A young woman originally from Pakistan, still only 32 years old, I feel strongly that I am a highly competitive applicant for your program not only for the sake of diversity, but also because of my proven track record in medical research. I see myself as a lifelong crusader against cancer; and I long for the opportunity to dedicate myself full time to cancer fighting research on the cutting edge in the area of Gastroenterology, my lifelong specialty and area of greatest expertise.
I am most comfortable when I am fully immersed in research, especially as part of a talented and hard working team that helps me to better understand the mysteries of cancer biology and how to best proceed in our study of its major weaknesses and vulnerabilities, especially how to prevent it entirely. I love to talk about nothing as much as cancer trials and novel, innovative treatments under study. Only in this kind of environment where the immersion is completely consuming will I be able to feel that I am doing everything that I can to best prepare myself for a long and arduous professional future doing research in the area of gastroenterology cancers.
I passed Step 3 of my USMLEs in February of 2012 and since June of 2012 I have been giving my all to my Internal Medicine residency position at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago. I have learned a great deal at St. Joseph which will help me in the future to be not only a much better physician but I have also learned many things of value that contribute to my capacity as a researcher. My special love for research dates back at least 10 years to the month that I spent at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota as a visiting student from 04/ 2003 through 05/2003. Most importantly, however, was my chance to return to Mayo Clinic for almost a full year, from 04/2009 through 02/2010 working as a Research Assistant for Dr. XXXX, helping him with the execution of a retrospective study seeking to identify the prognostic factors of esophageal Cancer at the Mayo Clinic. I was involved in the data abstraction and modification of several keys aspects of his research. The most important aspect of my contribution was sharing in the development and maintenance of a very large database necessary for the accurate identification of molecular biomarkers for esophageal cancer.
I have also completed electives in the area of Cardiology Consultation with Dr. XXXX at St. Mary's Hospital, Mayo Clinic, MN in 2007. In this position, I had the opportunity to work with residents and given resident responsibilities while being supervised by Cardiology Fellows and the residents in charge. I evaluated patients and went on rounds, thus gaining my first hands-on experience in the US clinical environment. I have published numerous articles in a variety of areas and I am currently working towards further publication concerning how the drug development landscape has changed over the past 5-7 years with respect to the types of and targets of biological therapies for colorectal cancer.
From 09/2008 through 02/2009 I served as a Research Fellow at the University of XXXX, Illinois, working with Dr. XXXX on a SIROCO study of the Effects of Simvastatin and Rosiglitazone. Prior to this position, I served as a Research Fellow under the supervision of Dr. XXXX at XXXX University Medical Centre, Illinois from 09/2007 through 02/2008. In this position, I worked on a retrospective study comparing the effectiveness of Holter monitoring vs. continuous cardiac telemetry for detecting arrthymia in stroke patients. I was involved in analyzing the medical records and data, and interpreting the results in light of a variety of scientific papers. I was involved in recruiting patients, analyzing the data, maintaining and updating the project database, and evaluating study results.
Soon, I hope to contribute my all to your distinguished program, as a result of my high levels of motivation, dedication to research, and drive to succeed in our battle against cancer. Thank you for considering my application.