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Imogen Sharkey Ochoa, a MBBChir fourth-year Graduate Medicine student at �鶹������Ӿ�College recently visited Boston, USA and Dublin, Ireland with support from the College’s Travel and Research grant, as part of a medical elective.

Her experience has shaped how she approaches clinical practice and even the speciality she will choose! Imogen chose to work at Massachusetts General, Harvard University’s renowned medical school; alongside Dr. Christine Teal at Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA and; at Coombe Women’s Hospital and St. James Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. In her own words:

“My elective time has been incredible. I have had exposure to the highest standards of medical care at Mass. Gen. Hospital in Boston, learning from clinicians who are not only skilled, but kind and empathetic professionals. My experience in Breast Oncology Surgery in DC was also fantastic - my clinician influenced the approach I will take to clinical practice moving forward. Her ability to strike a balance between efficiency (giving everyone the same time), and human consideration was something I have never seen before. Her idea was to change my mind about my specialty choice, and I think she very much succeeded! In Ireland I have had the opportunity to shadow OBGYNs, anaesthetists, and neo-natal paediatricians in Dublin City's most renowned hospitals. I have never had the chance to be so involved in the anaesthetics portion of ORs. I also was able to submit one first author paper on HPV-related cancers, with another forthcoming. All of these experiences will contribute to my academic and clinical future. They have changed my perspective on the specialties I would like to pursue and given me exposure to skill and technology I could have only imagined.”

Imogen is now looking at OBGYN, General surgery (breast likely), orthopaedics, paediatrics all of these with an oncology focus as possible specialities. She explains that the opportunity to pursue an elective is a valuable one as it allows medicals students to experience hands-on the medical fields of their choice, whether these are fields they are already interested in or something they have had little exposure to.

She states, “it is so difficult to gain access to these opportunities to be surrounded by such high-level technology and training that when I managed to do so, I couldn’t say no! Dr Christine Teal is one of the most world-renowned breast surgeons. I have always been in awe of her and that she was also so keen to share her love of her speciality and was so generous! The Coombe and James’ provide some of the best maternal care in Europe and also serve the entire socio-economic spectrum in the context of a public system”. 

�鶹������Ӿ�College supports students' academic and personal development with grants to support Travel & Research that is directly related to their degree and with Vacation Project Grants that enable students to undertake internships, cultural projects or charitable work during vacations or approved annual leave. Vacation Grant applications are open.