Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)

The idea of embarking on an Honours year came to me when I was warmly welcomed as a Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences summer scholarship research student. This summer project exposed me to the world of neuroanatomical tracers, fluorescent microscopy, and brain connectivity. I was reminded of why I had been so passionate about pursuing medicine — I was fascinated by neuroscience and neurology. This experience made me impatient to commence my Bachelor of Medical Science Honours year. Combining research interests with my supervisor, Dr David Reser, we workshopped the original concept of my honours project.

My honours project recognises that emotions and feelings are one of the most significant measures of our quality of life. The pathological expression of fear in anxiety disorders presents as a leading global health-related burden. In the past 50 years, many new treatments have been associated with adverse side effects restricting their usage to individuals with complex treatment-refractory conditions. My research project proposes a putative anxiety network involving the prefrontal cortex-claustrum-amygdala circuitry in a primate model that would help guide future neuroscientific modelling of anxiety in humans.

The one-on-one mentorship provided by my supervisor in honours year was incredibly helpful. His thoughtful reading of my work, challenging questions and suggestions, and consistent encouragement gave me faith in my work and ability to carry out research. This was invaluable in my journey as an honours student and showed me a career path in academia. I am grateful to Dr Reser for his extraordinary support and for inducting me into neuroscientific research.

I was absolutely thrilled to be able to dedicate as much time and attention to learning about brain connections as I desired. The highlight for me was being able to hyperfixate on my niche scientific area of interest, which was a rare opportunity as most of medical school has been about refining my skills to be an expert generalist. The initial steep learning curve of learning how to do science was the most challenging aspect for me.

Learning to do academic writing, critical thinking and synthesising complex research papers are the major skills I honed during this year. These are the bread and butter of scientific research and essential items in a physician's toolkit.

Honours has been an enriching and transformative experience for me. This year has consolidated my desire to pursue a career as a physician-scientist specialising in neurology. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed research, as it was not something I entertained during my preclinical years. I'm really glad I capitalised on this opportunity in medical school as it allowed me to pave the way for an exciting career.

Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours)