(Re)Searching for Answers

1:52 PM

Author | Charmayne Cooley

The word "scientist" often evokes thoughts of lab coats, mice, and untamed hairdos. Although there is some truth to those images, they don't tell the entire story. For people who don't interact with researchers daily, it feels a bit mysterious. But we all reap the benefits: from safety improvements in vehicle design, to medicines that treat or manage conditions, to knowledge gained about biological and environmental processes. This truth is why proposed budgetary cuts to the NIH (National Institutes of Health) were swiftly rejected this fall with bipartisan support.

I've experienced the process of clinical research from both sides – researcher and participant. As a research assistant, my duties have included subject identification and enrollment, detail-oriented data collection/entry/management, performing chart review of medical records, background and literature reviews. Going through the informed consent process with patients and their families was a means of protecting their rights and aiding in their decision making.

As I start on my clinical rotations, I'm even more appreciative of the power of research. What we learned in the classroom setting is based on a foundation of scientific inquiry. It is staggering when I consider the gravity of the thousands of work hours it takes to determine treatments, therapeutics, and alter protocols. Medicine is dynamic, and questioning the What and the Why are crucial to advancing health care. Many of the interventions that we learned are more nuanced in reality; these lessons come from more up-to-date evaluations comparing approaches.

A big thank you if you've ever volunteered for research; it has meant so much for medical progress and the advancement of safety measures. For those of you who are interested in taking part at the University of Michigan, this site (https://umhealthresearch.org/), can help you get started exploring studies you might be eligible for - whether as someone affected by a certain condition or as a healthy control. In the past few years, I've given samples of blood and saliva, received an fMRI, answered questions about my health behaviors, and completed a dexamethasone suppression test to assess cortisol levels. Being a part of research from the perspective of a participant has opened my eyes and allowed me to experience firsthand some modalities, procedures and medications that I may soon be recommending to patients as a physician-in-training. It has given me even greater empathy and understanding for some of their fears, concerns and questions. (Plus, the occasional compensation is a nice perk…to think, my spit is worth $20!)

Of course, the scientific method can be implemented in each of our daily lives to solve practical problems -- ask questions, collect evidence, implement new strategies, and continually refine. This may take the form of finding the optimal time to commute to work to minimize traffic, thinking of better ways to organize the kitchen cupboards, or indulging in allowing yourself to take a deeper dive and search for answers when random thoughts pop into your head. (Highlights from my Google search history include "What does a pansystolic murmur sound like?")

Using patient-centered decision-making, I've witnessed physicians demystify the jargon of scientific literature, explaining risks and benefits of options, while also clarifying potential/anticipated side effects or other outcomes to help come to a mutual agreement moving forward. No matter what specialty I end up choosing, I hope I have the opportunity to similarly engage with my patients to convey evidence-based recommendations.

One of dozens of informed consent documents I've accumulated as a research participant
Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories David Bradley in Rwanda
Department News
'Delighted with our progress': Pediatric cardiology training program grows in Rwanda
What Professor of Pediatrics David Bradley started in 2022 has grown into a sustainable program, with the first trainee nearing graduation and others close behind in a growing pipeline.
Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
Keeping kids safe in poor air quality conditions
As climate change continues, the growing number and intensity of wildfires creates more air pollution, leading to poor air quality being a more common occurrence in many areas. Most parents are concerned about children's exposure to unhealthy air quality, but may not know the steps to take to help keep kids safe during those conditions. Read the full article on the Health Lab website, and click here for the episode transcript.
bladder full and then drained moving graphic
Health Lab
Recurrent UTIs? A gentamicin bladder instillation may be the answer
Recurrent UTIs can be a relentless battle for some, and also dangerous given how many antibiotics can be used. A leading expert on gentamicin bladder instillations discusses the lesser-known treatment that can get these infections under control.
Gifty Kwakye and Kwabena Agbedinu
Department News
New surgery fellowship program in Ghana marks first graduation
A fellowship program to train Ghanaian colorectal surgeons has produced its first graduate and is expanding with continued support from Michigan Medicine and others.
woman walking on treadmill picking intensity on a chart that reads from easier to harder
Health Lab
Higher costs limit attendance for life changing cardiac rehab
Despite the success cardiac rehabilitation has shown at reducing heart-related deaths and hospital readmissions, higher out-of-pocket costs may prevent patients from participating in the program, a University of Michigan study suggests. 
Yiqun Wang at a local farm
Points of Blue
Yiqun Wang, PhD candidate: Giving back to the biomedical field through research
Hy Do is a PhD Candidate in the Bioinformatics Program.