\u201cDoctor, is it benign or malignant?\u201d I asked while lying on the examining table waiting restlessly for the result of my breast ultrasound. The radiologist gazed into those ambiguous echoes on the monitor for a couple of minutes, and eventually she said: \u201cWell, to me, it looks like a benign lesion\u201d. \u201cBut\u2026\u201d she continued, \u201cWe have to rely on the pathologic diagnosis\u201d. Fortunately, a core biopsy demonstrated a fibroadenoma, and I was flooded with ultimate relief when I heard the biopsy result. This is the unique beauty of pathology as a medical specialty; it is the most powerful weapon to reach an accurate diagnosis, and it gives you a conclusion.[ad#bannermain] As Sir William Osler put it, the pathologist is the doctor\u2019s doctor. I believe that it is this unique feature of definitiveness that attracts me most to pathology. Making diagnoses is an intricate task that involves collecting, integrating and interpreting data obtained from a diverse range of sources. The intellectual challenges involved in deciphering these mysteries and the emotional euphoria of assisting patients with definite answers also immensely intrigue me.<\/p>\n

Research interest is another important reason that I chose pathology. During my fifth year of medical school in China, I participated in a project to study the protective mechanism of a traditional medicine in a guinea pig asthma model which ignited my avid interest in research. Hence, after completing medical school, I came to the US to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology and pharmacology at the University of Big State Health Science Center. The 5-year Ph.D. training for me was both enlightening and rewarding. My work demonstrates that in addition to thiazolidinediones , rexinoids represent a second class of insulin sensitizing agents with potential application in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. These findings were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry and Cell Death & Differentiation, and presented at several national\/international conferences. I was honored with an achievement award and earned a top prize in the University graduate students poster competition. During this time and later postdoctoral work in the field of endometrial cancer, I have been closely collaborating with some outstanding pathologists, and I am always awed by their extensive knowledge, meticulous eye, analytical mind, and a strong sense of responsibility. It has made me realize that further residency training in pathology will afford me a more varied and balanced career. It will give me a unique platform to bridge basic research and clinical medicine, while applying the latest scientific discoveries to improving human health.<\/p>\n

Making me a goof fit for pathology are not only my passion and solid research background, but my personal character as well. I have an inquisitive nature, an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and the discipline to maintain independent study. I have come to realize that constant study is not a tedious burden, but a luxurious pleasure. Also, I am a team player who loves working with others. All these mesh well with the field of pathology.<\/p>\n

I am looking for a residency program that will provide rigorous and comprehensive pathologic training. I will devote my passion, energy, and medical expertise and research skills to serving my patients, to learning from my colleagues, and to educating medical students and young physicians. After residency, I plan to finish a fellowship in either oncologic pathology or ob\/gyn pathology. I am currently completing an observationship in the Department of Pathology at the University of Large State Medical School at Metropolis, and this hands-on experience has me further convinced that the field of pathology is for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cDoctor, is it benign or malignant?\u201d I asked while lying on the examining table waiting restlessly for the result of my breast ultrasound. The radiologist gazed into those ambiguous echoes on the monitor for...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[25,81,45,57],"yoast_head":"\n