Mica traveled to the 2019 Annual Meeting for the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) in Baltimore, MD to present her research from the previous summer. Mica had completed a manuscript titled Male Surgeons’ Perceptions of Female Surgeons: Is There a Bias Against Women in Surgery? during a research internship at AdventHealth in Florida. She was asked by her mentor, Dr. Sharona Ross, to present the paper at the conference.
The presentation went very well, and I was even approached by a reporter from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) afterwards who was looking to do an article on my talk! The article is published in MDEdge “Survey: Bias against women surgeons persists.”
In addition to the presentation, Mica was able to work on her professional development, interact with other presenters and doctors at the meeting, and learn more about recent advances in surgery.
Being able to give a presentation at a medical conference my freshman year of college was an amazing opportunity. I not only was able to grow my presentation skills in a high stakes and professional environment, but I also got to interact with really talented and engaging surgeons. Attending the other seminars also allowed me to deepen my understanding of what is new and exciting in the surgical discipline today, especially regarding new minimally invasive surgical techniques. As someone still trying to find clarity on what medical profession I want to pursue, getting a look at surgery in this environment was very insightful, and I have built up far greater lasting connections with my mentors.
I was very excited to accept this opportunity and share my work with the medical community. However, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to go without some financial assistance, and the travel grant through the BU Biology department really helped to offset some of the costs, particularly the registration fee for the conference, although I still paid for my transportation and hotel. I was definitely considering not going until I found out about the possibility to get funded through the Biology department.
Mica’s travel grant application was sponsored by Dr. Kathryn Spilios in the Biology Department.
