Research to help 50 million worldwide
Omid Amidi, Vice President of Communication/Secretary, Medical Council Class of 2017, M.D. Candidate, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Student profile, Omid Amidi: Downstate student presents study to AMA
Omid Amidi, a third-year SUNY Downstate medical student, presents his findings on epilepsy and poly-pharmacy in November at the AMA Conference in Atlanta. The research grew from a project at Harbor-UCLA Biomedical between Omid’s first and second years. “We actually found positive results to reduce poly-pharmacy,” he said.
More than 50 million people have epilepsy worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
When Omid, 24, talks about the project, you sense his disposition toward medical education, as a whole —hard, but fulfilling and forward-moving work. During his OB/GYN rotation, Omid had the opportunity to guide a patient through several steps of care. He put Downstate’s emphasis on empathy and connection into practice, and his patient’s face brightened when he walked in the room.
“There’s always the pressure to perform academically here,” Omid said. “But also a lot of emphasis on patient care.”
His mother lives in California, his brother is a med student in the Caribbean, and most of his family lives in Persia, but Omid is busy in Brooklyn studying medicine. He hopes to enter a surgical sub-specialty, and possibly pursue a path towards becoming a medical educator or academic researcher. “Depending on my residency,” he said. “The next two years will determine a lot.”
Alumni support: helping students reach conferences
In 2014, 21 Downstate medical students received a total $13,000 for economical travel, overnight stays and food, to be able to present research at conferences across the US. The funds are donated by SUNY Downstate alumni, and are distributed as Alumni Fund’s Support for Students Presenting at Conferences.