New Year's resolutions heard around campus

Many of you have made New Year's resolutions for 2014. By now, most have relapsed while others continue to defer resolutions 'til tomorrow, next week, or next year. These forlorn resolutions (and pants you plan to fit in by March), whether kept or not, push us to live better, healthier lives. MUSC Center for Global Health reached out to a few of our personnel to gauge how resolutions are trending this year.

See below for great New Year's resolutions and thoughts from your classmates, colleagues, and professor(s): 

"I have both personal and professional resolutions and I strive to maintain my dedication to both. 2013 was personally challenging for a number of reasons. Yet, as the dust continues to settle I am reminded of the importance of staying true to oneself and not forgetting who you are, where you come from, and what makes you valuable. I’ll be holding my head high – and keeping it up – in 2014 and beyond! The real challenge will be in my pursuit to gain support for issues related to mental health.

I am extremely dedicated to the cause and help educate both the MUSC community and the Lowcountry on the importance of the research, treatment, and training being conducted in the Department and Institute of Psychiatry. I resolve to do my absolute best to make Hoops for Hope 2014 a success so that we can really spread the word, raise some needed funds, and have a blast!"

~ Jennifer Winchester – Director of Institutional & Community Partnerships, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

"I have always loved the end of the year. It's a great time to reflect back on what you wanted to make out of a new beginning and how you did towards meeting those goals. For me, in the New Year, I want to accomplish a few things. First, I want to continue to learn everything I can during the last semester of my second year of medical school. Each piece of information I gain gives me another key to saving a life so it’s important to absorb as much as possible. On the other side of that coin, I hope to continue to appreciate that there is always a need for balance and to act accordingly. I also want to find opportunities that continue to challenge me whether it’s physically, emotionally, or intellectually. My goal is to find these moments and to act appropriately and to be aware of their lessons."

~Cameron Bell – Student, College of Medicine

"My passion for addressing the global burden of surgical disease stems from a fascination with the great disparity that exists between low and high-income countries. During surgical residency, I became frustrated with how organizations often addressed surgical care within low and middle-income countries. Take for example a surgeon flying into a low-income country, operating for two weeks, and then leaving. One cannot question the good-hearted intention of such an individual, who often spends personal time and money to participate in these missions. I was one of them, and have had the privilege to render services in Haiti, Africa, India, and the Middle East.

However, I began thinking about the feasibility of such short-term interventions. The reality is that I cannot be in every country lacking access to care or needing a surgeon. So perhaps a better solution would be to incorporate the community of interest, with the idea of implementing long-term interventions in order to provide sustainable solutions long after healthcare workers depart a given area. As leaders in the field of global health, we must take the initiative to help our colleagues tailor limited resources appropriately while providing education to empower communities to care for their people long after we leave."

~ Joseph Sakran, M.D., MPH – Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery

"My NYR is to be ok with making mistakes because that means I'm doing something- I'm trying. And, at least once per day, when walking across campus or from my car to a store, I will not be looking down at my iPhone. So far so good, day #8 and I've already made mistakes! And who knows what I'll see or who I'll meet when I get out of my cyber world even if only for moments at a time."

~Sarah Logan, Ph.D. – Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) alumna

"I have a few resolutions for the New Year:
1. Spend more time with friends and family, and less time on the phone and computer.
2. Make sure I buy a more accurate scale because the current one I am using always reads the same old numbers.
3. Procrastinate less… and then stop lying to myself about making lifestyle changes."

~Oday Jake Alsarraf – Student, College of Medicine