Reflections from SPARCC: Witnessing Humanistic Care in Medicine

 From the August 18, 2023 issue of the Transformational Times - SPARCC and AIM focus

Reflections from SPARCC: Witnessing Humanistic Care in Medicine 

 

 

Don Mai, 2023 SPARCC Participant

 

Student-centered Pipeline to Advance Research in Cancer Careers (SPARCC) is a program designed to prepare underrepresented minority students to pursue medicine and biomedical research, and ultimately, pursue careers in clinical cancer research ...

 

“(Hospitals) are no place to live and die.” — BJ Miller, palliative care specialist from his TED2015 talk, What Really Matters at the End of Life  

 

As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to be a part of the fifth cohort of the Student-centered Pipeline to Advance Research in Cancer Careers (SPARCC) program. The immersive, eight-week summer experience introduced me to a plethora of medical specialties and health care-related topics. Each of SPARCC’s three components have shaped my perspective on medicine.  

 

From learning about cancer biology to palliative care, the professional workshops taught me the importance of treating the person and not just the disease. After watching the film Wit (2001), and palliative care specialist BJ Miller’s TED speech (2015), Dr. Wendy Peltier, professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, walked us through the process of end-of-life care. 

 

Patients suffer from their diseases and they suffer from the treatment. “We ask too much of our hospitals. They are places for acute trauma and treatable illness. They are no place to live and die; that's not what they were designed for,” Miller said during his TED speech. This changed my perspective on how we can provide dignity in end-of-life care. Whether it is eating an unhealthy meal or skydiving, we should not deny patients the pleasures of life that bring fulfillment for fear that it will hurt them. We should empower patients to live when facing death.  

 

Taking the insights from the workshops, we began our practicum rotations through various specialties. Witnessing the strength and resilience of patients while grappling with multiple co-morbidities moved me. One remarkable individual was a young woman about my age. Against challenges with her central line and raising children while receiving treatment, she carried a light within her and shared her positivity with smiles. It warmed my heart to see that little things make a difference. Because individuals with iron deficiency experience enhanced thirst, and ice helps, Patrick Foy, MD, a hematologist, offering a cup of ice sparked her smile. Witnessing this interaction helped me appreciate the humanistic care of medicine.  

 

The final enriching experience was the independent research project with Sarah White, MD MS FSIR, from the Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology. 

 

Learning about central line usage in cancer patients, I became aware of the variables affecting care. This project evoked a personal memory of my father’s experience with receiving a central line for dialysis. I vividly recall the fear that overcame our family when his catheter developed an infection after two weeks. This connection made the project more significant and motivated me to learn more about how the field is transforming lives.  

 

I was inspired by Dr. White’s dedication to address every individual catheter-associated infection through policy implementation and raising awareness. She both cares for her patients and helps to shape the future of health care. She is the kind of physician I aspire to be, and I am grateful to witness my mentor’s work.  

 

Graduating from SPARCC, I am filled with a fresh perspective and motivation toward a career in medicine. I am grateful for the transformative experiences that SPARCC and our mentors offered. With new insights, I am eager to continue my journey in health care for the upcoming enrichment year and apply to medical schools in the near future.  

 

Don Mai was born in Vietnam and immigrated to Milwaukee when he was 12. He graduated from Ronald Reagan High School and then obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Neurobiology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He enjoys practicing Taekwondo and Jiu-jitsu in his free time. 

Five Years of SPARCC: Transformative Growth in Teaching, Learning and Research

From the August 18, 2023 issue of the Transformational Times - SPARCC and AIM focus

Five Years of SPARCC: Transformative Growth in Teaching, Learning and Research  

 

 Kristina Kaljo, PhD 

 

Dr. Kaljo reviews some of the surprises and accomplishments of the Student-centered Pipeline to Advance Research in Cancer Careers (SPARCC), a program designed to prepare underrepresented minority students to pursue medicine and biomedical research, and ultimately, pursue careers in clinical cancer research ...

 

Every five years, something unexpected yet pivotal occurs along my professional trajectory, sending me in a direction I could have never imagined. In June 2019, the Student-centered Pipeline to Advance Research in Cancer Careers (SPARCC) program came to fruition. 

 

Now five years later, 71 undergraduate students have graduated from SPARCC. These students, widely known as SPARCC Scholars, have advanced to outstanding opportunities: professional roles, national research fellowships and graduate degree programs. Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI R25 CA 221715), SPARCC was designed to recruit and immerse scholars who identify with groups historically marginalized in medicine and biomedical research to pursue careers in clinical cancer research.  

 

Alongside Janet Rader, MD FACOG, the Jack A. & Elaine D. Klieger Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a robust SPARCC faculty of committed clinicians, researchers and professional staff, SPARCC provided a unique eight-week summer experience for scholars to receive individualized research mentoring, engage in daily workshops and participate in clinical practicum rotations. At the end of these eight rigorous weeks, each scholar presented a research poster and celebrated their accomplishments alongside family, friends and a tremendous network of mentors.  

2023 MCW SPARCC scholars

As I reflect on the past five years, I have had the unbelievable opportunity to learn from and these 71 outstanding Scholars, some of whom are now at the Medical College of Wisconsin in a multitude of professional roles and as first-, second- and third-year medical students. I embrace my time with these scholars because of their fresh perspectives and wealth of knowledge, encouraging my continuous growth as an educator. 

Congratulations to this year’s class of SPARCC scholars! 

I look forward to what the next five years will bring and how the 71 individuals who have been SPARCC scholars will continue to be drivers of change. 

 

 

 

For further reading: 

 

Kaljo, K., Ngui, E. M., Treat, R., & Rader, J. S. (2023). Student-centered pipeline to advance research in cancer careers (SPARCC): diversifying the clinical cancer research workforce.  Journal of Cancer Education, 38(1), 370-377.  

 

Kristina Kaljo, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MCW. She serves as SPARCC Co-Director, Director of KINETIC3 Teaching Academy and part of the Faculty Pillar of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education.