Summer Research Projects:
Recent research students: our thoughts on working at CKR
Brian Lesmana
Over the summer of 2011/12, I was fortunate enough to be offered by the University of Sydney the opportunity to undertake a summer research project at the CKR. My project was a systematic review of qualitative studies on adults living with peritoneal dialysis.
I arrived at the CKR with next to no experience whatsoever in the realm of medical research experience. However, being exposed to such a friendly, collegial atmosphere was doubtless helpful for slowly developing the necessary skills required in the field. While it was initially a significant challenge to get into the swing of things, the research staff and clinicians at the CKR were so supportive and “attractive” (according to Dr Germaine Wong!) human beings, in particular my supervisor Dr Allison Tong, that it made the whole experience engaging. Dr Tong was very open, willing to listen to my thoughts and opinions on the review – I don’t think I could’ve chosen a better supervisor.
With my medical degree coming up soon once I finish my honours in philosophy this year, the time spent at the CKR has allowed me an appreciation of what it takes to perform in research. It was really a wonderful experience, and if I have the time next year, I will definitely be applying again! I would recommend, without reservation, this project to anyone who has the slightest interest in clinical research.
Maddy Didsbury
I spent the summer of 2011-2012 at CKR completing a systematic review of exercise training for solid organ transplant recipients under the supervision of Dr Germaine Wong. The project was very enjoyable and I learned a lot about organ transplantation as well as research skills that will be a huge asset to my studies. I’ve submitted an abstract to the International Transplant Congress and look forward to seeing how research in this area develops in the future.
The environment at CKR couldn’t have been better; everyone was very welcoming and supportive from the first day. Overall it was an invaluable experience and insight into the field of research, and I would strongly recommend considering a summer research scholarship at CKR to every medical student.
Martin Hua
I am a third year medical student from Monash University and over the summer of 2011/2012. I was lucky enough to participate in a research project at the CKR. Under the supervision of Dr Angela Webster and Dr Richard McGee I took part in assessing the epidemiological and methodological qualities of randomised controlled trials in paediatric surgery, a topic that straddles both my personal interests of epidemiology and surgery.
To complete this project, we conducted a literature search, the results to which we applied an inclusion and exclusion criteria that we developed. We then extracted relevant data and completed a descriptive analysis using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias assessment tool. Through this process, I have been able to experience first-hand the epidemiological theory that I learnt during medical school. It has been a very rewarding summer, as to say that I have gained invaluable practical knowledge and experience would be an understatement.
In saying that, a very important ingredient in this rewarding summer has been the team at CKR, all of whom are lovely people – happy to guide and generous with their patience. There has been much to grasp in terms of the technical and philosophical aspects of epidemiological research. Through the help of my supervisors I not only managed it, but I have also thoroughly enjoyed the experience! I have very much appreciated the opportunity to complete a summer scholarship at CKR and consider it invaluable for anyone with an interest in research.
Rosanna Chung
As a student currently undertaking Music studies in the Combined Music-Medicine program at the University of Sydney, I had the opportunity to work on a summer research project with Dr. Germaine Wong.
The aim of the project was to summarize, review and assess the quality of reporting and conduct of all published economic evaluations surrounding the topic of kidney transplantation. Although I had the obvious limited medical background, the research staff at the Centre for Kidney Research were extremely supportive and willing to help.
I was able to cultivate important research skills pertaining to literature reviews and appraisals, as well as build on my communication skills from two oral presentations. Researching at CKR has really been an enriching experience and I would highly recommend it to those who are keen to gain experience in quality medical research.
Lidwien Tjaden
Part of the medical course at the University of Amsterdam involves a research internship. As this is an excellent opportunity to get some experience abroad, and children and kidneys are in the topic of my personal interest I applied for a place at CKR, which I was kindly granted.
Under the supervision of Dr Allison Tong, I had the chance to research the quality of life of adolescents following kidney transplantation. The project involved a literature study, interviewing participants, analysis of the collected data and a written and oral report.
Due to the very supportive and inspiring environment I was able to get much more acquainted and build up more experience with medical research than I had dreamt of! Completing an internship at CKR is a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing quality research in their careers!
Mariska van der Veldt
I am a fourth year medical student from Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. At the end of last year I had the opportunity to come to Australia and to be involved in a research project at the CKR for three months. My research was about the relationship between surgical procedural burden, research output and ongoing research. Although the research was a lot of hard work, I enjoyed every day at CKR.
Right from the start I was very impressed by the supervision I received from Dr Richard McGee and Dr Angela Webster. Their enthusiasm for research is contagious and they both taught me a lot. They were very patient in teaching me the skills of conducting research. They supported me in giving two oral presentations in the Children’s Hospital, which was frightening but also a good experience for me.
Overall, I had an amazing time and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
Jackie Lai
To say that undertaking a University of Sydney Summer Research Scholarship was an invaluable experience would be an understatement. To say that the people you meet at the CKR are some of the loveliest people you will ever get the chance to work with would be even more so.
As a first year medical student, I may not have not have been the most experienced candidate. However, as I leave the CKR, I take with me a wealth of knowledge and an insight into the world of research that would have otherwise been unattainable had I not completed the scholarship.
Brendon Nguyen
I received two consecutive summer scholarships from the Sydney Medical School, which gave me the opportunity to work at CKR during the summers of 2009/10 and 2010/11. My first project was an original study examining the quantity and quality of diagnostic research published in nephrology. In my second year, I updated a Cochrane systematic review of antifungal drugs for preventing fungal infections in transplant recipients. These projects will be published and my first project has already been presented at conferences in Australia and overseas.
If you are interested in clinical research, CKR may well be the place for you. I came there with little research experience. However, after two projects I have developed transferable research skills, such as critical appraisal of medical literature, understanding trial methodology, and writing a medical paper. It is a collegial atmosphere, where you will be able to share ideas and present your research at weekly meetings.
You will receive excellent support from research staff and clinicians, some of who are among the most eminent in their field. All these things make for a dynamic research environment. It has inspired me to undertake further clinical research during medical school and in the future, and I would highly recommend it to any students interested in clinical research.
Anouk Badens
As part of my study I did an elective course at the CKR which lasted three months. I worked on a systematic review about probiotics for hepatic encephalopathy. Before I started this elective course, I had no experience at all in doing research so it was kind of a challenge. Working at the CKR was a great experience; partly due to the friendly and attentive CKR team! Everybody was willing to help me and I really learned a lot from them.
Having Richard and Angela as my supervisors, I guess I couldn't be supervised any better. There were a lot opportunities to change and discuss all the different aspects of the review. I'm impressed by their knowledge about all kinds of research, as well as knowing how to report research very well. Besides the knowledge about doing research, it was a big experience to work in another country, speaking another language. Especially the presentations every Thursday, which were a good opportunity to improve my skills in speaking English.
I never expected that I could learn all the different the skills of making a review in three months. I would really recommend an internship, elective course or summer scholarship at the CKR to everybody who wants to learn a lot about doing research and become part of a hard-working, nice and helpful team.
Margaret Li
Over the summer of 2010-2011, I decided to undertake a summer research project at the Centre for Kidney Research (CKR) under the supervision of Dr Germaine Wong, in collaboration with another research student, Danny Hua. The aim of our project was to conduct a cost-utility study on the implementation of a bowel cancer screening program in a particular subpopulation- the dialysis patients who are on the deceased donor waiting list.
As medical students, we have often encountered the terms cost-effectiveness or cost-utility analysis albeit briefly. It was not until I embarked on this project, that I came to appreciate what these analyses actually entailed.
In order to perform these analyses, we created a computer model to mimic the prevalence and natural history of bowel cancer in this subpopulation in real life. The software allowed us to cycle a hypothetical cohort of ‘patients’ through the model and for us to enforce certain decisions or health interventions upon these ‘patients’. We can then estimate the cumulative costs of these decisions as the ‘patients’ cycled through our model, and compare the differences between the decision to screen or to not screen in this subpopulation.
Over the course of the project, I was initiated gently into the wonderful world of modelling. I began my summer with minimal understanding of economic evaluations, but I ended my summer capable of creating my own Markov models with my newly acquired modelling skills. The exposure to this branch of medical research and the opportunity to learn in such a supportive environment has made my summer research experience truly memorable and invaluable.
Jocelyn Jiang
Supervisor: Dr. Angela Webster & Dr. Hasantha Gunasekera
Projects: Target of rapamycin inhibitors (TOR-I; sirolimus and everolimus) for primary immunosuppression in kidney transplant recipients: a systematic review & Global prevalence of Otitis media
When I first applied for a summer scholarship at CKR, my aim was to really get an insight into and understanding of research. The experience I had was so much more. At CKR, I was able to work independently, in a very well supported environment, on a project that I was able to take ownership of. In doing so, I was able to gain an understanding of the methodology of a systematic review, and gain skills in critical thinking, organization, time management and presentation. In addition to this, I was able to increase my understanding of evidence based medicine./
The staff at CKR are all lovely and very supportive. I enjoyed my time so much that I chose to reapply for another summer scholarship the following year! This year, in addition to consolidating my understanding of the process of a systematic review, I was able to learn about epidemiological studies and the challenges involved in performing a systematic review of epidemiological studies. Completing a summer scholarship at CKR is a fantastic experience and I would high recommend it to anyone with an interest in research.
Ashley King
Supervisor: Dr. Angela Webster
Project:Duplicate reporting in Nephrology
Working with Angela provided me with my first research experience. Angela was very accommodating and tailored the tasks to suit my capabilities – which were very limited since I had just finished first year. Until this summer project, my idea of research had consisted solely of labs and white coats. It never occurred to me there was more to research than the practical aspect! The summer project I was involved in looked at duplicate and transparent reporting of kidney trials. I remember trawling through dozens of journal papers, and at times got a little off-track, but Angela always guided me back in the right direction. Although it was a lot of hard work, knowing the importance of my contribution made it worthwhile and very rewarding.
Lorenn Ruster
Supervisor: Dr. Angela Webster
Project: Interleukin 2 receptor antagonists for kidney transplant recipients
In the summer of 2005-2006 I was a Summer Research student at CKR. My initial project was to update a Cochrane Collaboration Meta-Analysis on the efficacy of immunosuppressant drugs for kidney transplant recipients. The research was presented at the TSANZ (Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand) Conference held in March 2006 and has subsequently influenced current Nephrology Practice. I greatly enjoyed working at CKR – I found the staff very helpful and welcoming. Stemming from this experience I have worked for the School of Public Health on a casual basis. My research area has extended into methodological analyses, examining bias in transplantation reporting.
