COVID19 Testing
(updated 4/27/2020)
Answering a call for volunteers from the Pathology Department, Stony Brook graduate and medical students have set aside their own projects and studies to serve the community by assisting with on-site COVID-19 testing. Approximately twenty students from the MD/PhD program, medical school, and biomedical sciences PhD programs have volunteered with the Hospital’s Molecular Genetics laboratory to run up to four shifts a day, extracting and testing viral RNA from patient samples. Under the supervision of Dr. Silvia Spitzer and Dr. Karen Bai, they have tested over 700 patient samples since the pandemic reached Suffolk County in late March.
The team began as a small team of students: Nuri Kim (MSTP 5th year, GS3) from Dr. Jessica Seeliger’s lab and Chun-Hao Pan (GS4) in Dr. Shroyer’s lab. John Yuen (MSTP 3rd year, GS1) from Dr. Jingfang Ju’s group was also instrumental early on.
Thanks in part to the generosity of many labs on campus as well as community members near and far, all of the student volunteers have access to proper protective equipment while working in the lab. In addition to the Pathology lab’s supplies, students have received mask donations from Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth, Mr. & Mrs. Yong M Cho, and the Shroyer family. Additionally, many labs on campus have donated essential equipment and reagents in a time where many resources are difficult to secure. Many thanks to Dr. Josh Dubnau, Dr. Jingfang Ju, Dr. Jessica Seeliger, Dr. Lonnie Wollmuth, Dr. Roger Sher, Dr. Doug Fearon (CSHL), and Dr. Hearing. The majority of these donations were organized by the MSTP students completing their doctoral thesis in these labs. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped us in our efforts!
As the pandemic continues to progress, we will continue to update this post about how MSTP students have contributed to the SBU's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Mental Health Workshop
Several MSTP students participated in a mental health workshop on Monday, April 20th. Dr. Danielle Merolla and Dr. Smita Majumdar Das, two clinical psychologists from the Center for Prevention and Outreach on West Campus led a session discussing such themes as monitoring physical signs of stress, checking your inner critic, imposter syndrome, and mindfulness. Students and faculty were encouraged to share their own thoughts and experiences, including ways in which they tend to be self-critical, methods they use for stress relief, and ways they could think of to increase mindful thoughts and behavior. After the workshop, GS1 MSTP student Kathryn Hill discussed resources in the community, both for relieving stress and for seeking help when needed. Finally, MS4 MSTP student Rajapillai Pillai discussed those times when stress, anxiety, and depression cross the barrier into mental illness and emphasized the importance of talking frankly about how mental illness exists in practitioners of science and medicine, despite the brave face we are all encouraged to put on. The annual event You’re Not Alone was discussed, in which people in medicine anonymously share their mental health experiences, with encouragement to engage in the event this year.
Some key takeaways from the workshop:
- Anxiety and distress may not be obvious. Check in to your sleep habits, eating habits, ability to concentrate to give you clues as to your mental health.
- We learn as doctors to show compassion to others, but it is not as strongly emphasized that we need to show compassion to ourselves.
- We need to find a sustainable way of living and thinking that will allow us to perform our duties while valuing our mental health. It may not fit the mold of what others are doing (or what they say they are doing) but that’s okay!
- 80% of all people experience Imposter Syndrome, and we tend to downplay our accomplishments while emphasizing our shortcomings. Try to think about your narrative as you would tell someone else, including all that you’ve done to get to this point and the challenges that you’ve faced. Be proud!
- Do not be afraid to ask for help. When you ask someone for help, it often makes the person you’re asking feel good and important—people want the chance to make a positive difference for someone. In addition, there are many people here for whom helping is actually their job!
- Mindfulness can be a valuable tool in self-awareness, including recognizing patterns of thinking that may get you into trouble. Practicing is worthwhile, though there are many apps and programs that can help you build mindfulness in your daily life.
- When dealing with mental illness it is tempting to think of yourself as a dysfunctional or broken individual in the midst of colleagues that are well put-together. The fact is that mental illness is not uncommon in science and medicine, and people we all work with can and have been quite successful while dealing with it. You are not alone.
For access to the Mental Health Workshop slides, as well as more information regarding mental health, please visit the Learning Resources page. You can also contact Raja at raja.i.pillai@gmail.com
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