Students pen haikus for Doctoring 3

By Roman Petrowski, Office of Communications
McGovern Students Write Haiku to express themselves

Second-year medical students write haikus to express their thoughts on the Doctoring 3 program. (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Faculty for the McGovern Medical School Doctoring Courses hosted a Doctoring 3 Haiku Contest to increase student engagement among second-year medical students participating in the neuroscience courses and curriculum.

Interested students submitted an original haiku in the standard 5-7-5 format with a theme of Doctoring in Neuroscience. The Doctoring course leadership narrowed the field of entries to the top-3, and then students determined the winner via polling.

Winners and their haikus are:

First Prize: Meredith Ehlmann
Why is neuro hard?
It’s all in my head, the brain
So why don’t I know?

Second Prize (Tie): Brian Koehler
The Emperor of Bad News
When I heard the news,
Tears were streaming at the word
Glioblastoma

Second Prize (Tie): J. Pierce Reitnauer
Memories fade, drift,
Lost in the labyrinth’s haze,
Love’s echo remains.

Honorable Mention: Anthony Basta
In neurology,
Using the reflex hammer
Makes my muscles ache

Honorable Mention: Isabella Hernandez
Time’s cruel punishment
The slow loss of dopamine
A Parkinson TRAP

Honorable Mention: Sanjay Neerukonda
ALS’s cruel course,
Motor neurons lose their force,
Strength fades, no remorse

Honorable Mention: Keshav Srivaths
My limbs jerk and writhe
Can’t walk, can’t speak, no control
“Nothing we can do”

Honorable Mention: Samantha Su
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Is this a migraine?
Or is this an S.A.H?
Only time will tell

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