Health Science Reviews

by Sahar Jamal

It is hard to wrap my head around the fact that I have just completed one of the last major exams of my life. I am both excited and daunted by the future. It feels like a ‘coming of age’ experience, to be focusing on research as opposed to studying. I am grateful to have made it this far, to be surrounded by such accomplished people. To be amidst individuals with similar interests and goals is illuminating. I am delighted to be apart of a community and to share my passion with others.

During my undergraduate degree I preferred self-studying from textbooks rather than attending lectures. When my class size jumped from 300 to 4-10 in the first half of this year it was energising. Attending classes became an engaging experience. I feel incredibly privileged to be attending seminars and participating in journal clubs and I look forward to working together with my peers on the pioneering projects that await.

The humanity of the health sciences is especially consoling. The focus is on wellbeing and there is no disconnect from people. Being able to express myself in a reflection like this and actively sharing knowledge with the community, for the community, is wholesome.

The periods of practical engagement were especially enlightening. I am particularly appreciative of my supervisor, Dorit Hockman, for introducing us to the foldscope in the last week of term. This was a great way to end off. I have subsequently started an Instagram page, scopes_and_quotes, where I post photographs I’ve taken of the world around me at 140x magnification. Each image I reflect on and assign a quote to. It is a combination of literature, art and science. This holistic energy is what resonates within the health sciences. I am thankful to be apart of it.