In the latest ‘hot topic’ blog, BMERG introduces one of our Bristol second year medical students, Rahul Kota. Rahul talks about their experience of being involved with research as an undergraduate, including some great top tips for getting started.
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Being involved in research is something that the modern medical careers have made feel almost compulsory for career progression and is often sold to students as something they ‘have to do’ to get to where they want to be. I’m here to tell you otherwise. Whilst undertaking research for your future career may be important, the skills and experience you gain in the process are just as valuable in the present.
My research journey started right at the start of medical school, during my first year in 2021. I had an idea that I wanted to be a surgeon before I came to medical school and knew that if I wanted to have a competitive surgical career application one day, I would need to get extra experience. I looked to find a surgeon who would allow me to come to theatre and shadow them.
Going in with the attitude of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”, I found the email of Professor Gianni Angelini and emailed him asking if I could shadow him in theatre. I was thrilled when the reply came back as a ‘yes’. If you ask me now why I emailed Prof. Angelini, he was a cardiac surgeon, a career which I find incredibly inspiring and he also had a very impressive description of what he had done in the past online; probably not as important was that he came up on the first page of the ‘Bristol Our People’ website so I didn’t have to look very far.
During my first day shadowing Prof. Angelini, I was inspired by his work and the magic of cardiac surgery; and perhaps most importantly that day, I met Prof’s Angelini’s registrar. Mr Daniel Fudulu is single-handily responsible for inspiring me to start researching; without him, I would not be in the position I am in today.
It was quite lucky how my research journey started. I had been shadowing the team for about 3 months, and one day a researcher who worked with Daniel was in theatre as well, and I got talking to him about how I was keen to do some research. So, we asked if there were any projects I could help with and Daniel suggested I should attend their research group. Once I joined the research group, involvement in a project soon followed. I was supported to research and write my first paper.
I find research quite enjoyable due to its collaborative nature – it is a team sport in a way; you are interacting with many different people from many different specialities, and I like the team spirit and comradery in uniting to achieve a common goal. I also really enjoyed actually writing the paper. It may sound an odd thing to find enjoyable, but for me it as quite satisfying and rewarding to write a paper and then step back and look at the completed product. It really gives a strong sense of achievement.
It is also amazing to be able to say you have contributed to the advancement of medicine. I enjoy reading about the history of medicine and where we have come from, and it is those previous researchers who have been able to advance medicine to where it is today, so to say that I have also contributed to advancements in medicine is rewarding and fulfilling.
Personally, whether correct or not; I do also think research is a marker of success in a career. I would like to do a PhD or an MD one day and aspire to hopefully become a professor in my chosen field. Research is a core part of that dream and journey, so I can one day be knowledgeable enough to be seen as a leader in my chosen field.
My publishing journey did have ups and downs, but I had an excellent mentor in Mr Daniel Fudulu. The first journal we submitted to returned a rejection, so we had to rethink our target. I had never been involved in research and publishing before, so I was confused as to why our paper had been rejected. Daniel helped to explain that it was very rare that a paper gets accepted the first time and we should stay calm and think of another target. This advice is something which will stick with me, and made me feel that it was a team effort to get the paper published. When we got the paper published in Frontiers in Surgery, this was an incredibly proud moment, the culmination of over a year of hard work. I cannot overstate Daniel’s role in supporting me getting the paper published; I think it would have been a very different experience without his support.
Research can be quite time-consuming, so as a student, balancing it with my studies is very important. There is a misconception that medical students do not have any free time, but in truth, there is free time, it is just how you decide to use it. I personally block out a few hours in a week to concentrate on research, maybe on a weekend or on a weekday after I have finished my uni work; and I find that this has been very effective for me. I am also lucky to have an incredible support network around me in terms of my family, friends and mentors.
Rahul’s top tips for getting involved in research as a student:
- Find a mentor: it is essential to find a mentor who will support you and understand your career goal – finding the right person can be transformative in promoting your research journey.
- Be proactive: Nobody told me how to get research or how to do it, you have to seek opportunities out yourself and make the most of them.
- Don’t be scared of rejection: Often nothing happens the first time, so don’t be scared if a paper gets rejected or a consultant has no research for you; dust yourself off and pick yourself back up and carry on.
- Enjoy the journey: Share your wins and losses with your peers, friends and family, because they can be people to take stress off your shoulders or people to celebrate with, they are just as excited to be on this journey as you are.
You can read Rahul’s paper here:
Kota R, Gemelli M, Dimagli A, Suleiman S, Moscarelli M, Dong T, Angelini GD and Fudulu DP (2023) Patterns of cytokine release and association with new onset of post-cardiac surgery atrial fibrillation. Front. Surg. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2023.1205396