Name: Megan Ralston
Graduation Class:
2025, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Hometown:
Military Nomad
Fun Fact:
I have a sizable collection of found/gifted sunglasses, never bought.
Research Info
List 3 most recent projects:
- Unveiling the Hidden Curriculum: Exploring Empathy in Medical Education: Survey Study
- Pediatric Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Complicated by Chronic Steroid Use: Case Study
- Retained Bullet Fragments and Complications: A Systematic Review of Long-Term Outcomes
List 3 most recent publications/presentations/conferences attended:
- "Effect of Ketamine Treatment on Social Withdrawal in Autism and Autism-Like Conditions." Clin Neuropharmacol. 2024 May-Jun 01
- "The Prevalence of Concealed Concurrent Substance Use during Acute Care Hospitalization for Treatment of Acute Pain and Opiate Detoxification." - EVMS Summer Scholars 2024
- "Perspective and Discrepancies in Defining Wellness: A Study of Residents and their Attendings" - Fine Family Academy of Educators 2024 Oral Presentor at Educational Scholarship Day.
Briefly describe the 1 project you felt was most impactful:
"Perspective and Discrepancies in Defining Wellness: A Study of Residents and Their Attendings." This project involved residents taking a survey from their own perspective and attendings completing a survey based on how they believed the residents would have answered. It was a meaningful endeavor because it aimed to bridge the gap in understanding between residents and attendings, ultimately aiming to improve wellness and communication within medical training. I made the project from the question, learning the IRB process and language, how to run redcap, what stats are important and even down to the tedious nature of finding the right journal for the study.
Briefly describe the project you are most proud of:
"Review of Spontaneous Recovery Axonotmesis: A Systematic Review." When I first started my internship in Boston, I had no clue how clinical research worked. We planned several projects for that summer, but my particular research question was a more significant undertaking than the PI and I thought. Over the past three years, several thousand papers later, I am almost ready to publish something that addresses a significant gap in the literature. The spontaneous recovery of axonotmesis, a type of nerve injury. It aims to compile and analyze data in existing studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of the natural recovery processes and outcomes associated with this condition.
What 1 thing would you recommend students know before getting involved in research?
There are so many things I wish I knew...
Understand that research is a meticulous and often time-consuming process so choose a topic you are genuinely interested in, as this will keep you motivated throughout the project. If one PI doesn't think it's a good question, email every person in that field. I got an internship at Harvard just because I just kept emailing!
People who genuinely enjoy research were once clueless too, always ask that question!
P.S. I love this website if you are absolutely in the dark. https://guides.temple.edu/systematicreviews