Anne Richardson Wright: Drafting a Manuscript BACK

Published by AFAR

Today marks the halfway point in my 8-week MSTAR experience here at the University of North Carolina (UNC). The week began with the usual 10 a.m. database meeting with the primary investigators (MDs and PhDs), statisticians, physical therapist, epidemiologists, and research students such as myself. This is a fantastic meeting to sit in on because it focuses on all aspects of data processing, from collection to analysis. It is an arena for brainstorming, organizing and clarifying the existing and/or potential databases maintained by the Thurston Arthritis Research Center. At this meeting I spent most of my time absorbing information on how to conduct sound and compelling research. At the end of the meeting, however, I had the opportunity to update everyone on the neck and shoulder data that I am currently analyzing. Our data is looking very strong and everyone at the meeting seemed to think that we would be able to publish a very interesting study.

This response was very encouraging, so after the meeting I sat down and drafted the introduction to my manuscript. This involved a literature review and careful consideration of the data: a process which allowed my to clarify the importance and aims of my MSTAR research project. I sent my draft to my mentors, Dr. Amanda Nelson and Dr. Joanne Jordan, who spent time giving my very constructive and positive feedback. This experience alone boosted my confidence in writing research papers and has fueled my enthusiasm for participating in research.

With my paper started, I then focused on getting more experience in the rheumatology clinic by shadowing one of my mentors. I was fortunate to go on a day when six patients came in with six different medical issues. These included gout, fibromyalgia, CREST syndrome, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and a seronegative spondyloarthropathy. It was interesting to witness the presentation of these illnesses and how each is treated, rather than simply reading about them in a textbook. However, what struck me most in this particular clinic was that every one of the patients had done extensive online research into their disease. Thus, much of the history taking was directed by the patient’s web-based information, whether correct or incorrect. It was educational to see how my mentor navigated the patients towards a better understanding of what they had read and away from erroneous information obtained from illegitimate websites. She never dismissed anything the patient said as "stupid", instead she validated their thoughts and then offered a counterargument that she used to persuade the patient to trust her over the Internet. I found this to be a wise approach and one that I will apply as a future physician.

With these valuable research and clinical experiences under my belt I am going to wrap up my week by writing more of my manuscript, attending rheumatology grand rounds and going to our MSTAR didactic session. I would count this as a very successful week in my MSTAR experience and I am glad to say that each one of the four weeks here has been equally as great. I can’t help but think to myself  "thank goodness I decided to participate in this program" because I have learned so much about clinical skills, the specialties of geriatrics and rheumatology, and executing reliable research projects.

Anne Richardson Wright
University of Hawaii

This is Anne's second MSTAR Diary. You can read the first here.

Diary of an MSTAR Student" follows scholars in the 2012 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program, highlighting their summer experiences. As they continue their path of research, training and clinical practice, read their daily thoughts at www.afar.org/mstarblog. New diary entries are posted every day, so check back soon.