Health Science Reviews

By Tony Noveld

This year has been a bit like learning to breathe underwater — familiar, yet entirely new. Coming from the relentless pace of the MBChB program into the world of honours-level research in Infectious Diseases & Immunology felt like stepping into a parallel universe where the rules weren’t always clear, the path wasn’t mapped out, and “progress” was often more of a gut feeling than a grade on a page.

I’ve had to learn how to sit with uncertainty, to ask better questions, and (most importantly) to accept that not knowing isn’t the same as failing. It’s actually been this weird relief to slow down from the constant cramming and exams, and instead wake up wondering, “What might I discover today?” rather than “What do I need to cram into my brain before tomorrow’s test?”

My research touches on drug interactions in mycobacteria, which sounds fancy but has taught me something pretty simple: even the most stubborn systems, bacterial or human, have their breaking points. You just need patience and the right tools to find them. That’s been showing up everywhere this year, not just in the lab.
One of the biggest shifts has been in how I see myself. In the MBChB years, it’s so easy to get lost in the crowd. Just another stethoscope, another white coat shuffling down the hallway. But here, in this little research bubble, I’ve been reminded that I actually have ideas worth exploring, questions worth asking, and my voice doesn’t just blend into the background noise.

Being surrounded by other students (all of us trying to figure things out in our own messy, brilliant ways) has been both grounding and uplifting. We’ve become this strange little tribe. Some of us are obsessed with cytokines, others with bacteria, others with cancer. What unites us? Shared exhaustion, serious caffeine dependencies, and (surprisingly often) bursts of laughter over the most random things.

Of course, there have been rough days. Days when experiments completely flopped. Days when I questioned whether I actually belonged here or if I was just pretending to be smart enough. Days I genuinely missed the predictable structure of MBChB life. But even those moments have been teaching me something: resilience gets built quietly, somewhere between the self-doubt and the small victories.

Next year I’ll be jumping back into the clinical stream while trying to keep up with postgraduate study. It’s a juggling act that has me equal parts terrified and buzzing with excitement. But if this year has taught me anything, it’s that growth doesn’t happen in neat, straight lines. It loops and stumbles and sometimes doubles back on itself, and that’s actually okay.

I’ve started seeing my journey not just as a career path, but as a human one. I’m learning to be a better scientist, sure, but also a better teammate, a better listener, and maybe even a more present version of myself.
And honestly? I’m deeply grateful for all of it.