Brain On Fire Essay Sample

The fascination I hold for the field of neuroscience lies in the simple fact that seemingly insignificant changes in structure or chemical composition can result in dramatic changes in an individual’s life. In the memoir “Brain on Fire”, Susannah Cahalan narrates her sudden battle against Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. The viral infection caused Susannah Cahalan to experience a “month of madness” followed by a painstaking recovery period. The memoir discusses how the novelty of the disease posed a significant challenge in the diagnoses of her case. She was the 217th diagnosed case in the world. This book exemplifies how research is an asset to the field of medicine. I understood that had there been more background knowledge on Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, Susannah Cahalan might have been diagnosed much sooner, avoiding a lot of sufferance.

I want to conduct medical research, to limit cases such as Susannah Cahalan’s. I am specifically interested in studying the development of neurological disorders in children.

It is especially important to diversify the field of research because it is an area in which access to a variety of minds is crucial to success. The definition of diversification should expand to not only include ethnicities, religions and nationalities, but also various, backgrounds, cultures and social classes. The more diverse a workforce is, the more diverse the minds in that workforce are. To “diversify” means more than meeting quotas and matching statistics, it is a necessity both for the individuals as well as for the field. Working extensively with people who had an upbringing unlike mine has allowed me to experience their way of perceiving the environment around them. These collaborations have molded my way of thinking and working; I have become more open minded and more