Research

Undergraduate Researcher

As the only undergraduate when I first joined the lab, I assisted a Post-Docs and a Ph.D. student to Commented [HH1]: Does this mean you were the only
workworking on the Gas embolotherapy project. Acoustic droplet vaporization involves the conversion of undergraduate in the lab? Or that another undergraduate
a perfluorocarbon droplet into a microbubble under exposure to focused ultrasound. The goal of this study joined later? Either way I feel the information is
is to enhance the efficacy of drug delivery and to “starve tumors to death” by cutting off their blood unnecessary that you were the only undergrad, this
sentence should be changed to “As an undergraduate
supply.
researcher…”
The manuscript entitled, “Minimally invasive gas embolization using acoustic droplet vaporization in a
rodent model of hepatocellular carcinoma”, which I am listed as a co-author, has been submitted to Commented [HH2]: This should be changed to “drug
Scientific Reports for publication and is currently in the peer-review process. *** delivery via gas embolotherapy research”. or something to
that effect.
Most meaningful: Commented [HH3]: This information is too detailed and
unnecessary for an Adcom. They’re not going to google
“Failure is not the end but rather an opportunity to learn and get back up againimprove” is the most what these terms mean.
important lesson I learned from my time spentding in the lab. Commented [HH4]: Is the study still ongoing? If yes, then
use is. If no (since the paper has been submitted for review)
I began my research with virtually no experience or specialized knowledge. I was always felt terrified then use was.
when the PhD student (Jonah) asked me questions, because I didn’t want to give the wrong answers. Commented [HH5]: So, you’ve given a good description
Fortunately, Jonah kept pushing me out of my comfort zone and showed me that even he would of what the research was. But you’ve entirely neglected to
sometimes fail the experiments. The My very first individual independent responsibility was histology. mention what you actually did.
Instead ofRather than let myself be overwhelmeding by the fear, I decided to taketook a leap of faith and Commented [HH6]: Can you be more specific here? I.e
doveived directly into the procedure. Granted, I failed, but I didn’t get discouraged. I troubleshoot after what experiments? Like an entire trial or a stain or
each time failure and tried again and again until each of the slides wereas properly stained. Because of something?
mSeeing my unremitting effort and meticulous attitude toward each task, Jonah taught me more
techniques, gave me more independent worksresponsibility, and even allowed me to design my own
experiments.

If I didn’t overcome the my fear of failure, I would not have been able to learn from my mistakes and
improve. I want to take this mindset moving forward and apply it to my work in the future. At some point,
I may misdiagnose my patients, prescribe the wrong medication or make the illness even worse, but I will Commented [HH7]: No, pick something else that you
keep in mind that the only way to survive is to learn from each and every one. could fail at. Exams or encounters or something. You really
don’t want to put the idea that you’ll mis prescribe or
Volunteer in hospital misdiagnose into the head of the reviewer even if it does
help you learn.
I’ve been started volunteering in Taiwanese hospitals since middle school in Taiwan and continued after
coming to the United States. I have volunteered in various departments, but mostly in the emergency
department and cancer center. My responsibilities ranged from transporting, entertaining and
accompanying patients to assisting medical staffs whenever they needed help. Volunteering at these two
countries with vastly different cultures and medical systems, I was able to gain valuable perspective on
the good, the bad and the ugly of each system. Moving forward, I wish to use these unique experiences to Commented [HH8]: This is a very cliché phrase.
better serve my patients and advocate for positive changes in some healthcare policies. Recommend replacing.

Most Meaningful:

While hHolding herthe wrinkled hands and looking into that those wondering eyes, I asked, “Christie, do
you remember me?”

When I volunteered at the palliative care unit, one of my dutiesjob was to assist with servinghelp serve
meals to the residents. In the corner, I would always sawee an old, infirm lady sitting on alone in her
wheelchair alone. From the nurse, I learned that she hads been diagnosed with terminal stage cancer and
Alzheimer’s disease. and hasShe’d been there for several months without visitors. When feeding her, I
loved to telltelling her stories about ** and my up and down for the dayhow my day was going. Although Commented [HH9]: “my childhood”, “my family”,
she’d has lost her language ability to speak and did not have any had no facial expression, I could tell that “growing up in Taiwan” etc. Pick something that goes here.
she was still listening. Before leaving to for the United States, I hugged her and said my good-byes to her. Commented [HH10]: How?
For the first time, I saw her eyes glistened with tears. She may not clearly remember who I was, but I
definitely have a special space in her heart. Commented [HH11]: Unfortunately, this line comes off
as pretentious. You’ll want to rewrite it to appear more
My time in this the palliative care unit has brought to my attention onshowed me the depressing side ofin humble.
medicine and prepared me for the brutal realities of physical aging and incurable illness. Notwithstanding Commented [HH12]: Recommend using a different
Despite this, I truly enjoyed my time with the patients that really needed accompany and help. This word.
experience taught me that regardless of the whether the interaction was just a short chat or a simple song,
Commented [HH13]: Yes! This is the best phrase you’ve
it could be very rewarding in the apparent pleasure shown on their facesto the patient. used. It grounds your experience in a medical setting while
simultaneously reinforces how it would make you a better
Medical assistant physician. Try using this approach when rewriting the other
parts.
My main responsibility was to Hhelping the practice operateworkflow smoothly in a busy environment Commented [HH14]: Notwithstanding works here.
was my main responsibility. From verifying patient information by interviewing patients and performing Despite flows better in the sentence.
preliminary physical tests to providing patients with medication information and instructions, I honed my
organizational and clinical skills to make Dr. Huang’s work practice more efficient. Since wWorking
mostly with cancer patients, I experienced the importance of empathizing and establishing a trust to make
them feel non-judgmental and safe. My increased sensitivity on to patients’ experiences in healthcare has Commented [HH15]: I’d replace this with “welcome”.
reinforced my understanding of the humanitarian role of doctors in patient-physician relationships and in Non-judgmental is ambiguous here.
society.

Physician Observation in United States

______ Medical Center, Department of Surgery (40hr)

• watched Observed kidney and liver transplant surgeries from living donors to patientsrecipients

University Medical Center _____ (20hr)

• Rrounded with a large inter-professional team in the ICU and the pulmonary wards
• Learned how to communicate difficult decisions and handle the inevitability of death in medicine Commented [HH16]: decisions or prognosis or diagnosis?

_____ Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics (20hr)

• Pprovided an insight into doctor-patient dynamic Commented [HH17]: Did you provide the insight, or did
• Sshadowed at inpatient and outpatient consultations you receive insight?

Most meaningful:

The blood finally flowed through, turning the originally pinkish kidney into a bright red color. That
moment, everyone in the operating room cried tears of joy. Commented [HH18]: This isn’t very believable even if
true.
I had never considered going into surgery. However, witnessing Dr. Killackey’s perform a kidney
transplant surgery ignited my strong interest in this area. She showed me the challenging, varying but Commented [HH19]: Varying or flexible?
exciting aspect life of being a surgeon. Right before suturing the cut, Dr. Killackey found the kidney
perfusion was not ideal. Within several minutes, she diagnosed identified the problem, created a new
game planpath forward and led the group team to facilitate it. Every moment in the operation room was
intense and intellectually challenging, but when after seeing the organ work again and the patient’s life
improve almost immediately, I felt incredibly satisfying satisfied and emotionally rewardeding. Commented [HH20]: A kidney takes days to weeks to
start working after a transplant. If the transplant was from a
deceased donor it could take up to a month.
Through Dr. Killackey’s interaction with patients, medical students, and residents, I saw the central roles
of a physician – an obligation to serve, a love ofto learning, and an inclination to teach. This experience
along with many others(as well as other shadowing) ultimately allowed me to reaffirmed my desire to
choose a dive into a challenging but fulfilling career as a physician.

Physician Observation in Taiwan

______ Veterans General Hospital, Traditional Chinese Medicine Center (40 hours)
• Oobserved outpatient consultations in a chaotic environment (150+ patients a day) and acupuncture
therapy
• Impressed by how a small needle could relief the pain of a patient’s arm

_______ Medical University Hospital, Division of Colorectal Surgery (30 hours)

• Llearned how to use different imaging techniques to diagnose colon cancer
• Lwitnessed how similar types of diseases can be treated with vastly different methods Commented [HH21]: Which ones specifically? An
example would work a lot better here.
Volunteer non hospital

I was the founder and president of Red Cross Youth Community Service club at ____. In collaboration
with _____ Red Cross Society, I focused on serving the disabled and the disadvantaged in rural areas at
hospitals, elder’s home and elementary schools. During natural disasters, I would bring my members to Commented [HH22]: Elderly homes? Or the elder’s
help with patient registration, triage the relief supplies and settle down the victimspatient management. I home?
have also organized training courses for CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Although I have
handed over the club to a current ____ high school student, I still participate in the service and help Commented [HH23]: It is unimportant who you handed
organize activities whenever I’m go back into Taiwan. the club over to. I’d delete this part.

Presentation and poster

I assisted the PhD student I worked with to giveI gave an oral presentation at 2018 IEEE Conference and
_____ Research & Design Conference alongside a PhD student I worked with. We presented the our
preliminary results of the Gas Embolotherapy projectour research on gas embolotherapy, which
demonstrated this cancer therapy could serve as an effective non-invasive method for managing
unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. When I was presenting and being asked questions, I not only Commented [HH24]: I’d put this in more layman terms.
trained my ability to deliver professional knowledge but also developed my social networks with like- You can’t be guaranteed that the person reading your
minded people. Attending conference provides the chance to see the fascinated side of the science behind application also has a strong science background. It may just
medicine, giving me hope that positive change in healthcare is just around the corner. be administrative staff.
Commented [HH25]: I would rewrite this noting the
Global ambassador/______ international student interviewer challenges you faced, how you overcame them and how
attending this conference/giving this presentation bettered
As the captain of the Asia division of global ambassadors, I serve on the panel for prospective and you as a person. The last sentence is too broad.
admitted students, participate inon webinars to answer questions for familesy, and host the International
Association for College Admission Counseling annual conference. I enjoyMy favorite activity is
interviewing students from all over the world. I love listening to their stories, creatinge connections and Commented [HH26]: Too broad.
guidinge them through their experience. By wWorking with a diverse group of people that have vastly
different ***, I am able to strengthen my interpersonal and communicational skills, which I can see Commented [HH27]: Something needs to go here.
“vastly different background” “vastly different goals” etc.
playingwill play a pivotal role in my success as a future physician.
Commented [HH28]: What does this mean? Traditionally
Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader as in it was difficult but isn’t anymore? Or traditionally as in
it’s considered difficult?
SI leader facilitates review sessions for classes that are traditionally difficult. I hold at least two sessions I would delete this and use specific classes or replace it with
per week and frequently have office hours to answer more specific, individualized questions. As the SI for the standard “STEM”.
Calculus-based physics, I have learned to lecture efficiently, address confusions, and diversify my
teaching to accommodate students with different abilities and learning skills. This opportunity not only
strengthens my ability to communicate scientific knowledge in an accessible way but also shows me that
effective teaching is a combination of passion, knowledge, and presentation. I will continue working as an
SI leader for General Chemistry in the upcoming semester. Commented [HH29]: This line is unnecessary as
AMCAS/AACOMAS has end dates and will assume it’s
Honor thesis ongoing unless you add an end date.

As an extension of my research on to the Ggas eEmboltherapy project, my honor thesis focuses on the use
of acoustic droplet vaporization in targeted gene delivery, with the broad goal of inducing P53 tumor
suppressor gene expression and subsequently cell death in a tumor. Since wWorking on thisa project
independently, I greatly improved my critical thinking and problem-solving skills through designing my
own experiments and constantly troubleshooting them.
I will be presentedpresent a poster at the _____ Summer Research Symposium and later at the Honor
Thesis Forum. Once all the data are collected, I plan to submit a manuscript for peer-reviewed
publication. Commented [HH30]: When?

____ Simulation Center Summer Intern

The SIM Center is dedicated to medical simulation training for _____ School of Medicine students,
residents, and faculty., through the use of The SIM Center uses low fidelity trainers, high fidelity patient
simulators, and virtual realityV/R simulations. I will be working independently on my own project, which
I need to apply innovative approaches to medical simulation basic task trainer models and bring a creative
new medical training idea to life. I will also gain experience in teamwork by assisting with the operations Commented [HH31]: Need to be specific. What exactly
of the SIM center. are you doing? Is it new models? Better voice actors? etc.

Yoga and Fitness Training

After all, life is about balance.

For years, I had struggled with food and my body, living from one extreme diet to the next. However,
aAfter hitting the rock bottom and going through the recovery process, I learned the 80/20 balance
between of being happy and healthy. I developed a genuine appreciation for weight lifting and Yoga.
Regardless of how busy I amam I, I always make sure to hit the gym at least three times a week, but I do
not let a splurge once in a while to get on me. I believe emotional and spiritual aspects are critical pieces
to achieve optimal health. In the future, I hope to make balance as the fundamental aspectpart of my
practice, taking care of both the physical and mental wellbeinghealth of my patients.

_____ Medical School Service team intern

Every summer, ____ Medical University will creates a service team with physicians, medical staffs and
student volunteers to provide free care for the residents living on Penghu Island, which is an archipelago
in Taiwan Strait. Since there is only one clinic on the island and the residents are mostly eldersolder
adults, the community is medically underserved. As a volunteer, I helped medical staffs to do basic
physical exams, visitsed to each household to distribute medications and assisted physicians to see the
residents. We also created a party to teach medical knowledge literacy to the residents through Commented [HH32]: You assisted in exams/tests or visits
performance, allowing them to learn and move their body while having fun. I will participate again this to the patients?
summer. To see has multiple meanings here.
Commented [HH33]: Awkward word choice.