This summer, through the assistance of Mr. Adam Leitman Bailey, I completed an internship at the Taub Research Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I worked with a Research Assistant on an project for Dr. Habeck investigating the properties and current techniques in a very specific type of functional MRI that uses arterial spin labeling. I complied a database of research articles from 2007 to 2010 that related to this imaging modality through a literary review. This amazing experience gave me first-hand insight not only into a developing technology that can be used to diagnosis Alzheimer’s disease, but also into the process of carrying out a research project from keeping up with modern studies to exploring beyond normal conventions to solve problems.

In addition to working on this project, I was also was able to attend Grand Rounds in Neurology, diagnostic Consensus meetings, as well as Dr. Stern’s Cognitive Reserve meetings. I observed fMRI scans and was even given the opportunity to sit in on psychology testing, such as the Mini-Mental test. Most exciting of all, I attended a Brain Autopsy through which I was able to learn neural anatomy and diagnosis in a breathtakingly physical and immediate setting. The time I spent at the Taub Institute working with Dr. Habeck, his research assistants and his colleagues was one of the most enriching experiences in which I ever had the opportunity to participate.