By: Justin Pyne, Dalhousie Medical School

CSO-HNS 2017: From the eyes of a Dalhousie Medical Student

Dr. Justin Pyne is a recent graduate of Dalhousie Medicine (Class of 2018). Dr. Pyne is headed to residency in Edmonton at the University of Alberta for head and neck surgery. Justin attended a conference that helped him to connect with future colleagues and mentors in his specialty.  We wish Dr. Pyne all the best in his new adventures!

As a third year student at Dalhousie Medical school, I have been lucky enough to gain a great deal of research exposure through elective experiences. One extension of our curriculum requires us to complete a research project through the Research in Medicine – or “RIM” – program, with the goal of having your work published before our four years of training are over. My project lead me to join some of Canada’s best and brightest Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgeons, as well as several international guest speakers, at the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ENT) annual conference this year in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan this past June.

After it being accepted to the Journal of Otolaryngology, I was selected to present my RIM project under Dr. Manohar Bance at the conference as a podium talk. The paper, entitled “Transmission of a Novel Sonotubometry Acoustic Click Stimulus in Patulous and Healthy Eustachian Tube Subjects,” documents a newly developed stimulus which is effective for identifying patulous Eustachian tube, a debilitating condition for those affected by the disease. Despite being quite new to the research field, and having not given a talk in many years, I was able to suppress my nervousness and speak to several great leaders in the field. Currently, we are in the process of patenting this technology for implementation in the clinical setting. Moving forward, keep an eye out if you find yourself in an ENT clinic – you just might see a Dalhousie engineered device in the years to come.