Gaining skills in appraising evidence
When did I do my BMedSci?
I commenced with my BMedSci after finishing 2nd year of BDS, re-entering 3rd BDS a year later.
My project
The title of my project was the ‘The role of lymphotactin in oral mucosal wound healing’. Essentially, my year was spent conducting a follow on study from a previous PhD student, Dr. A Khurram, in the same department of the dental school (oral and maxillofacial pathology). He made a novel discovery that the receptor for the aforementioned lymphotactin, existed in the oral mucosa, and did copious amounts of lab work which suggested it may play a role in wound healing in the oral cavity. My study aimed to test this hypothesis by creating wound healing conditions inside a laboratory environment and trying to modify the rate at which it occurred with the addition of lymphotactin. I also undertook immunohistochemistry where I stained tissue sections for both lymphotactin and its receptor.
Presentations
I presented my work twice in poster format, at the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conference in º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ and also the International Association of Dental Research in Helsinki.
What I gained from my BMedSci
This is best answered when I consider why I undertook an extra year out of my BDS degree – to gain an insight into research, and if it is a career path I would like to follow in the future. To this end, I definitely gained a lot from my BMedSci year. The year was varied and I was kept busy throughout the year either in the lab, writing up or attending the ethics or statistics courses (which the medical school runs). It is a must year for anyone who has a genuine interest in an academic career. I also gained skills in appraising evidence; useful in the rest of the BDS degree from assignments to clinical application of dental materials.