Congress of Future Medical Leaders inspires tomorrow’s doctors – Fairfield Daily Republic

The Congress of Future Medical Leaders recently took place in Lowell, Massachusetts.

I attended as an observer with my daughter, who is a rising senior, recruitment slang for a high school student entering her senior year.

Organized by the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, this conference attracted thousands of young delegates.

A cross between convention, lecture marathon and group hug, it took place in the cavernous Tsongas Center of the University of Massachusetts.

You may recall Sen. Paul Tsongas as a presidential candidate who ran against Bill Clinton years ago in the Democratic primaries. Despite a storied career of public service, he died at a young age.To this day he remains a favorite son of his hometown of Lowell.

The venue was therefore somewhat inspiring from the get-go.

A parade of Nobel Prize winners spoke, including Sir Richard Roberts, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1993 for research on the genetic material known as RNA.

Professor Leland Hartwell, 2001 Nobel laureate, described his research on cell biology, derived from yeast cell studies.

Professor Mario Capecchi, 2007 Nobel laureate, performed research on gene manipulation in mice, which may ultimately result in cures for inherited diseases.

Capecchi also described surviving throughout World War II after his Italian mother was taken to a concentration camp. He was only 4 and fending for himself. He was reunited with his mother and moved to America.

Dr. Michael Brown, of Southwestern Medical School, described the nine steps necessary to achieve a Nobel Prize, which he was awarded at age 44 along with collaborator Dr Joe Goldstein in 1985.

The amazing thing was Browns description of his high school years in Philadelphia, spending time building ham radios, playing baseball and rarely studying.

Georgetown University Dean Stephen Ray Mitchell described ongoing efforts to treat diabetes and chronic diseases in our nations capital city.

Dr. Rick Sacra described humanitarian missions to Liberia and his survival after contracting Ebola virus infection. His message emphasized the importance of serving others.

Not all the speakers were doctors.

Larry Hester, the recipient of a bionic eyeretinal implant system called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device, described having partial vision restored after 33 years of blindness.

Carmen Tarleton, one of the worlds first recipients of a full-face transplant, described her road to recovery after being disfigured and blinded in a horrifying attack involving industrial-strength lye.

The stories all carried the theme of surviving and persevering, for doctors, researchers and those facing physical challenges.

Inventor Jack Andraka cooked up a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer in his kitchen at age 15. He is now attending college at Stanford.

Similarly, teenager Julian Cantu of Mexico developed noninvasive tests for detecting breast cancer using material from microwave ovens. He is still a teen.

Shree Bose, currently a medical student at Duke, discovered ways to overcome chemotherapy resistance when she was just 17.

Janelle Tam developed cellulose particles that fight aging, although she is herself a youthful graduate of Princeton University.

The last day of the conference included a talk by Dr. Shelley Hwang, a breast cancer surgeon who is pioneering a less invasive treatment approach to that disease.

The students also observed laparoscopic abdominal and chest surgery, broadcast live from an operating theater miles away.

We just scratched the surface of what we saw at the Congress in this brief column.

Master of Ceremonies Richard Rossi periodically appeared on stage, shouting, Energy, baby!

It worked for me. The conference no doubt propelled future medical leaders toward career success. Inspiration, along with perspiration, combine to foster advances in medicine.

Scott T. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. (email [emailprotected]), is a clinical professor at University of Califoria, Davis Medical School. This column is informational and does not constitute medical advice.

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Congress of Future Medical Leaders inspires tomorrow's doctors - Fairfield Daily Republic

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