Bria Moore, a Ph.D. student in Medical Physics, enriched her training by attending a course on radiation emergency medicine at Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Learning about the practical aspects of handling contaminated patients in a hospital setting will improve her ability to communicate effectively with medical professionals in emergency situations.
Moore was among 18 Duke University students who received Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants (GSTEG) in 2017-18 from the Office of the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies for training beyond their core disciplines. Her faculty mentor is Terry Yoshizumi. She shared this update:
I attended a Radiation Emergency Medicine course at Oak Ridge’s Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site. This experience was invaluable. I got the chance to participate in a detailed radiation emergency simulation.
The opportunity to work hand in hand with experienced emergency medicine physicians, nurse practitioners and general physicians in an emergency room set-up was amazing. As one of only two physicists in the room, I enjoyed the chance to determine my niche in patient care for radiological events.
Beyond the hands-on experience, I got the chance to learn of historical radiation events and response strategies. I also got a chance to hear some physician concerns in treating radioactive patients. In the classroom, I had the chance to refer to another expert in this arena for advice on useful analogies and ways to effectively communicate.
I left Oak Ridge with a new confidence in my abilities to meld well in an emergency room, and a broad network of friends and colleagues in a variety of medical fields that I hope will be valuable resources later in my career.
About GSTEG
This internal funding mechanism from the Office of the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies encourages doctoral and master’s students to step away from their core research and training to acquire skills, knowledge, or co-curricular experiences that will give them new perspectives on their research agendas. Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grants are intended to deepen preparation for academic positions and other career trajectories.
- Read other GSTEG updates from this year’s grantees.
- See who received grants for 2018-19.
- Review the 2016-17 summary report.