It is now high summer, and the lotus flowers are blooming! At universities people are busy preparing for enrolment of new students, and we are no exception at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SJTUSM). We are to welcome a new group of outstanding students soon, who will, as doctors, undertake to set sail and stride forward to embark on a new journey of “serving our country and people”. From today onwards, we will release a series of articles on WeChat, themed Light up SJTUSM Dreams with Growth Stories, aiming to retrospect the life experiences of the students who have been awarded the title of “Outstanding Students” under the Power of Role Models program, share their perceptions and reflections on learning, present their unforgettable stories using simple words, and record their hard-working figures with photos. May these wonderful youth stories open up your dreams as a new generation of medical students at SJTUSM.
Person of this issue: ZHANG Haiyang
A 2016 doctoral student in ophthalmology under an eight-year clinical medicine program
Eight years have passed by, and I see another high summer approaching. In the summer of 2016, I applied to be a medical major after the college entrance examination and finally I came to SJTUSM for the eight-year clinical medicine program, embarking on an unknown journey. After studying hard overnight again and again for exams, listening to the sighs for the impermanence of the world by sickbeds, and suffering from the negative results of repeated experiments in the laboratory, I am now well positioned to retrospect my past experiences, recall my original aspirations, and write with a clear conscience “With a heart full of joy, I am pursuing excellence in medical studies”.
How can one spend a limited life without doing anything unprofitable
By persevering with an inquisitive attitude, I completed my undergraduate studies with a comprehensive score ranking #1 in my major (1/148), along with several honors and awards such as National Scholarship, Level-A Academic Scholarship, and Pacemaker to Merit Student. And thanks to a lot of reading and general education courses, I realized the complexity of the healthcare industry very early, so I started to take part in social activities consciously despite of my intensive study schedule. With the great support and aid from my teachers and classmates, I successively set up such organizations as the SJTUSM International Exchange Association and the SJTU Medicine + X Innovation Club, providing diverse opportunities for actual practices; I served as member of the SJTU Student Union Presidium and executive chairman of the SJTUSM Student Union, on which positions I created some branded projects such as “521 Medical Student Festival” and “SJTUSM Free Clinic on Campus” to serve the students, ran the student communication platform “Little Doctor Joy” for 2 years, and received the title of “Student of the Year”; I initiated the “Health Science Popularization Cradle Program for Medical Students”, the very first science popularization & incubation brand for medical students; and I initiated the “Rongchang - Prospects” Program of Medical Science and Leadership to develop the inter-disciplinary talent with future-proof leadership in the health segment. In the assessment of medical students, social activities are not the major responsibilities, but they are related to the values we students keep in mind. It is one of my rules to spare no efforts to do something unprofitable, which gives me great confidence that I can do my job well.
Those who find joy in it do not know whether their oral or physical offerings are as good as those of others
At the doctoral stage, I was lucky to learn from Prof. FAN Xianqun, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and academic leader of the Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital affiliated to SJTUSM, to engage in the research on orbital diseases and eye tumors. I mainly focused on thyroid ophthalmopathy, which causes serious problems such as decreased vision and disfigurement to patients. During my three-year doctoral program, I accumulated experience in clinical work and developed a strong interest in the study of this disease. After choosing magnetic resonance imaging as the point of penetration, I worked hard to supplement my knowledge and break through my limitations in image algorithms, neuroscience and the like, and devoted myself wholeheartedly to recruiting follow-up patients, organizing and calculating data. The power of teamwork is infinite, and I was very fortunate to have my teachers and peers by my side. As the first and co-first author, I published 10 SCI papers in journals such as J Neuroinflammation, including 7 Q1 papers. I received 4 national patents as the first inventor and the National Scholarship for Doctoral Students twice. I also participated in the first multi-center clinical trial of IGF-1 receptor monoclonal antibody therapy for thyroid ophthalmopathy in China, and represented the team to give oral presentations at academic conferences including the International Congress of Endocrinology. The excellent therapeutic efficacy of the drug brings new hope to patients. These achievements would be impossible without strenuous efforts. Countless times after completing an experiment, I said good night to the security guard on duty and walked on Zhizaoju Road early in the morning, feeling really fulfilled. Just as I said to the younger students at an academic sharing session, looking more at the outstanding and determined predecessors around us, we would understand “those who find joy in it”, and thus be less concerned about the temporary gains and losses. The instruction and action of my respected mentor, “do things that others cannot do”, is an important force that supports my beliefs. In an era of anxiety, self-deprecation, and prevalence of fast food culture, we may as well take a gamble to follow our hearts.
Difficult as conditions are, one still refuses to give up
I solemnly looked at my original intention of studying medicine - to approach the essence of life and become a person who can soothe the pain of others. During my time studying medicine at my alma mater, the meaning of this aspiration was constantly manifested through learning and practice. During the pandemic, I followed the predecessors working at the frontline and took the initiative to volunteer three times, e.g., joining the first batch of student volunteers for nucleic acid sampling. My deeds were reported by more than 10 media outlets such as CCTV and Oriental Education Times, and I was awarded the honor of “Shanghai University Student of the Year”. In clinical practice, I provided professional and patient medical services to patients, helped disadvantaged patients to obtain social support, and ever received two thank-you banners from them. I committed myself to spreading the health knowledge that benefits the public, published health pictures and texts on multiple platforms such as People’s Daily Health, organized more than 20 free clinics and live streaming activities, edited or participated in the compilation of 3 science popularization and humanity monographs, and received the Special Award at the first Shanghai Youth Eye Health Competition.
In the journey of medical studies full of difficulties and challenges, I experienced fear and fatigue, but I was determined to pursue my ideals through perseverance. I was once a patient and family of a patient, feeling confused, ached, and helpless, so I majored in medicine with the dearest wish to become a doctor who would not disappoint me who used to stand on the other side of the consulting room. Whatever challenges I might run across, the aspiration would never be shifted - the white coat will see my lifelong persistence.
During the eight years, there were ups and downs, epiphany and confusion, surprises and regrets, and grasp and missing. We are nothing but mayflies living in this world for a very short time, or a drop in the vast sea. Everything is dynamically changing, but what cannot be changed is the fact that the precious eight years have gone forever. Things in the past are beyond redemption, but we can pursue what is in the future. Looking ahead, I anticipate to build upon what I have learned at SJTUSM during the eight years, along with my unchanged aspiration, to act as a dream chaser on the road, “serving our country and people”, and contributing to a healthier and happier society.
