Q: Med School vs. Alternative Track?
I'm interested in neuroengineering, right now specifically clinical neuroengineering. I was wondering if you had any advice on what classes to take as an incoming first-year. What's your advice regarding the med. school classes vs. standard BME classes? And, are there any particular standard BME classes that are highly recommended? Any advice you could give would be a great help!
Thanks!
Hello!
Last year's batch had a couple of the same questions, so we posted a few of them on our blog. You might find the following entries particularly helpful:
Info for Incoming Students
and
Incoming Student Questions & Answers
Clinical neuroengineering... What type? It sounds like you want to apply engineering + neuroscience to a clinical population, so what type of engineering do you want to focus on, or what type of clinical population? I'm working at the F.M. Kirby Center, researching MRI of the spine, and I'll be working w/ patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, etc. Dr. Thakor's group is working on neural prosthetics for amputees, among other things.
What was your undergrad major / what did you focus on? People who take the med school track usually want to boost their biology, but I opted to take it just to see what med school is like. It was an amazing experience -- a tad stressful, perhaps, b/c you're surrounded by some of the brightest students ever, but each lecture is taught by one of the experts in that particular field, so you get a good flavor of who's doing what around Hopkins. That said, the med school takes up a good year of classes, and you'll definitely have to take engineering classes your second year. If you start off on the alternative track, you might be able to pick/choose/finish classes sooner.
I think that if you don't know which biological problem you'd like to tackle, it's probably a good idea to take the med school track. If you have a pretty good idea of what to do, then start off w/ the classes that are focused on that. You can also take part of the med school and part of the alternate track. The med school classes are taught from 8a to about 1p each day, with each subject covered in blocks -- they teach (and finish) biochemistry in two weeks, then move to genetics, then immunology, etc. Neuroscience and Organ Systems are taught in the spring. I really enjoyed neuroscience w/ the med school -- it's basically two months of lectures, discussion groups, and labs, taught from about 8a to 1p.
As far as standard BME classes... it really depends on what field you're going into. I think differential equations and linear algebra are considered a "must." You'll probably need some type of programming at some point, though my lab focuses mostly on Matlab. If you're doing neuronal / cellular neuroengineering, take Models of the Neuron. I also took Applied Math for Engineering, which is taught through the Department of Geographical and Environmental Engineering. That teaches/reviews a lot of the background math for engineering in general. I've also taken Calcium Channel Signaling, Medical Imaging Systems, Biostatistics, and Statistical Methods in Imaging.
We're also putting together a curriculum based on neuroengineering area, so perhaps that'll answer any questions. And if you come to the neuroengineering seminar (Wednesdays at 1p in the Hearing Science Library / Ross 529 on the JHMI campus), then all of the students will be happy to answer any questions that you've got.
Thanks!
Hello!
Last year's batch had a couple of the same questions, so we posted a few of them on our blog. You might find the following entries particularly helpful:
Info for Incoming Students
and
Incoming Student Questions & Answers
Clinical neuroengineering... What type? It sounds like you want to apply engineering + neuroscience to a clinical population, so what type of engineering do you want to focus on, or what type of clinical population? I'm working at the F.M. Kirby Center, researching MRI of the spine, and I'll be working w/ patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, etc. Dr. Thakor's group is working on neural prosthetics for amputees, among other things.
What was your undergrad major / what did you focus on? People who take the med school track usually want to boost their biology, but I opted to take it just to see what med school is like. It was an amazing experience -- a tad stressful, perhaps, b/c you're surrounded by some of the brightest students ever, but each lecture is taught by one of the experts in that particular field, so you get a good flavor of who's doing what around Hopkins. That said, the med school takes up a good year of classes, and you'll definitely have to take engineering classes your second year. If you start off on the alternative track, you might be able to pick/choose/finish classes sooner.
I think that if you don't know which biological problem you'd like to tackle, it's probably a good idea to take the med school track. If you have a pretty good idea of what to do, then start off w/ the classes that are focused on that. You can also take part of the med school and part of the alternate track. The med school classes are taught from 8a to about 1p each day, with each subject covered in blocks -- they teach (and finish) biochemistry in two weeks, then move to genetics, then immunology, etc. Neuroscience and Organ Systems are taught in the spring. I really enjoyed neuroscience w/ the med school -- it's basically two months of lectures, discussion groups, and labs, taught from about 8a to 1p.
As far as standard BME classes... it really depends on what field you're going into. I think differential equations and linear algebra are considered a "must." You'll probably need some type of programming at some point, though my lab focuses mostly on Matlab. If you're doing neuronal / cellular neuroengineering, take Models of the Neuron. I also took Applied Math for Engineering, which is taught through the Department of Geographical and Environmental Engineering. That teaches/reviews a lot of the background math for engineering in general. I've also taken Calcium Channel Signaling, Medical Imaging Systems, Biostatistics, and Statistical Methods in Imaging.
We're also putting together a curriculum based on neuroengineering area, so perhaps that'll answer any questions. And if you come to the neuroengineering seminar (Wednesdays at 1p in the Hearing Science Library / Ross 529 on the JHMI campus), then all of the students will be happy to answer any questions that you've got.
Labels: alternative track, incoming students, med school
posted by i at 2:02 PM
1 Comments:
Any accident which results in jury should be treated seriously and the recipient should always be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible. In particular if people suffer injuries to the head or brain they should immediately to a professional and also if someone suffers a spinal injury they should be careful as this can result in serious injuries in the long term. If you or someone you know receives a spinal cord injury they should see a doctor immediately!!
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