proper food preparation guidelines. When I delivered the meal to the family, we couldn’t see each other’s faces well (due to masks and distance)

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