Thread by @2Scottish

1/n A🧵. I finally paid off my medical school loans this week. I made payments simultaneously with the LRP. Here is why the @NIH_LRP is a great career move for PhD scientists and especially for physicians who generally have crushing loans... #loans #MedEd

2/n *Let yourself be #mentored* When I was finishing cardiology fellowship training, I swore I was NEVER going back to research! My Chair convinced me (“…just one last ride, Scott....you can do it”). Listen to those who know you and see something. @Keith_R_M @JustinLathia

3/n *Accept roadblocks*. I was offered an amazing job in private practice paying 7x my salary. No shame in that. I applied for 12 grants and 1 was awarded. My 1st K08 was rejected. In my darkest hour at 12:31 hrs on a Saturday AM @NIH_LRP emailed. Someone believed in my work

4/n *Discoveries with a 🇨🇦 scientist* I worked in CICU 🫀 for my first attending position so decided to learn about platelets from @CraigMorrell5. We made some neat discoveries and realized there is opportunity to improve cardiovascular care.

5/n *Find your true North* During those 3 years, I found vascular medicine. I started a program, mentored a vascular surgeon @DoranMix and met @JayBishopMD who became a lifelong friend and made me think about aneurysms. Too many unanswered questions in vascular disease...

6/n *Bloom🌹 where you’re planted* Realizing patients from PE were massively under-served in our region, I used the barely free ⏲️ to start a PERT and learn from @PERTConsortium and @klinelab. We starting reporting our findings….

7/n *Be Switzerland* It was immediately obvious 5 departments who never got along were now thriving after seeing patient mortality from PE decrease by ~20% within 2-3 years. I learned a ton from #pharmacists like @GrothChristine and CT #surgeons @igor_igorgosev #mediator

8/n *Educate and give back* Teach what you know and write about it. We used our findings in vascular care to change practice patterns, creating projects & real mentorship for 7 Med students, 5 Grad Students, 14 Residents, 12 Fellows, 5 Faculty. @Ayman_Elbadawi_

9/n *Get lost in Paris* Clinicians missing symptoms in women with CVD was a personal irritation for mine. We had the tools, @Matt40658020 was ready for a challenge, so we we pivoted again and made some interesting discoveries ! Women need excellent care, too ! #heforshe

10/n *Pivot in a pandemic*. We used our skills in thrombosis/platelets to pivot and make immediate changes in clinical care. We also learned to follow evidence and not opinion. It awoke the creative juices of one vascular internist at least ! @RohanBhandariMD

11/n *Keep writing grants” Rejection is normal. In the words of Batman: “Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.”. We made the transition from K-to-R by being responsive to feedback not accepting no for an answer.

12/n *Give back* It has been a privilege to help 7 other people prepare their LRP applications and to become an #LRPAmbassador. Several of them won LRPs, I became the primary mentor to 1 of them, and 2 others paid their loan off before I did. That’s a win ! @LebenTefera

13/n *Be the 🎇 to stimulate your local #economy* My LRP lead to mentorship with projects for 43 people, personal grants >$4M, and > $4M in federal grants for those I collaborated with or was mentored by.

14/n. *Closure* To my mother who is slowly sucumbing to the specter that is #Alzheimer Disease, debt for her children was her biggest fear. I’m free now, mum, and your affliction is why translational research is such a needed career. @alzassociation @AlzResearchUK /End 🧵