Scientific research has been the primary guide regarding my career choice. Curiosity that extends past our textbooks and other didactic material will reveal invaluable information about how the specialty operates, how clinical research is practiced and the common pitfalls encountered, and how exerts in the field communicate with each other about their innovative findings. Through my research experiences during medical school, I was exposed to the reality of perioperative clinical encounters and realized that I would be the strongest patient advocate through a career in anesthesiology.
Traditionally, ideas behind research or QI projects originate within a single specialty. In anesthesia, we have the unique advantage of working within the clinical ranks of multiple specialties, and our projects tend to be interdisciplinary.
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However, there is talent to be integrated from well outside medicine, spanning the brainpower of our esteemed engineers, artists, computer scientists, anthropology, writers, film and media experts, mathematicians, and peopke in countless other fields.
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This a priori interdisciplinary collaboration is termed "convergence science."
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*Follow my stories @aalapshahmd every Tuesday for a discussion of research ideas and hypotheses that I have been jotting down for 5 years.*
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I hope to create a forum to engage people with similar interests, and inspire you to test your hypothesis at your institution!
Aalap Shah, MD, is a board certified anesthesiologist, specializing in general adult and pediatric anesthesiology.
