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Jung Uk Kang Jung Uk Kang (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Baylor College of Medicine


Jung Uk Kang is a post-doctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. In 2023, he graduated from Washington University School of Medicine with a PhD in neuroscience. He enjoys tennis, biking, and drumming. In the future, Jung Uk would like to purse a career in the field of systems neuroscience.




Complexity to Be Unfolded: from “Swiss Army Knife” to “Coexistence”

Science, in German, is Wissenschaft, which translates to “pursuit of knowledge” in English. I recently finished my neuroscience PhD training and revisited my scientific journey spanning from my teenage years to my PhD thesis. As a teenager, I was busy memorizing knowledge from textbooks. As an undergraduate, I had some experiences where I learned that science is not always as clear-cut as what I was taught in classes. As a PhD student, I have been trained to look at scientific findings with a critical eye and always ask if they are accurate.

You’re Supposed to Keep Doing What You Love

There is nothing quite like the feeling of puncturing the thin shrink film around a new canvas. Getting ready to paint is a routine — the rumbling of the kettle as I thumb through my collection of teas, picking the perfect album to play on repeat for the evening. Putting on the highlighter yellow shirt from high school plastered with smudges of blacks, greens, and whites from years of previous paintings.

A Longing for Belonging

As patients moved in and out of the modest office for their appointments, their duffel bags and luggage in tow containing all their personal belongings, the day unfolded in typical fashion. Yet, within the confines of this psychiatry office catering exclusively to the local unhoused population, “normal” took on a unique meaning.

Moments of Vulnerability

At the start of clinical rotations, we are urged by preceptors to immerse ourselves in the experience, advocate for our patients and strive to understand them better than the rest of the team. I could not, however, shake an underlying thought: Why would any patient divulge their most intimate details to someone so inexperienced? After all, I was just a medical student.

Winning the Health Care Game

Ever since I could remember, I stood out in my class for all the wrong reasons. I was the kid who dangled his feet from chairs while others rested their feet flat, the kid forced to stand in the front during class photos and the kid who always had his height checked by the ride operator during field trips to the local amusement parks.

End of Life Care with a Fairy Tale Twist

As the hands of the large clock on the wall turn to 8 a.m, a wandering medical student strolls through the intricate hallways of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Her eyesight shifted to various places in the unit as she struggled to find the so-called “fishbowl,” an office space where residents station themselves to work.

Merlin Perez Navarro Merlin Perez Navarro (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine


Merlin is a medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, FL class of 2025. In 2020, she graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science in biology and Bachelor of Science in natural and applied sciences. She enjoys traveling, dancing, spending time with her family, and camping in her free time. After graduating medical school, Merlin would like to pursue a career in anesthesiology.