Research interest vs. clinical specialty

[micro555]

Hello there,

Kind of random topic, and I haven't posted much so forgive me if I had put this in the wrong location. I'm a veterinary / PhD student with a background in computer science, and bioinformatics. I'm considering applying to a residency program (after my internship of course), but I'm having trouble deciding on what the residency should be in.

Let me preface my question with the fact that I love both research and clinics and feel that I would truly be unhappy if I had to give either one up. My question is, how much synergy does your clinical specialty have to have with your research interest? And then a more specific question perhaps, if someone is interested in bioinformatics are there particular specialties that would have good synergy with this research topic?

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[CalliopeDVM]

Have you thought of epidemiology? There is a specialty in preventative medicine that includes the option of epidemiology.

 

[Vannandy]

Have you explored lab animal medicine? You can always switch jobs during your career if you ever become unhappy in one role.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

A clinical pathology professor I know has a research interest in bioformatics. Path is general lends itself decently well the research. However, you eventually do have to choose which side of things you are going to prioritize - the research, or the diagnostics. One will always have to take a back seat to some degree.

 

[nyanko]

Sorry I'm late to this. I was in a similar boat prior to vet school - I love genetics and genomics research (sidenote: also have a CS background and my research necessitates a decent amount of bioinformatics knowledge) but I also love medicine and surgery. I basically found a bit of a niche in neurology/neurosurgery where the subject matter was intensely interesting to me and there's just enough of weird developmental/genetic stuff that I can be useful in that fashion too. I'm doing a combined Ph.D./residency program right now and it seems crazy at times but I can't imagine only doing one or the other...

 

[IZZY222]

I'll chime in here. I just finished my DVM (like 2 weeks ago). I am a dual degree student (PhD focus is Epidemiology) and was extended a residency in Population Medicine. While the residency adds time to my PhD, I get more clinical/teaching training. I cannot imagine my life without research and really wanted some more teaching experience. My externships in 4th year really made me want to practice some. If its any help, my spouse is a DVM/PhD in bioinformatics and immunology.