Nothing to do in Summer 2017? Like head and neck rad onc, MRI research, and humidity?

[cdf95cro]

Then consider Houston , Texas!!

If anyone is interested in a research term at MDACC in Houston for Summer 2017, my "dry lab" currently is recruiting medical student trainee (MS1-4) slots.

We typically have space for 6-10 students.

The clearance and intake process takes around 6 months, so now is good time to get the ball rolling. We also have rolling post-doc spots and currently have 2 folks who are on year-long research terms if that is a desired option.

Our team's work is focused on advanced imaging in head and neck radiotherapy (you can browse here: http://faculty.mdanderson.org/Clifton_Fuller/, here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=fuller+cd or here: https://gsbs.uth.edu/faculty/facult...s.htm?id=2d745b1b-b129-4e76-80f4-fa967a939a0b for info on the kind of projects our group is working on).

During the term students are typically tasked with supervised work on a larger imaging or toxicity data collection project, as well as a smaller "independent" projects suitable for eventual publication (depending on seniority; e.g. 3rd years need a faster pub turnaround than pre-meds). So far, over the last 4 years, we've had great success with our awesome students, with lab team summer student 1st-author pubs in IJROBP, PRO, Int. J. of Cancer, Green Journal, and JACMP, and coauthorships in JAMA Oncology, Radiology, and Cancer.

There is, unfortunately, no direct funding available for stipend support for summer terms in most cases

Med students from the med schools in Texas can get credit and can come for vists of 4-12 weeks. Other schools need a minimum 8-week commitment, and if class credit directly from MDACC is desired, let me know so we can pursue a research agreement with your homeschool (OTW you may have to pay a 1-hour credit course charge).

If you are interested, pls forward your NIH biosketch to via email to my lab director, at asmohamed [at] mdanderson [dot] org . Sadly, I rarely check my SDN DMs anymore because I get sad constantly reading how Rad Onc is a dying field now that immunotherapy has been discovered by MS2s.

Thanks, and pls feel free to forward to anyone you know who might be interested.

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[DebtRising]

Good post but people think Rad Onc is a dying field because there is data projecting an oversupply for 10 years, the only comprehensive employment survey in contemporary times showed pretty terrible outcomes (including a % feeling forced into fellowship... and that was 2014, as well as 7% unemployment and 30% unable to find a job in the region they wanted), and for some reason fellowships, which are not accredited, have increased drastically in the last 4-5 years.

Good opportunity otherwise, but most scientists I know don't like to willfully ignore data.

 

[RadOncDoc21]

Good post but people think Rad Onc is a dying field because there is data projecting an oversupply for 10 years, the only comprehensive employment survey in contemporary times showed pretty terrible outcomes (including a % feeling forced into fellowship... and that was 2014, as well as 7% unemployment and 30% unable to find a job in the region they wanted), and for some reason fellowships, which are not accredited, have increased drastically in the last 4-5 years.

Good opportunity otherwise, but most scientists I know don't like to willfully ignore data.

Academia at MDACC is a different world. Everywhere else we're fighting for crumbs!

 

[thecarbonionangle]

There's the right way, and then there's the Anderson way!

 

[RadOncDoc21]

There's the right way, and then there's the Anderson way!

They crossed out the word cancer!

 

[thecarbonionangle]

You mad you didn't think of it first?

 

[RadOncDoc21]

I thought about using an "X"

 

[evilbooyaa]

Okay guys, come on. He's posting a research opportunity for medical students. Medical students will want to go into RadOnc regardless of the job market. Medical students want to be competitive for the field. This is a research opportunity that will likely make them more competitive for the field.

Can't take literally every thread in this forum and turn it into: "Job market sucks, don't go into RadOnc silly medical students". There's enough real threads whose purpose is to actively discuss this.

And I never fully understand the MDA hate. They do a lot of off-the-wall stuff, but a decent amount of what they do is what we cite as our evidence for doing the same thing. Yeah, by virtue of being in academics they can have some "interesting" personalities I suppose (at least on MedNet it seems like)

All of this spoken as someone who did not rotate, interview, or have any other connection to MDA.

 

[DebtRising]

Okay guys, come on. He's posting a research opportunity for medical students. Medical students will want to go into RadOnc regardless of the job market. Medical students want to be competitive for the field. This is a research opportunity that will likely make them more competitive for the field.

Can't take literally every thread in this forum and turn it into: "Job market sucks, don't go into RadOnc silly medical students". There's enough real threads whose purpose is to actively discuss this.

And I never fully understand the MDA hate. They do a lot of off-the-wall stuff, but a decent amount of what they do is what we cite as our evidence for doing the same thing. Yeah, by virtue of being in academics they can have some "interesting" personalities I suppose (at least on MedNet it seems like)

All of this spoken as someone who did not rotate, interview, or have any other connection to MDA.

I agree, I have no intention of doing so. But if the original poster wants to throw out little quips hinting that all criticisms of this field, and the horrid job market, are a figment of imagination by making some crude comment about immunotherapy, he should be called on doing so. I was respectful and direct in my comments - calling it a good opportunity and sharing, briefly, why there are so many concerns about employment.

If he wanted to simply advertise, he could have done so. If he wants to throw out comments about things, why expect him to not be called on it? Quite frankly it is disrespectful to wade into any debate with no information, make a half hearted remark, then walk away. If he is set in his position and benefits from a strong interest in this field, getting repetitive cheap labor, then let him enjoy his setup and allow the rest of us who have legitimate concerns about our future to voice ours without insulting us. We at least try to articulate our position based on the information available.

 

[evilbooyaa]

I agree, I have no intention of doing so. But if the original poster wants to throw out little quips hinting that all criticisms of this field, and the horrid job market, are a figment of imagination by making some crude comment about immunotherapy, he should be called on doing so. I was respectful and direct in my comments - calling it a good opportunity and sharing, briefly, why there are so many concerns about employment.

If he wanted to simply advertise, he could have done so. If he wants to throw out comments about things, why expect him to not be called on it? Quite frankly it is disrespectful to wade into any debate with no information, make a half hearted remark, then walk away. If he is set in his position and benefits from a strong interest in this field, getting repetitive cheap labor, then let him enjoy his setup and allow the rest of us who have legitimate concerns about our future to voice ours without insulting us who, who at least try to articulate our position based on the information available.

Fair enough. I re-read OP and realized I missed the last line in his post initially.

Rest of your post is well taken - Carry on.

 

[RadOncDoc21]

I didn't say anything bad about the place. I just mentioned that it's a different environment compared to most places (high emphasis on academics and resources into researc) and don't have the same issues as most places would have because the academic scientists are so protected.

I agree, MD Anderson is a great place, and the word "cancer" in their name is crossed out!

 

[OTN]

Okay guys, come on. He's posting a research opportunity for medical students. Medical students will want to go into RadOnc regardless of the job market. Medical students want to be competitive for the field. This is a research opportunity that will likely make them more competitive for the field.

Can't take literally every thread in this forum and turn it into: "Job market sucks, don't go into RadOnc silly medical students". There's enough real threads whose purpose is to actively discuss this.

And I never fully understand the MDA hate. They do a lot of off-the-wall stuff, but a decent amount of what they do is what we cite as our evidence for doing the same thing. Yeah, by virtue of being in academics they can have some "interesting" personalities I suppose (at least on MedNet it seems like)

All of this spoken as someone who did not rotate, interview, or have any other connection to MDA.

I'll chime in on the MDA hate, from someone who practices, well not nearby, but close enough. They routinely throw "community" private practice physicians under the bus, going as far to tell a patient of mine I'd "never be able to spare her heart" and treat her left-sided breast cancer correctly, despite not knowing who I was, how I was trained, what technology I had, etc. Of course, when I called the guy on the phone and explained exactly what I planned to do, did he reiterate his lack of confidence in my ability and technology? Of course not. Ever since they changed their entire corporate structure a couple of years ago (clinicians are now considered revenue-generating units for their drug development wing, and my understanding is reimbursement is much more closely tied to clinical volume, academic support drastically decreased, etc), most quality radonc attendings left, and the volume of B.S. I've heard coming out of there trying to suggest the rest of us don't know what we're doing has substantially increased.

I get it- what's the point of being an academic physician if you're not really supported from a research standpoint? Get paid less for clinical work? Might as well hold onto the arrogance you believe being part of MDA affords, but don't be surprised when the rest of us fight back against the B.S.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Fair enough. Might not be fruitful at MDA, but there are so many varying qualities of Radiation Oncology treatment areas in the community around my residency program. Some of them are excellent, but sometimes patients come back from being referred out there.

 

[OTN]

Fair enough. Might not be fruitful at MDA, but there are so many varying qualities of Radiation Oncology treatment areas in the community around my residency program. Some of them are excellent, but sometimes patients come back from being referred out there.

Very much agree about varying quality of both academic and pp groups- I'd be fine if they just said "we really can't say what they may or may not be able to do", offer to call me to talk about it, etc, but that is not what happens.

 

[thecarbonionangle]

Church is in session. Repeat after after me. There is a right way.......
But in all seriousness. Great opportunity fo' sho'.

 

[navigator]

Are you accepting DO students to your lab?