Introduction & Personal Statement
Rare moments… they are always the ones that reveal what you are truly passionate about. Whether it is your first time surfing, first time scoring a professional hockey goal, first meaningful relationship, first time shadowing a surgeon… first time interactiong with a sweet patient that is hiding fear inside before her surgery. As I began to recognize these rare moments in the operating room more and more, the more I felt a purpose. I began obsessing over how it is possible for a human to do the impossible, to do God’s work in healing another human. It is the most selfless thing a person can do in their lifetime. And the more I obsessed with the science, the more I fell in love with circuitry.
From my studies, my favorite word became “topology”. It describes how individual elements (like resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc.) connect and perform within a circuit—focusing on the structure or network of connections. I am an electrical engineer at heart; I love solving problems with current flowing through conductive wires and being able to redesign a network to a desired signal. Fixing the dielectric material in a capacitor, untangling wires to get a clearer signal to the main source, constructing a mechanical structure to support my repairs and enhance my product’s performance.
Throughout my studies, lab research, and personal engineering projects, I began visualizing a shift in my perspective to the human body. Neurons (nerve cells) as the “circuit elements,” and synapses (the connections between neurons) as the “links” or “branches” in a network. This was the topology I wanted to study. Like Dr. Guerrero performing a complex surgery on the network of sensitive nerves with complex signals, my goal is to not only be able to help patients recover optimally, but to be in the center of applying and researching the newest technology to improve patient outcomes and advance the medical community.
Goals and Progress
TOP 3 GOALS
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Nutrition, Condition, Meditation
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Grades (10 weeks, 3 courses, each course with projects every week, midterms every 3 weeks, then finals 10th week)
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ECs: Bio-EE Research, Crusade Student-Athlete Journal of Sports Medicine
Quarter War Gaming (Courses, Grades, and Priorities)
Other Notes
Orthopedic Shadowing Notes
By Date
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12/21/23
- Clavicle Fracture ORIF
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01/03/24
- Right Carpal Tunnel Release
- Left Distal Radius Fracture Malunion Correction
- Right Thumb Metacarpal Fracture ORIF vs. CRPP
- Left Distal Radius Fracture ORIF
- Right Wrist Hardware Removal + A/P Interosseous Neurectomy
- Left Revision Carpal Tunnel Release + Hypothenar Fat Pad Flap + Cubital Tunnel Release
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03/28/24
- Arthroscopic Meniscus Surgery
- Posterior Interosseous Nerve (PIN) Release
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05/17/24
- (No procedures—return-to-sport & outcomes focus)
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06/01/24
- (No procedures—reflections on patient-family dynamics)
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09/12/24
- Dorsal Wrist Ganglion Excision
- Trigger Finger Release
- Cubital Tunnel Release
- Rotator Cuff Repair (Arthroscopic)
- Distal Radius Fracture ORIF
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09/17/24
- Right Wrist Extensor Tenosynovectomy (Ganglion Cyst)
- Right Proximal Humerus Fracture ORIF
- Right Clavicle Fracture ORIF
- Left Trapeziectomy + Suspensionplasty
- Left Lateral Malleolus Fracture ORIF
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12/17/24
- (No procedures)
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03/26/25
- Left lateral malleolus fracture open reduction internal fixation / possible syndesmosis open reduction internal fixation
- Left trimallelor ankle fracture open reduction internal fixation, cann screws medline
- Left ring finger articular distal phalanx fracture open reduction internal fixation / left ring finger flexor digitorium profundus repair
By Procedure (reference or link to date)
I. Shoulder / Upper Arm
A) Clavicle Fracture ORIF
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12/21/23
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3 cm displacement (open fracture)
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Plate fixation and lag screws, K-wire for temporary fixation
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09/17/24
- Right clavicle fracture ORIF
B) Right Proximal Humerus Fracture ORIF
- 09/17/24
C) Rotator Cuff Repair (Arthroscopic)
- 09/12/24
II. Elbow
A) Cubital Tunnel Release
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01/03/24
- As part of “Left Revision Carpal Tunnel Release / Hypothenar Fat Pad Flap / Left Cubital Tunnel Release / Possible Anterior Transposition”
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09/12/24
- Standalone cubital tunnel decompression
B) Posterior Interosseous Nerve (PIN) Surgeries
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01/03/24
- Right wrist hardware removal + anterior/posterior interosseous neurectomy
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03/28/24
- Open posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) release (for lateral elbow pain, “tennis elbow”-related)
III. Forearm & Wrist
A) Distal Radius Fracture ORIF
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01/03/24
- Left distal radius fracture ORIF + malunion correction
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09/12/24
- Distal radius fracture ORIF (side unspecified in your notes)
B) Ganglion Cyst Excision
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09/12/24
- Dorsal wrist ganglion excision
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09/17/24
- Right wrist extensor tenosynovectomy (ganglion cyst excision)
(You might sometimes see “tenosynovectomy” if the cyst arises within an inflamed tendon sheath.)
IV. Hand & Fingers
A) Carpal Tunnel Release
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01/03/24
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Right carpal tunnel release
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Left revision carpal tunnel release + hypothenar fat pad flap (both on the same day)
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B) Right Thumb Metacarpal Fracture ORIF vs. CRPP
- 01/03/24
C) Trigger Finger Release
- 09/12/24
D) Left Trapeziectomy and Suspensionplasty
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09/17/24
- For thumb CMC arthritis/degenerative changes
V. Knee
A) Arthroscopic Meniscus Surgery
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03/28/24
- Meniscal flap debridement (mini shaver), cleanup of inflamed tissue
VI. Ankle
A) Left Lateral Malleolus Fracture ORIF
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09/17/24
- Plate/screw fixation; possible syndesmosis check or repair if needed
Dates with No Surgical Cases Documented
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05/17/24: Focus on return-to-sport rates, patient-reported outcomes research
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06/01/24: Reflections on patient-family dynamics, meaning of being a doctor
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12/17/24: (Notes not detailing a specific operation)