Vidit Jain

HIV and diabetes in the era of antiretroviral therapy: I have started working with Mohit Varshney, who is researching at the Center for AIDS Research, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL.

I intend to research and learn the cutting-edge methodologies needed to advance science and make gains toward controlling the HIV epidemic.

• I remotely document the patient encounters of Dr. Amit Sharma (MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI), an interventional and general cardiologist, during telehealth consultations. My role is to accurately record the patient's medical histories, physical exam findings, diagnoses, treatment plans, and any other relevant details in real time, using an electronic health record (EHR) system. This allows Dr. Sharma is able to focus on patient care while ensuring that the documentation is comprehensive and timely.

Metagenomic analysis of microbial diversity and contaminant presence across different seasons in the Riverwalk area of the Alabama River in downtown Montgomery. I assisted in sample collection, microbial biomass DNA extraction, and interpretation of the Multi-Omics analyses, which included microbial deep 16S rRNA sequencing (V4 region), and performed non-targeted metabolomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

• Studied how mutations in the dopaminergic pathway can be manipulated in both fruit flies and white mice giving rise to various similarities and differences in certain behaviors such as food and water intake, movement, mating activity, and lifespan under multiple incubating environments

I shadowed Dr. Tijil Agarwal, a neurologist in Montgomery, Alabama, affiliated with Baptist Medical Center South. Dr. Tijil Agarwal has expertise in treating Parkinson's disease, among other conditions.

I learned about various diagnoses and treatments of the brain. Medical conditions they treat include migraines, strokes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy.

I shadowed Dr. Preet Kiran, a family medicine physician at Baptist Medical Center East in Montgomery, AL. I keenly observed doctor-patient interactions during patient rounds and noted how doctors ordered tests, medications, and meals for the patients.

I assisted Dr. Ajay Aggarwal at Texas Anesthesia and Back Pain Center (TXABC), Houston, TX, as a student volunteer from June 2019 to August 2019 (105 hours). I roomed patients, measured and recorded vitals, pulse rate, SpO2, and blood glucose levels, and scheduled patient appointments. I also assisted Dr. Aggarwal performed the lidocaine injection procedures by handling an arthrographic X-ray machine. Collected and prepared patient UDS (urine drug screen) samples to be sent to the lab for testing.