A "SPARCC" in a Global Pandemic

SPARCC is a summer internship at Medical College of Wisconsin, where I had the opportunity to take part in during the summer of 2021. This blog serves as a reflection of my experience where I highlighted my thoughts and important take-aways.

The SPARCC (Student-centered Pipeline to Advanced Research in Cancer Careers) program was one of the few summer internships I applied this year that offered everything a second-year pre-med student could ever ask for. Despite all the captivating description of the program on the website, what really caught my attention was “SPARCC is prepared to run in-person….” In a normal year, under normal circumstances, I would pay more attention to what the program offers, but this year was far from being normal.

It has been over a year since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic. Inevitably, Zoom, masks, and isolation became something that we all could not live without. After over a year of taking classes and attending meetings behind a laptop screen, Zoom fatigue was getting the best of me. When I began to look for summer internships at the time, any opportunity that may potentially run in-person looked exceptionally appealing to me. I was exhilarated when my acceptance email to SPARCC arrived in April of this year, confirming its plan to run in-person.

When I first told my family and friends that I would be going to Wisconsin for a summer internship, I was bombarded with the same questions: “Why Wisconsin? What is there to do in Wisconsin?” Back then, I could not come up with a convincing answer, but now that eight short weeks have gone by, it is safe to say some of my best friendships and memories came from Wisconsin.

Over the past eight weeks, SPARCC has given me opportunities to explore various healthcare careers, engage in community research and health awareness, and develop my own professional identity. The combination of lecture-style workshops and in-person clinical rotations worked seamlessly to provide us with a unique learning experience that focused on quality patient care and cultural humility in a healthcare setting. Throughout these eight weeks, we have talked to physicians, scientists, coordinators, and counselors to build a wide network of connections that serves as a support system for our future endeavors. Despite the pandemic, Dr. Kristina Kaljo, Dr. Janet Rader, and everyone at Medical College of Wisconsin continued to make SPARCC possible in providing the best resources for its students.

Looking back, I noticed how much we have grown as future physicians, pharmacists, and researchers in just eight short weeks. We all have taken something valuable from the program whether it’s the knowledge of clinical trials or the skills of critical thinking. For me, the most important thing I took away was learning what it takes to be a good clinician. A good clinician is not determined solely on the knowledge or the skills one possesses in the operating room, but rather, a good clinician is also shaped by how well one could exhibit cultural humility to listen and understand where each patient came from. Juanadrian, one of my peers from the program, once told us that his mentor said, “If you listen to the patients, they’ll tell you what the problem is. But if you listen to them long enough, they’ll tell you how to solve the problem.” This saying resonated with me because it underscores the importance of having that “others-oriented” interpersonal stance to truly understand patients’ perspectives in order to provide better patient care. As I strive towards becoming a physician in the future, my goal is to make medicine more responsive to everyone regardless of race, culture, and socioeconomic status by practicing cultural humility.

As the program comes to an end, there is always a feeling of sadness as we each depart back to our lives before SPARCC. However, the friendship we have made here is everlasting. In just eight weeks, we went on various trips from touring downtown Chicago to completing the hardest escape room to almost getting lost at Devil’s Lake. The pictures we have taken together and the laughter we have shared are what made Wisconsin a beautiful place. Next time if anyone asks me again “What is there to do in Wisconsin?” I’ll simply say, “I had my best memories there.”