Science Without Borders Initiative
The science without borders scheme is currently closed to new applications. See HERE for further information
The Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery of the Medical School in Dundee has been the first to accept medical students in the UK via Science without Borders initiative. We aim to offer an experience that is different than that a medical student would have in Brazil, but complementary and indeed expanding on their medical formation, with an opportunity for a year of in-depth studies and a research project. Last year we accepted four students from different medical schools in Brazil and engaged them in our BMSc course, which comprises of a set of master classes and a research project, supplemented with the possibility of clinical observerships in several clinical areas of the hospital, including but not necessarily limited to orthopaedic surgery, general surgery, neurology and ENT.
The BMSc is an intercalated degree; UK medical students who wish to dedicate a year of their course to an in-depth study of a specific discipline or speciality will gain an additional degree after completing the course, which usually comprises a syllabus, and a research project.
The supervisor for the first group of students is Mr Carlos Wigderowitz, Senior Clinical Lecturer, who has encouraged them to conduct a research project in similar standards to those of BMSc Students and in previous years many of these projects have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Below is a small list of some of the papers that have been published by or with substantial help from BMSc students:
- Assessing the variability of injectate distribution following carpal tunnel injection: a cadaveric study. Jariwala A, Zaliunaite R, Soames R, Wigderowitz CA. Hand Surg. 2013;18(3):313-6. doi: 10.1142/S0218810413500329.PMID:24156571.
- Objective assessment of the alterations in wrist mobility with the Fastrak® system following dorsal capsulodesis. Jariwala AC, Scott I, Arnold GP, Abboud RJ, Wigderowitz CA. Hand Surg. 2010;15(3):237-41. PMID:21089203.
- Adapting the Fastrak® system for three-dimensional measurement of the motion of the wrist. Wigderowitz CA, Scott I, Jariwala A, Arnold GP, Abboud RJ. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2007 Dec;32(6):700-4. Epub 2007 Oct 24. PMID:17993435.
- Continuous interscalene infusion and single injection using levobupivacaine for analgesia after surgery of the shoulder. A double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Kean J, Wigderowitz CA, Coventry DM. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2006 Sep;88(9):1173-7.PMID:16943467.
Supervision is by no means limited and other people in the department will be able to supervise projects with a clinical or engineering side - yes, engineering for medical students! It will no doubt help you understand basics of joint replacements, prostheses and orthoses, wheelchairs, braces and so on.
The first cohort has already sat the first exam of the BMSc (there will be two in a year) and achieved grades above the average of the exam. Mr. Wigderowitz has been a SCL for 12 years and has an extensive portfolio of supervision of students at all levels from undergraduate to PhD and being born and graduated from Medical School in Brazil, is familiar with the language and cultural differences. At the request of the students they are being exposed in a very controlled manner to the clinical environment through visits to different departments at Ninewells. The students will have the opportunity to liaise, visit and observe a number of clinical departments and activities such as orthopaedics.
