Spring; Cumulative: 6 hours

 Don’t worry I am going to be volunteering so much in April!!! I have loved the curriculum this semester, especially the psychopharmacology module as I have a lot of interest and passion for that area. This program has been so rewarding because I understand content that I was previously exposed to on a much deeper level , and realized I had a lot of misunderstandings about concepts that I wasn’t even aware of! For instance, the complexity of schizophrenia now makes sense to me on a mechanistic level. Rather than the umbrella term of dysfunctional brain chemistry, I now know that it is (most likely) due to excessive dopaminergic activity in limbic areas AND finished dopaminergic activity in the cortex region. This imbalance is different for every patient and due to the inverse relationship between these imbalances, it is very difficult to treat accurately. I have loved the emphasis on individualized medicine, as it is the future of medicine and a topic I feel incredibly strongly about. It has been reassuring to know that this development is ‘in motion’ and I am thrilled that I might have the opportunity to be involved in the transition to more accurate and precise treatment for all patients. I have also enjoyed the cellular course and I have been able to utilize and refresh information I have learned while studying for my MCAT. Bacteriophages have come up SO many times and I feel confident that I will not only remember these techniques but that I will understand them throughly and apply the knowledge I am learning to the passage I am reading for the test! 

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