Was this the first research presentation that you gave?
I researched while I was getting my masters. I didn’t do any presentations but I had two publications that my name was on.
How was your first presentation?
It was very interesting because instead of sitting there and getting edits back from the reviewer or magazine, it is instanteous… being asked questions. It is a little more on the spot, and you need to become the expert within your research.
Is it a little more nerve racking?
It was because the research that I was doing was a lot of neuro and it applies to many fields outside of concussions, so the questions can be pretty varied depending on who’s asking.
Do you do any research ahead of time so you are prepared for their questions?
For preparation, I did a lot of literature research to see not only what was the current literature out there on concussions itself but also we looked at this as sort of chronic pain condition, too, so I had to read up on migraines and other studies that had to do with chronic pain so I could potentially answer their questions.
Do you remember any specific questions you were asked?
One Family Practice doctor asked how applicable is this to me now because I don’t have access to this functional MRI scanner. Is it something that every radiologist can do? Or is this something a little more particular that only certain hospitals can do?
What was your response?
My response right now is it is a ways before it is implemented in every hospital. As of right now, I can see anybody who has a fMRI scanner will be able to potentially obtain these images and send to specialty labs, but as of right now I don’t think that independent hospitals will be able to look at these images and potentially diagnose a concussion.
Not all hospitals have fMRI scanners. Do you know if all radiologists are trained to read them?
Currently very few radiologists are actually being trained on this. This technique is only looked at in the academic setting and so it is not widely known on how to read these images. As of right now, ones that process images like these are just specialty labs. If this becomes a new imaging technique that is broadly used, I can see it potentially being a subgroup off diagnostic radiology.
What were your top experiences at the conference?
One of the first things that I noticed when I arrived was that it wasn’t just a conference for physicians or a particular kind of physician, because it had neurosurgeons, neurologists, anesthesiologists. The other thing that I found really interesting, but very helpful, is PAs, nurse practitioners, nurses, social work, OT, PT attended, and those are all people who are integrated into the recovery of someone who suffers from a traumatic brain injury, so to kind of have a conference where everyone is there collaborating brings up a good point. People of every degree were giving presentations, so it was nice to see that it was a more holistic conference.