The Adventure Begins

Before I begin my blogging expedition, I will introduce myself. My name is Ryan Denu, and I just graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in Molecular Biology. I will soon begin the MD/PhD program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (As an aside, I think it is so cool and very progressive for a medical school to incorporate as much public health education as Wisconsin does. I am definitely looking forward to this.). My hope is to become an oncologist and cancer researcher.

I decided it would be a good idea to start a blog after reading Atul Gawande’s Better. At the end, he offers bits of advice for people entering medicine, and one of them is to “write something.” Also, my girlfriend is an avid blogger (and a darn good writer I should add) and has inspired me. My goals for this blog are fourfold. First, I want to continue this blog or something similar throughout my entire career in medicine. Second, I hope that it will foster discussions among my fellow students and eventually my fellow doctors, professors, and scientists. Third, I hope to increase awareness about certain issues in medicine and perhaps inspire people to pursue solutions to some of these issues. Lastly, I hope that this blog will allow me to reflect and think through problems. Obviously these are somewhat lofty goals, but my philosophy has always been to aim high. I try to live by this quote from the English poet Robert Browning: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” I may never achieve my goals, but the journey and the pursuit of these goals is enough.

The name for this blog came from my observation that the field of medicine is very ambiguous and characterized by much uncertainty. This uncertainty in medicine was also a major theme talked about by Gawande in Complications (I will probably reference Gawande a lot. He is an incredible writer, and I recommend all of his books).

As for content, I will be writing about trends that I see in the medical field and my responses to my experiences in medical school, research, and medicine. I am also interested in ethical issues in medicine and health care, so I will probably include posts pertaining to bioethics. Additionally, I am somewhat of a health freak, so I will probably write about nutrition and tips about healthier living that I come across. I am open to suggestions, discussions, and criticism, so please do not hesitate. I hope you enjoy reading.