Dear Tri-I Community,
Spring is upon us, and with that comes the excitement and euphoria of Match Day and Graduation. Tri-I is exceedingly proud of its 22 graduating students, over half of whom chose to match to research residencies. Residency programs for training of physician-scientists (PSTP’s) continue to be an important avenue for our students to reach their career goals without unnecessary delay, and we credit dedicated advising and informational programming with the high rates of matching. Graduation is approaching, and I look forward to cheering our students from the faculty section. Joining graduates on the stage will be a Tri-I colleague accompanying them on the piano, reminding us there is more than one way to get to Carnegie Hall!
This past year saw the resurrection of a Tri-I hallmark: the Cruise Ship Retreat. Mothballed during the pandemic, the maritime tradition’s return was a huge success. About 120 students, including 19 of our incoming class of 20 students, embarked on the Liberty of the Seas for a 4-day, 4-night academic adventure to beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia. The cruise was not a part of my Tri-I training experience, and I admit I was skeptical that a floating metropolis could achieve the dual purpose of scientific communication and community-building. I am happy to report that I was wrong, a fact that was readily apparent the first day with the joyful distribution of personalized Tri-I House swag, followed by a competitive scavenger hunt and a highly interactive poster session. The following days passed rapidly, with scientific presentations from senior graduate students, Case Discussion Rounds with Dr. Mark Pecker, and an inspirational career talk by our invited alumnus speaker Dr. Jose Trevejo (2002 Tri-I graduate, and Chief Medical Officer, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals). As always, the retreat was organized by third year students, who did not disappoint.
Tri-I students and leadership continue to make their presence known nationally. We formally resurrected the American Physician-Scientist Association (APSA) chapter, and I enjoyed joining our student representatives at the annual ASCI meeting in Chicago. We also had proud representation at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), the NIH Graduate and Professional School Fair, and the MD-PhD National Student Conference. Our presence at these meetings is more critical than ever, fortifying for our students their identities as future physician-scientists, creating networks with peers from other programs, and providing opportunities for interaction with those who aspire to be in their position in the near future.
Tri-I trains future leaders, and they are well-trained. Every student is armed with a healthy dose of curiosity and intellect, and Tri-I training does the rest. While it is obvious that each failed experiment is an opportunity to build resilience, what is less obvious is that sharing each failed experiment with colleagues and acknowledging limitations of interpretation are cumulative acts of integrity. Troubleshooting is an exercise in creativity, and each success thereafter is viewed with a sense of humble gratitude. Resilience, creativity, humility, most of all integrity—combined with compassion, they are a recipe for generating thoughtful leaders in biomedical research. Our future is in good hands.
Stay curious,
Kathy Hsu
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