aug 26, 2024: a week in the life
Published:
this week
My mind is blown! It has been a huge week of trying to understand simulation modelling methods, and a few papers that my supervisor recently shared have been instrumental in that process. Luckily, I’m not alone - I have multiple colleagues using those methods. By Saturday (today), I’ve put together a rough draft for a Methods section of a potential thesis chapter or manuscript. I know I’ll rewrite nearly all of that section in months or years, but I’ve seen countless resources advising me to write early! I’ve also been addressing a final round of comments from two co-authors of my systematic review and meta-analysis and am somewhat heartened that this truly appears to be our final round. Finally, I’ve been saturating a printed copy of my first-year report with tiny post-its, which point out all the mistakes I’ve already found in that work, the changes I’ve since made to my study designs, and the over-ambitiousness of the timelines I originally set. My assessment is happening on Thursday, and I hope I’ll be ready …
next week
Counting down to the big day (it’s the day when senior colleagues will decide whether I get to continue this PhD), I’ll be tuning up various analysis plans and reconnecting with colleagues who will be returning from their summer breaks. Though it matters little to us doctoral students, a new academic year is about to begin!
outside the lab
IT’S PARALYMPICS TIME! I caught the Paris 2024 opening ceremony live on Channel 4 and have been watching snippets of swimming, athletics, and table tennis in the evenings after work. I love the Paralympics, but I did realise for the first time this year that I’ve been watching them out of a sense of obligation towards allyship with disabled peers. Given that my spectating hardly has any impact on social justice (other than raising the visibility of para sport), I’ve become a little more relaxed in what I choose to catch up on. Now, I’m enjoying the Games a lot more and discovering sports that I never thought to watch.
on the reading list
Williams EL, Khan FM, Claydon VE. Counter pressure maneuvers for syncope prevention: A semi-systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Oct 13;9:1016420. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1016420.
weekly photo
An office neighbour.
about me
I’m Yaning (she/her), a PhD candidate in Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge. I am working with colleagues in the Blood and Transplant Research Unit, the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, and NHS Blood and Transplant (England’s national blood service) to improve the safety and efficiency of voluntary whole blood donation. I’m supervised by the amazing Dr Lois Kim and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This is my blog about my journey through this candidature, starting from nine months before my transfer of status. Please feel free to reach out at yw645 [at] cam [dot] ac [dot] uk!