It was another sunny and cozy day in July. Shubham and I met in front of the Sterling Library and chatted about his experience as an international scholar. Shubham is a research scientist in Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. He comes from Chandigarh in Northern India, and received his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Government Medical College.
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At Yale, Shubham’s research focus is investigating the intersection between cannabinoids and schizophrenia. His lab collaborates with the PET center, to correlate these changes in-vivo. When asked about why he chose psychiatry, he told me that he was always inspired by his father who is also a psychiatrist and the exposure during Psychiatry rotation in med school also ensured his interest. He decided to come to the US for the vast opportunities and cutting- edge research it offers. Talking about the future, Shubham is applying for residency this year, and hopes to become a physician-scientist, dedicating time doing clinical work and research.
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Adapting to life in the US was not difficult for Shubham - he was welcomed by many friends from college here, which makes Yale feel like home. His lab offers precious resources and the multicultural environment makes it easy to fit in. One of the interesting things that he notices in the US is that everyone is treated “equally” without considering their ages and titles and that people are very polite and helpful.
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During leisure time, Shubham enjoys cooking and baking cheesecakes, something his friends can vouch for. Some of his other interests are soccer, Formula 1, cricket, photography and traveling. He’s traveled to 22 countries so far and wishes to visit all 195 of them. Playing FIFA online is another way for Shubham to relax and connect with his friends around the US.
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Being an international scholar here, Shubham also gave some advice on how to prepare to move to a new country: Find out the good restaurants beforehand (most important), study a little about the culture, be more open to the different perspectives people have to offer and keep learning! He takes time out to mentor his juniors in college, and volunteers in Project IMG as an author.
#humansofoiss
