“So, what’s up?” I asked the young postgraduate from a neighbouring medical college. He had just run into me on the road. “I’ve finished my thesis, sir,” he said, sounding both relieved and battle-weary. “Now preparing for the MD exams—just two months to go.” “That’s done?” I raised my eyebrows. “Already?” “Yes, sir,” he nodded. …
Research
The fall of the MD thesis
Another DNB thesis lands in my inbox—joining its MD cousins. My task is to evaluate it. A formality, really. The postgraduate has written it, the professor has supervised it—or so the paperwork claims. I enter the username, type the password, and open the file—without hope. An immaculate PDF appears. Crisp formatting. Polished grammar. Elegant English. …
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗽𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗿. 𝗠𝗶𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗸𝗮𝗿
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗽𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗿. 𝗠𝗶𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗸𝗮𝗿 A fortnight ago, Dr. Mihir Wechalekar, an alumnus of MGIMS, class of 1992, received the prestigious 2024 Mid-Career Excellence Award in Australia. This honour was bestowed upon him at the combined New Zealand Australian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand. This …
Madhavi and Anurag Bhargava
Here is a story that could captivate the imagination of Rajkumar Hirani for his next movie. Dr. Anurag and Madhavi Bhargava, the dedicated physician pair, were prominently featured in The Lancet yesterday, with a full page dedicated to describing their impactful work as self-identified social physicians. Having known the couple for nearly three decades, witnessing …
𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗗 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀
The MD thesis—a daunting challenge that separates the strong from the faint-hearted. It is like a visa that grants access to the MD examination, a grueling rite of passage filled with challenges and obstacles. As the deadline looms, the pressure intensifies, and the postgraduate students start desperately hunting for two players—a skilled statistician to generate …
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹: 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱
A few years ago, I was invited to speak about snakebites at an annual conference in Nagpur. As a physician who had treated hundreds of patients with venomous snakebites, I was excited to share my experience. On that Sunday morning, as I arrived at the conference hall 15 minutes early, I found only two people …
The Ghost Who Writes: A Tale of PGs and Thesis Ghostwriters
On a sunny afternoon at the hostel of a medical college, a third-year postgraduate student appeared visibly worried as he skipped his lunch. He approached a group of his senior friends, who were now senior residents in the same hospital. PG: “May I ask you something? Two years ago, I submitted my thesis protocol to …
Scrub Typhus: Two is better than One!
𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗵𝘂𝘀 is a devastating disease. At Sevagram, our healthcare providers regularly care for hundreds of patients with severe scrub typhus in the ICU. Unfortunately, around 15% of these patients do not survive. A study from India published a day before in the 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 caught my attention. CMC Vellore, PGI Chandigarh and …
On Dr Mandeep Mehra
Dr. Mandeep Mehra (MGIMS Sevagram alumnus; Class of 1983) today published a landmark trial in the New England Journal of Medicine. His paper showed that a mechanical pump implanted in the heart of patients with advanced heart failure could make the patients breathe better, and walk longer—without increasing the risk of pump-induced strokes. To earn …
SEARCH, Gadchiroli
Spent a Friday morning with the SEARCH team, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. Learned a great deal about a study that asks key questions about stroke in a rural tribal community. When researchers ask a research question that comes from the community they serve and try to find an answer that can help the underprivileged people live longer- …