不良研究所

I walked into my first Precision Diagnostics Program meeting as an undergraduate researcher literally shaking. As a second year Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies student, I was surrounded by graduate students presenting cutting-edge research on 4D radiomics. They were doing things like converting 2D cardiac MRI images into deformable meshes to track how fibrosis moves through the heart over time. It was so much to take in and in such a short period of time. But you know, after a while, I started figuring things out and even started asking for help when I needed. It.  

For my PURE Award, I examined cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes widespread fibrosis throughout the body. I spent weeks in the basement of Foothills Hospital, manually contouring over 100 cardiac MRI scans to identify fibrotic tissue. The work was tedious - T1 mapping, T2 mapping, left ventricle measurements over and over. Some days it was tough, especially with my ADHD. I鈥檇 have to use my coping mechanisms and just push through. Having a chronic autoimmune disease myself, this research also felt personal. I know what it's like when your condition lacks adequate literature and I was determined to make an impact. 

My message to other students: it鈥檚 ok to be scared but make sure you鈥檙e communicative. When I told my supervisors or a graduate student "I don't understand this" or "I need help," they met me exactly where I was. They even let me shadow an open-heart surgery and clinical MRI readings, connecting my scan analysis to real human hearts. Your team makes or breaks the experience, and I鈥檓 so grateful to have spent the summer learning alongside them.