CAPRISA research placement explores the great odyssey of the medical student in his new book
Mr Ashiq Pramchand, a final year medical student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and a CAPRISA Research placement, has published a book, The Great Medical Student Odyssey: Tales and Adventures in Medical School, that traces his incredible journey as a medical student and explores the great odyssey of the medical student.
Pramchand’s passion for writing was encouraged during his research placement years at CAPRISA from 2017 – 2021, under the mentorship of Dr Lenine Liebenberg, Senior Scientist in the CAPRISA Mucosal Immunology Laboratory. He has published work in three publications – two Pulse Magazine articles, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and one with the Harvard Medical Student Review-Journal.
The Great Medical Student Odyssey: Tales and Adventures in Medical School is a 194-page book that documents his life-changing moments as a medical student, life-changing moments with patients and researching life-threatening diseases. “One experiences a myriad of emotions during the different undergraduate clinical rotations-joy, heartbreak, anger towards a harsh consultant...the list goes on. These rotations, which can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 12 weeks, change you as a person…These places are autoclaves for the soul, where pressure, high patient caseloads, and low resources purify us-they force us to abandon or challenge our vices, to help others.
These experiences are life- changing and profound. In my anecdotes, I try to capture this profoundness...the clinical years is where the real adventure begins…”reflects Pramchand.
The book is available on Amazon and in bookstores worldwide.