My Internship
I am currently working with Dr. Apostolova on the project LEADS, a Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study enrolling middle-aged patients and assessing different characteristics from patients. My role as an intern is to upload documents, making sure all documents are uploaded in the correct database, create binders for patients, among other tasks that facilitate the work of coordinators in charge of the Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. LEADS collects data from an observational study and the goal is to compare that data with the Late-Onset and Middle-Onset Alzheimer's disease to find novel details about this disease. While the observational study is being conducted, individuals are being tested physically and mentally to determine if they have a cognitive decline or not. The data that is specifically collected from every individual includes their MRI, PET, TAU, FDG scans (depends if they are cognitive normal or impaired) blood samples, CSF fluid (if they give consent), cognitive information regarding their motor skills, memory retention, their every day tasks and routines, etc. Every individual goes through a process called screening and baseline appointments before the actual observational study, where they give consent and fill out documents to be part of it. Different questionnaires will target separate individuals who may be either cognitively impaired or cognitively normal. These questionnaires ask about the background of the individual, medications, etc.
Data Collection according to the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center
Learning and Skills
What do I need to improve?
My time management skills and setting priorities in my life can be challenging for me to do in my day to day-to-day. Learn more from the Neuroscience field and explore that the fields that can be pursued with my major. Timeliness and punctuality are skills that I need to improve, which will include for me to manage my time better outside of work and finding ways to work more effectively. To grow these skills I will need to implement more self-discipline, time management, and determination
What skills do you already possess?
My work ethic, communication skills, unique perspective that gives me the ability and confidence to pursue new tasks. Having endured and overcome difficult situations have shaped me into an enthusiastic individual, who in this internship will try her best to approach every situation from a positive perspective. I am able to communicate somewhat effectively, although I have to ask again what are the expectations for the communication between the supervisor and intern. Collaboration with others is pretty effective and is carried on perfectly, I am very independent and have learned to be more while being part of this internship. Internship goals are being accomplished, which has included a lot of shadowing and involvement.
What am I looking forward to?
I am excited to shadow more cognitive tests and MRI, PET scans that are taken from individuals. As well as the consensus, they are very interesting. Learning more about the human mind fascinates me. I am also excited to see where this internship leads me, and how it will help me find something I am passionate about.
What have you been learning?
I have been learning about brain functioning and the different neurological disorders and how they may be identified through cognitive tests and physical tests, thus it has been helping me to apply my neuroscience major in real-time with real people. It has helped me understand the academic part and knowledge for my class but also made me more passionate about the treatments. Understanding more about the internship itself and what they do. I have gained an array of knowledge about the science behind MRI scans, PET scans, neurological diseases as well as the skills required for an office type of job. Personally, I've had the ability to work independently without having to ask questions to the coordinators. Having tasks assigned by coordinators that I rarely have any contact with has been another success. Comprehending the collaboration of the IADC with LEADS and the management of databases and patient-based information was a bit challenging but not impossible.
I plan to be more independent and also try to figure things out without making questions, guiding myself on what they have taught me before. I have been able to majorly improve in the skills that I was targeting at the beginning of last semester. I have improved my communication, independency, group, skills and I look to improve in skills related to managing my time and finding time to rest because I can be good at doing things but not resting.
What do you seek to improve now?
I need more leadership experiences where I can be an example for other people as well as lead others. I have applied for some leadership positions at IUPUI and have been recruited for a summer program.
Why does your role as an intern matter?
My work matters because I prepare all the binders and behind work so that the observational study can carry out smoothly; without my help or the help of the interns the coordinators would be behind and would not be able to enroll as many patients as they do. This observational study is looking to help the bigger spectrum of research and determine the factors that can in some way affect the onset of Alzheimer's in the lives of people.
Crucial elements of being an intern in Dr. Apostolovas' Research Study is:
-Learning the background of the forms and tests performed
-Understanding how to use and protect personal health information
-Shadowing cognitive tests and PET, MRI scans
-Attend optional events such as consensus
-Keep in touch with the coordinators and fellow interns
-Adapt to a change in pace or issues that may come up
Workplace
What has been your experience so far?
After spending a month observing professionals in their workplace, I aspire to be knowledgeable as much as they are
I want to grow in areas of my life as a professional in the punctuality and time management areas
This fall semester unfortunately due to COVID-19 regulations, I wasn't able to interact with many people. However, my coordinators were always very attentive and helped me with any questions that I had
Now in the spring semester, masks are not required and I am able to interact much more
What does it look like?
In this specific workplace interactions are very minimal. After knowing what to do and seeing the tasks, there is no need for much communication with the people working here. Email is the main type of communication between interns and coordinators. We use TEAMS for the calendar and for other work-related documents. It is a required for interns to put in the hours and days that I will work in the office and these will be stored in TEAMS calendar. Birthdays are celebrated every 3rd week of the month and there will be food in the kitchen for you to enjoy.
What is my ideal workplace?
My ideal workplace culture would be everyday or every week meetings to network or talk about work, celebrate accomplishments more often, emails and face-to-face communication, more outside or in other places activities. In comparison, this internship is not very personal everyone is working in their own tasks and responsibilities. Working with different types of people has expanded my perspective to think in different ways and be able to be led by different people. As a professional I now consider more different opinions and continue to appreciate different ideas that are brought to the plate
Work-Related Tasks
Entry of data in different databases
Inspect the entry of patient-data in REDCAP
Organize patient data in spreadsheets
Create binders for coordinators, who conduct cognitive tests, background checks, screening and baseline procedures
Blood and CSF Kit Preparation
leads-training_slides-09-2020.pdf