Research Question

[tvanhens]

I know I have been posting a lot of questions but I promise this one is the last, for a while Anyways, let me get down to it. I have been reading around the forums and it looks like published research is a big plus when it comes to medical schools. Now I currently am a second and third author on two published mathematics papers. These are very basic however, complicated enough to be published in a math journal but not really applicable to anything. Currently, I am working on a paper to be published regarding the mathematics behind a new non-invasive medical imaging technique. However, it is math heavy and does not include the implementation of the technique only the math behind it so it is targeted towards math journals.

So, heres are my questions: What kind of papers should be listed on an application for med school? Can I list my math publications? Or, should I focus more on biological research?

Also, if you put any of your own publications on your med school app, what were they regarding?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Vihsadas]

I think that you should put down all of your publications. Maybe put all of the math ones into one slot on the AMCAS and the bio-related ones (perhaps even the math theory one that deals with a treatment) in their own spots.
If it's academic in nature, I think its worth it to put down. In this case, even if it doesn't have medical relevance, it shows your diversity => not only are you a math student, you're a published math student!

My pubs (and hopeful pubs):
I have one publication about the ethics and legal issues pertaining to new emergency therapies undergoing clinical trials. More specifically, it highlights a specific artificial oxygen carrying fluid that recently completed a pivotal Phase III trial.

I hope to have another one shortly (review paper) about the tissue engineering of autologous heart valves.

Then, there's a slim chance that my honors neurosci work will turn into a pub

And another slim chance that I'll get a iron cycle/blood related pub.

Here's hoping everything works out!

 

[DoctorPhud]

Add all of them, even if they aren't related too much.

The thing is, it shows that:
a) You can do research
b) You can write
c) You can present your findings in a coherent way

Make a case for the medically-related aspects of your work, and discuss you future research aspirations, and how medical school can help take you there. Not only that, but you can also emphasise the tools that you can bring to medicine that others don't have. How does a skilled mathematician change the landscape of medical research?

I have five, with another three being submitted shortly. Ah... The research rat race!

 

[tvanhens]

Thanks that really helps a lot. So basically what I am getting from this is keep up the math pubs but be sure to get a few bio and or biomedical engineering publications in there too?

 

[HumidBeing]

You don't have to "be sure" to get the bio or biomedical ones. Publications are really icing on the cake. That you are very involved in research is the meaty part. It's cool that you've got the ones that you do. Research because you enjoy it. If you get more pubs, great. If not, don't sweat it. DO be able to talk about your work with understanding and enthusiasm.

 

[Cegar]

You can't spell medical imaging technology without calculus.

 

[Vihsadas]

You don't have to "be sure" to get the bio or biomedical ones. Publications are really icing on the cake. That you are very involved in research is the meaty part. It's cool that you've got the ones that you do. Research because you enjoy it. If you get more pubs, great. If not, don't sweat it. DO be able to talk about your work with understanding and enthusiasm.

Yeah exactly. If you have them, great. If you don't, don't worry about it.

 

[DMacNeuro]

You can't spell medical imaging technology without calculus.

but calculus isn't completely necessary

 

[shiftingmirage]

Definately put all publications and research experience on your app.

I work in a geochemistry lab where I analyze rocks for the presence of soot that may have resulted from impact triggered fires. Has absolutely nothing to do with medicine but I like it. Also, I would think math research is less common than chemistry/biology/psychology so it will give you something interesting to talk about during your interviews.

 

[DoctorPhud]

but calculus isn't completely necessary

Well... It sortof is. Don't get me wrong; I'm an engineer in imaging, not a mathematician.... But you really can't do anything if you don't understand matrices and things like that.

Quite apart from serious data-crunching, the software I was working on the other day needed a Hough circles transform, the usual edge detection, thresholding, low-pass filters, etc. An appreciation of the root 2 problem of CCD quantisation reared its head too.

I leave the serious algorithms to the mathematicians, but I need to understand them to work out what I need to use and how.

Mathematicians are all far smarter than me, so I leave them their deep thoughts