Regan Demaris Archives | The Short Coat

And What’s Behind the Publication “Arms Race?

What does research actually do for a medical student, and who is it really for? The Short Coats–M2s Jonah Albrecht and Regan DeMaris, and M4 Radha Vellamuri–sit down with Donna Santillan, PhD and Mark Santillan, MD PhD to talk about the value of research in medical school (think quality, not quantity, heavily weighted toward quality). The Santillans (married, if it wasn’t clear) have mentored many aspiring researchers in their careers; Radha even took a class they taught when she was an undergrad.

We discuss the common perception that there is a research arms race when it comes to medical students trying to match into their specialties, a 13-fold increase in med student publications from 2014-2022. Some even want to ban medical student research, although it’s perhaps not surprising the Santillans don’t agree: from their perspective as scientists in obstetrics, you can’t fully understand what is good research and what isn’t unless you participate. The factors they blame: schools moving toward pass/fail grading and virtual residency interviews. The former makes it harder for students to distinguish themselves with grades, and the latter means more students applying to programs they don’t really care about. Both end up putting more pressure on students to increase the number of publications to stand out in the most competitive specialties.

Also discussed: shallow research contaminating AI training data, ERAS changes Radha’s had to navigate, and how students can sidestep the arms race. Also, we learn that Radha can beatbox, something she refuses to demonstrate unless Dave is interviewing her for a residency position. Huh.

Episode credits:

Producer: Isa Perez-Sandi

Co-hosts: Radha Vellamuri, Jonah Albrecht, Regan DeMaris

Guest: Mark Santillan, MD PhD; Donna Santillan, PhD.

Production: SCP Media Lab–Anna Royer, Cyrus Barati, Isa Perez-Sandi, Zach Grissom, Sarah Upton, Srishti Mathur, David Lee, and Jacob Thompson

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If a baby’s what you want, then go for it! Here are the challenges.

M2 Jack Klitgaard and M4 Fallon Jung are both expecting newborns in the coming months. M2 Regan Demaris has a couple toddlers already, and CCOM Registrar and Curriculum Director Carrie Bernat had her children while putting her husband through medical school two decades ago. In short, it’s the perfect group to talk about the challenges and triumphs of cuddling kids while cramming the Krebs cycle.

Fallon’s challenge will be how to apply for residency positions with a new little one. Jack faces starting his clinical rotations while stepping into the role of father. Fortunately, both of their spouses are going to stay at home to be the primary caregiver. Regan’s toddlers came into the world before medical school and as her husband was in the Navy, which presented its own moments of terror–like how to cope with a daycare disaster while he was incommunicado on a boat somewhere. And Carrie–well, 20 years ago she was working at another medical school and having babies while her husband navigated an MD/PhD program. They were handling it well until her second child was born with a chromosomal microdeletion, upending carefully laid plans.

The common thread: parenting is an adventure, but generally speaking, med schools accommodate! From rearranging exam days all the way up to taking some time off, there are lots of possibilities. That perhaps wasn’t true in decades past–some faculty still remember the days when having children during medical education was close-to-forbidden, or at least, ill-advised.

Today, it’s a necessity for schools to support young families as best they can. CCOM has supplied respirators for anatomy lab fumes, or rearranged clinical rotations to make things less messy. Sometimes it’s complicated–a leave of absence might be necessary though no-one’s first choice–but we’ll find a way. Just like parents pivoting their way through child-rearing challenges, schools make their own adjustments on the fly.

Episode credits:

Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Carrie Bernat, Fallon Jung, Jack Klitgaard, Regan Demaris
Production: SCP Media Lab–Anna Royer, Cyrus Barati, Isa Perez-Sandi, Zach Grissom, Sarah Upton, Srishti Mathur, David Lee, and Jacob Thompson