Comments About the Clinical Neuroscience (CNS) Pathway

From Medical Students in the CNS Pathway, Classes of 2008–2010

Clinical NeuroScience Pathway mystery cases are like a neurologic New York Times crossword puzzle — intriguing, thought provoking, and fun. Everyone should try them...

Alex Volodarskiy MS3, Class of 2010

The CNS pathway is a stimulating way to engage your mind and explore opportunities within the neurosciences. For underclassmen, it updates you about the sophisticated research being performed at SUNY Downstate and is a great way to form a network of mentors from which you can draw in future years. For upperclassmen, it is a way to refresh yourself about neurological disorders and a fun way to challenge your mind. Overall, the Neuroscience pathway is a great resource for those going into the neurosciences, and anyone who enjoys the puzzle of the human nervous system...."

Sarah Jones MS4, Class of 2009

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
Yes. General interest in neuroscience.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
Yes. I majored in Neuroscience and Behavior in college.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
2nd year elective, mystery cases.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer? I always read cases and submitted answers frequently.
In what ways do you feel you benefited from the CNS Pathway?
Independent pursuit of knowledge. Independent study.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice? I'm not sure. (went into psychiatry)
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate? No.

Jessica Stewart, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
Yes, I'm a member. I became a member due to my interest in Neurology and because I enjoy the mystery cases.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
No, I didn't have a neuroscience background, but I had done a year of part-time volunteer work in psychiatry.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
BMCN elective in MS2 year and mystery cases.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer?
I always read the mystery case and submitted an answer.
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
I learned more neurology.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
Not really. I had pretty much made up my mind that although I enjoy neurology, I was going to apply to something else.
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate?
No.

David “Scott” Ketner, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway?
Yes
If so, What prompted you to become a member?
It sounded like a good way to get more involved in neurology and neuroscience.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? Yes How much/What kind of background?
Took some courses in Biological Psychology and did some research in neuropsychology.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)? All.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? Every month. How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer? Never.
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
I benefited most from the mystery cases, especially early on, because it made me think and synthesize medical knowledge as I have not done before. It was a great prep for the wards.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
It influenced my career choice pool but ultimately other factors came into play.
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate?
I did not, but had I been introduced to SIGN earlier on, say first year, I would have.
Any other comments...
I think that you are doing a great job of really reaching out to students to give them a taste of neurology and neuroscience. As far as I can tell you are the only department to do so. But its utility is not just to attract students to the field, but to have students gain an appreciation and understanding for the field no matter what they choose to do — which is where I benefited greatly. My understanding of neurology today is enhanced because I participated in the program all these years.

Avi Gurwitz, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
Yes I am a member of the pathway and was prompted to join when I heard about the elective offered in second year.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
Yes, I did have a neuroscience background prior to entering into medical school. I did epilepsy research on an EL-2 strain of mice, examining a particular glutamate receptor, as it related to a wild type strain of mice, during my senior year at Boston College.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
I participated in the BMCN elective, the mystery cases and SIGN activities.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer?
I read the mystery cases each month and submitted an answer. I cannot recall an instance where I read the case and decided not to submit an answer.
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
I benefited from the CNS pathway by gaining exposure to the neurosciences during the basic science years in a non-pressured environment. The elective was great because during MS2 there was no pressure to take notes and commit to memory all the details being presented. I could sit back and think about what was being presented and enjoy an intellectual conversation in a lecture hall. I also benefited by developing contacts in the Neurology Department, especially by getting to know you Dr. Merlin, and you were the first person I turned to for information about the field of Neurology when I decided to pursue it as a career.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
I'm not sure to what degree the CNS pathway influenced my career choice. I would have to say that the Neurology clerkship was my biggest influence. (went into Neurology)
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate?
No, I did not participate in neuroscience research at Downstate.

Charles Guardia, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
Yes, I'm a member. I took the BMCN elective out of interest and was entering the mystery cases for fun without much awareness of the CNS Pathway, but you informed me that I was meeting the requirements, so I figured I might as well join. Ostensibly the cases were competitive, but in reality, solving the case was the driving force behind participation.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
Not much. I was a laboratory technician in a toxicology lab for about a year where I was involved in studies on the effects of manganese toxicity on rat brains.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
BMCN elective and mystery cases.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer?
I'm not sure how often I submitted. More than the minimum required, I think. I don't think I ever read them without submitting an answer.
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
The elective and the cases both directly contributed to my knowledge base. The cases were good practice in thinking things through in an entertaining, grade-free, and stress-free context rarely available in medical school.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
Certainly my attraction to neurology influenced my career choice (i.e. psychiatry), but I think that was present prior to my participation in the CNS Pathway.

Douglas Opler, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
I had been interested in neuroscience in college and knew it was a field of potential interest. Also, the Neuroscience block was my favorite course of first year of medicine.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
Yes. I took a neuropsychology course as part of my psychology major in college.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
I participated in BMCN elective and mystery cases.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer?
I have submitted an answer at least every other month. I have had some consecutive months of submitting an answer. I only read a mystery case without answering it once.
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
As a student applying for neurology residency, I feel the CNS Pathway allowed me to keep my mind on neurology while completing the various other clerkships.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
No I don't think so. By the time I was halfway through third year, I knew I was going into neurology.
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate?
No.

Gerard Meskill, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
It sounded interesting, so I decided to try it out during my second year of medical school. It was easy to sign up and there was no pressure to stay in the Pathway if I changed my mind.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
I was a psychology major in college and had taken courses in neuroscience. I also participated in psychology research throughout college.
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
I attended the required lectures during second year, and participated in the mystery cases during the third and fourth years.
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer?
I read the cases and participated relatively frequently. If I read the case, I submitted an answer – I never read the case and did not submit an answer.
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
I did not take the Neurology clerkship until the end of my third year, so I was glad to be participating in a neuroscience curriculum throughout the year. Also, the mystery cases are often unusual diseases, so I have been able to work on the skill of using signs and symptoms of an illness to research and formulate a differential diagnosis.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
I considered a residency in neurology, but ultimately decided on internal medicine.
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate?
No.
Any other comments…
I think it is a great opportunity and I feel fortunate to have participated.

Lauren Cooper, Class of 2008

I decided to try out the pathway because I came into medical school with an interest in basic neurology and neuroscience so i was curious what it was about.
The year before starting medical school, I had a year of graduate school in physiology, which included a neurophysiology / neuroanatomy course which i enjoyed.
I participated in the elective second year and the mystery cases
I read the case every month for 3rd and 4th year and only skipped one month. i only submitted one try 2nd year and none during 1st year
I think i gained by keeping neuropathophysiology fresh in my mind all year while i was learning other subjects. looking up answers to the case involved reading about a new differential diagnosis each month.
No, didn't influence career choice
No research
I enjoyed the cases each month
It's hard to directly say how it added to my educational experience other than to say it was a fun and educational divergence from other studying during a month.

Benjamin Sahn, Class of 2008

Are you a member of the CNS Pathway? If so, What prompted you to become a member?
Yes, I was interested in pursuing a career in neuro and focused in cognitive psych in college.
Did you have a neuroscience background (coursework or research) prior to your beginning med school? How much/What kind of background?
Which activities did you participate in (BMCN elective in MS2 year, mystery cases, SIGN club activities)?
The research in neuroscience lectures in MS2, mystery cases
How often did you read the mystery cases and submit an answer? How often did you read the case and NOT submit an answer?
Every time I read the case, I submitted an answer which was all the time except once a year
In what ways do you feel you benefitted from the CNS Pathway?
It was good practice in putting symptoms/signs into a diagnosis...Especially when the diagnosis wasn't something I had learned about.
Did the CNS Pathway influence your career choice?
Nope
Did you participate in neuroscience-relevant research at SUNY Downstate?
Nope
Any other comments...
What did you enjoy most about the clinical neuroscience pathway?
I have to admit… when I had time it was kinda fun to figure out the cases. Especially if I knew the answer just by reading the case.
Do you think the clinical neuroscience pathway added to your educational experience here? if yes, how?
Yes, any practice in diagnosing just makes you a stronger physician.

Sama Ahsan, Class of 2008

I am a member of the CNS Pathway. I had always had a strong interest in neuroscience and neurology, even prior to medical school, and I was extremely interested in finding out more about what was going on in the field. When I heard about the CNS Pathway, there was no question that I would join.

My undergraduate background was in the theatre arts, as was my pre-med-school career. My interest in neuroscience began with the discovery of the popular books by Oliver Sacks during my undergraduate years, and was always an amateur kind of interest prior to beginning medical school.

I participated in the BMCN elective, mystery cases more in third and fourth year, and have been working over the last month to make sure the SIGN club is revitalized for coming years.

I rarely submitted an answer [to the mystery cases] during the first two years. I cheerfully admit that my apparent apathy came largely from the fact that it seemed impossible to beat one of my honored colleagues to the punch! But I always enjoyed reading the cases and thinking through the differential diagnosis.

I very much enjoyed the [BMCN] lectures in second year; it was an early opportunity to see the kind of things one usually isn't exposed to outside of Grand Rounds lectures in the clinical years.

I also requested a faculty preceptor whose specialty was neurology in the second year. Dr. Crystal was very helpful and informative about the career choices open in neurology. Later on, Dr. Merlin was very encouraging about my entering the field.

I did not participate in any neuroscience-relevant research while at Downstate. I have very little research experience, although I would like to rectify that weakness in my resume eventually…

The CNS Pathway DEFINITELY influenced my career choice. It didn't so much sway me away from other choices, but it was instrumental in my being able to explore my prior interest in the field. [I have chosen a career in pediatric neurology.]”

Susan Duberstein, Class of 2008

I've really enjoyed the opportunities through the CNS pathway. The Mystery Cases are a great little escape from whatever clerkship I'm in where I get to evaluate and research an interesting patient on my own and in my own time and then get feedback on how I did. It's been fun and academically inspiring.

I also took the classes 1st and 2nd year which were also interesting, mostly a great way to get to know the faculty and learn about some of the great research, etc they are working on. I was the first class to have the 1st year elective, and it could use some further organization as to what we were meant to get out of each session but hopefully that is improving each year.

I'm also thankful for all of the interesting things happening in the neuro department and really appreciate always being in the loop with invitations to and information about events around Downstate and the New York area.

Thanks,

Kelly Givens, Class of 2011

Clinical neuroscience pathway was a great way to learn about interesting aspects on neuroscience and clinical cases of importance. I enjoyed the lectures during second year. They shed light on unique topics and sparked my interest in neurology (i still think about the lecture on the link between PTSD and CNS receptor modulation during puberty).

The mystery cases were an excellent learning tool that added to our classroom and ward experiences. I liked how cases where presented in a "real life" manner (maybe because they were "real life" at some point). They have helped me develop my clinical thought process. Such cases should be used more often as supplementary learning tools throughout med school and especially in the clinical years.

Providing research options for students would be very helpful for residency placement. Downstate's researchers are very well known and neuroscience research at Downstate during summer break would benefit students immensely. I did research with Dr. Rudell, but I had to find that position on my own and used work study funds. It was very educational and a great way to improve my resume.

On another note, I was asked some details about the pathway when I was at my Harvard neurology interview. The interviewer, who’s in charge of medical school neuro education, was interested in finding out what it was and how it was structured. I hope that I can somehow contribute to the CNS pathway sometime in the future. All the best.

Charles Esenwa, Class of 2010

Thank you for having me in the CNS pathway, it's been great.

Lisa Richman, Class of 2009

It has been an absolute pleasure learning neurology this way and thank you both for sharing your wisdom with all of us. Though I am going into internal medicine, I do still hold neurology very close to my heart (and brain).

Khamranie Bhagroo, Class of 2009

Thank you for everything, the pathway was a lot of fun and kept me up to date on neurology even though I took [the neurology clerkship] early on in 3rd year.

Joydeep Sarkar, Class of 2009