Senior Project Update!

Today, I had the amazing opportunity to talk with Dawn Holman, a behavioral scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, located in Georgia. During this conversation, she really highlighted  the importance of educating youth about cancer prevention, and the preventative measures one should take! Dawn received her undergraduate degree in science from the University of Georgia and went on to receive her Masters degree in public health at Emory University. She became interested in skin cancer prevention due to the experiences she had as a research assistant at Emory University. Dawn has been working at the CDC since 2009.

Dawn works in the CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control's Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch.

Blog 22: Final 3-Column Chart

Final 3-Column Chart

Blog 20: 3 Column Chart

Content:
3 Column Logic Chart

Blog 19:Senior Project and ESLR's

Content:

1.  What ESLR have you excelled in most in your senior project?
The ESLR that I have excelled in most during my senior project is Effective Learner.
2.  Please explain why you think you have excelled in this ESLR.
I believe I have excelled most in this ESLR is because I have proven, through me working bibliography, that I have an understanding about my senior project, and I have used the information from my research in presentations. Also, the research that I have gotten is from credible sources,mostly from academic journals, such as the American Journal of Otolaryngology. I have also done research outside of the selected research check dates, amounting to the articles that I have so far. To learn about my topic, I have diligently gone to my mentorship, where on certain days, I can see cancer first hand, which helps me understand how cancer can be extracted and what the doctor does during the procedure.
3.  Provide evidence from your senior project to support your claim (evidence is a photo of something you are doing, photo of something you made, etc).
The evidence shown is a link  of my up to date working bibliography, which shows that I have amounted 73 articles so far. Cancer of the Head and neck is one of the book articles that really aids my understanding of my topic, and gives me a great description of head and neck cancer physically and also pathologically.

Working Bibliography

This is a CT scan of nasopharyngeal cancer. The image also shows the tumor related to other anatomy located next to the pharynx, specifically the nasopharynx.

Blog 18: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #3

1.  What is your essential question?
My essential question is "What is the best way to treat head and neck cancer in adults?"
2.  What is your third answer to your essential question (write your third answer in a complete sentence)?
My third answer to my essential question is awareness about head and neck cancer through various mediums such as high school classes, education at the hospital via classes, etc. Education through these mediums, especially about factors that could cause head and neck cancer (smoking, alcohol consumption, sun exposure,etc) would help prevent head and neck cancer for the patients who are susceptible to it.
3.  What are three details to support or justify your third answer (details are examples or facts)?
The three details that justify my third answer are:

• "Reduced odds of head and neck SCC were found for the fruit, vegetable, and lean protein pattern.The fried foods, high-fat and processed meats, and sweets pattern was positively associated only with laryngeal cancer.These findings underline the importance of a dietary pattern rich in fruits and vegetables and low in high-fat and processed meats and sweets for prevention of head and neck cancer." Bradshaw, Patrick T., Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Marci Campbell, Mark C. Weisser, William K. Funkhouse, and Andrew Olshan. "Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Head and Neck Cancer: The Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Study."American Journal of Epidemiology 172.12 (2012): 1225-233. Print.
• "Our results thus show that even cancer patients with multi-drug abuse and heavy nicotine dependence can quit smoking successfully with structured support. This indicates that cancer could be a ‘teachable moment’ for patients with H&N cancer.The results of our study indicate that H&N cancer patients are interested in quitting smoking if support and help is being offered, even if it is possible that some patients felt obliged to accept participation to please the treating staff. However, a majority of the patients who stopped smoking during RT remained smoke-free during the first year after diagnosis, which indicates that their interest in quitting smoking was sincere." Sharp, L., Johansson, H., Fagerstrom, K. and Rutqvist, L.E. (2008), Smoking cessation among patients with head and neck cancer: cancer as a ‘teachable moment’. European Journal of Cancer Care, 17: 114–119.
• “Compared to subjects without family history, nonsmokers, and non or moderate drinkers, the OR was 42.6 for current smokers, heavy drinkers with family history. History of oral and pharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer is a strong determinant of oral and pharyngeal cancer risk, independent from tobacco and alcohol.” Garavello, W., Foschi, R., Talamini, R., La Vecchia, C., Rossi, M., Dal Maso, L., Tavani, A., Levi, F., Barzan, L., Ramazzotti, V., Franceschi, S. and Negri, E. (2008), Family history and the risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer. Int. J. Cancer, 122: 1827–1831.

4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
The source that has helped me prove that my 3rd answer is justified for my essential question is taking to Mark Dome, the physician assistant at the Head and Neck Department. When discussing my essential question with him, they told me that the the best way to prevent head and neck cancer, or any other form of malignancy, was for the patient (s) to stop smoking, reduce or stop their alcohol consumption, have dietary measures, and look at the family history because if it is a trait shared in the family, they are more likely to attain some type of head and neck cancer. The details listed above also helped me find justification about it is  imperative for adults to educate themselves about head and neck cancer.
5.  What do you plan to study next and why?
I plan to study the effects of not undergoing the proper procedure during treatment and diagnosis for head and neck cancer, specifically if the patient continues to smoke or practices activities that could increase their risk of developing secondary malignant tumor and/or serious malformations to the face.

Blog 16: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #2

Content:

1.  What is your essential question?
My essential question is "What is the best way to treat head and neck cancer in adults?"
2.  What is your second answer to your essential question (write your second answer in a complete sentence)? My second answer to my essential question is that the patient receive follow-up care after they have completed treatment.
3.  What are three details to support or justify your second answer (details are examples or facts)?
Follow-up care is extremely important after a procedure,  especially if the patient experiences head and neck cancer.

• Follow-up care is important because it helps to identify changes in health. The purpose of follow-up care is to check for recurrence (the return of cancer in the primary site) or metastasis (the spread of cancer to another part of the body).  www.cancer.gov
• Follow-up care visits are also important to help in the prevention or early detection of other types of cancer, address ongoing problems due to cancer or its treatment, and check for physical and psychosocial effects that may develop months to years after treatment ends. www.cancer.gov
• The frequency and nature of follow-up care is individualized based on the type of cancer, the type of treatment received, and the person’s overall health, including possible treatment-related problems. In general, people return to the doctor for follow-up appointments every 3 to 4 months during the first 2 to 3 years after treatment, and once or twice a year after that.   www.cancer.gov

4.  What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
The source that helped me prove this answer was one of my research articles, number 38, which is "Esophageal pathology in patients after treatment for head and neck cancer", by the journal Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. This article illustrated the importance of having follow-up care because of the fact that some patients could develop serious medical conditions after they receive treatment for cancer. In this article, the majority of patients had oropharyngeal cancer, and after undergoing treatment, they developed esophageal problems.  The authors recommended that the patients needed to be diagnosed quickly after the treatment because the physician has to take into consideration how the patient feels when performing simple acts, such as swallowing. The physician has to perform tests to check if everything is functioning normally after a major procedure. The authors also highlighted that the results must not be based on patient symptoms alone; it is necessary for the doctor to perform routine examinations so the problem could be detected early, and there are no other complications with the patient.

5.  What do you plan to study next with your second answer and why?
What I plan to study next with my second answer is how doctors can provide the best follow-up care for the patient, depending on the type of cancer and the treatment that they have. By doing research about my second answer, I can see if follow-up care is one of the ways that the patient can receive the best treatment. I also want to learn the different ways that can follow-up care can have an impact on the patients. For example, if the patient were to develop psychosocial effects, how would the physician outline the care needed for the patient.

Senior Project Update

Content:

1. What are you currently doing in your independent component?
For my independent component,  I am currently going to the hospital on Thursdays, to shadow a doctor when he/she is surgically removing skin cancer from a patient. 

(2) What is a recent piece of research (article, interview, or audio-visual) that have you reviewed you would say was significant in helping you understand where to go next in your senior project?  The piece of research should be something you reviewed in November.  Please explain what you learned and where are you going next because of this piece of research.
The piece of research that has helped me in my understanding of my senior project would be an informal interview that I did with Dr. Jennifer Lee, an otolaryngologist who works at the Head and Neck department. On November 8th, while participating in Mohs Night, I  meet Dr. Lee who graciously answered my questions despite the fact that she was on her break, and she only had a few minutes to spare. I asked her about life while in medical school, and the "proper term" for an otolaryngologist. She told me that residency is hard since you have to dedicate all your time to the hospital (for crap pay!), but if you become chief resident, then starting a family is much easier, which is something that she did. She also told me that as a resident, you gain interesting experiences since you have to travel through the various departments in the hospital. I told her that I possibly wanted to go into the OB/GYN specialty  and she related her experiences while touring in that department, while a resident at USC. Because of this interview, I gained insightful knowledge about life as resident from the perspective of a doctor, and how she got to where she is now. I am considering that she become my official mentor for my senior project.

(3) Provide evidence from your independent component or the piece of research as something you recently did.  For example, a photo of something you working on for your independent component or your notes from the video you watched. 

The notes that I took while  in Mohs Night.

Working EQ and Possible Answers

(1) What was the working EQ you used during your presentation?

• The working essential question that I used for my presentation was: "What do you have to know to be a successful  ENT  doctor."

(2) Did you decide to revise your working EQ after your presentation? If so, write your revised EQ here.  If not simple write "I am not going to revise my EQ at this time".

• I am not going to revise my EQ at this time.

(3) What are possible answers to your current working EQ?

• Some possible answers to my working EQ is that in order to be "successful" you need to be as good as your team. When doing my mentorship and independent component, I see that the doctors and nurses work extremely close with one another to provide the patient with the best care possible. Another possible answer would be that, although this might sound cliche, you have to have passion for what you do daily. Being an otolaryngologist encompasses the knowledge and the passion for head and neck anatomy, but if you didn't have that passion, then why spend 3-4 years of your life dedicated to a particular interest, when you could be focusing on another field, such as Pediatrics, or something that really catches your attention. Also, a possible answer would be in order to be a successful ENT doctor, you would need to know the various duties that your job entitles you to do. 

Topic Choice

Content:
A.What is your topic and why?
 Although I have not yet been placed in a specific department in the hospital, the topic that I want to focus on is Obstetrics and Gynecology. I want to focus on this subject because I have always had a special interest in the care of a women during their pregnancy. I am also considering this topic as my future career, and if I decided to do this topic, I would learn new information that would inspire me to continue pursing a career as an OB/GYN.
B.  What do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic? (Relating to ESLR's)

• I-Poly Citizen: As an I-Poly citizen and as a volunteer at Kaiser Permanente in Baldwin Park, I will treat the members, patients, and staff with the respect that they deserve and help them as best as I can. I will follow my schedule at the hospital and fully complete the hours that are required. I will also complete any task that is requested and do it effectively, and as best as I can. Hopefully, if I can get admitted into the OB/GYN department, I hope to access new information about this topic so I can educate myself and ultimately those around me. Not only do I want to learn the current issues of obstetrics and gynecology, but my research will aid me in finding out how the birth/prenatal care of a baby was done back in the old days. I also hope to find out,during my research and experience at Kaiser, how much of an impact obstetricians and gynecologists make not only here in the U.S, but around the world, and the different practices they have, if any. 
• I-Poly Effective Communicator: Being a Concierge Ambassador at Kaiser has taught me so much about how to treat and talk to the members/patients when they come and visit the hospital. I plan to use this knowledge when talking to patients/members and staff  at the OB/GYN department and make them feel welcome, especially the patients. By voluteering at this department, I plan to learn how to communicate effectively when talking to a patient, and relying messgaes to the staff so they can offer assistance to the patients as quick as they can, especially during stressful situations. I plan to work as a team with the staff since ultimately they are the ones who are going to be teaching me everything I need to know about my topic. By collaborating with the staff and patients, I will become an effective communicator since I will learn the skills needed to handle any type of situation, and have qualities that would help me in my future endeavors.
• I-Poly Effective Learner: To become an effective learner, I plan to conduct my research in a timely and orderly fashion so that everything is organized and I can use it effectively when I need to. I will also conduct interviews with my mentors so I have a better understanding about the topic at hand, and also to clarify some misconceptions that I may have. I will take the knowledge that I have collected and personally construct a creative  presentation that will effectively display the information that I have learned and educate others who want to learn more about this topic or are interested in the medical field.
• I-Poly Effective User of Technology: As an effective user of technology, I plan to incorporate the skills that I have acquired when volunteering at the hospital. For example, when on the computer or some other device, if asked, I plan to effectively type, print,copy,etc. so the staff and patients have a clear understanding of what is presented to them. I also plan to be an effective user of technology by conducting research not only online, but in other technological mediums such as videos or blogs,and presenting the research with the best technolgical tool that will effectively display my information accurately.This would help me when educating others about the information that I have learned over the course of this project. Also, I plan to use the researching skills that I will have acquired by the end of this project to help me in my future, thus making me an effective learner.