The second week of my internship saw me taking my research project into more depth, gaining a better understanding of the other projects and roles within the foundation and arranging meetings for next week.
At the beginning of the week I sat down with my supervisor for a quick debrief and feedback session on the working draft of my briefing note. We primarily discussed my progress on the project and the evidence surrounding use of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), a new cancer testing approach, and the issues around its potential application in the clinic. It was very helpful to gain feedback at this stage, agree on areas for more in-depth research and identify experts we may want to approach for further information.
This week I have also started to learn more about the different projects going on within the foundation. I have found that tea-time is one of the best opportunities to learn about the most recent activities and get to know the people who sit in other offices. Further to that I have also actively approached different members of the team in order to learn more about their work and roles.
Having spent two weeks at the PHG Foundation, I can now say that one of the highlights of the internship is that I feel intellectually challenged in my work and inspired by the people around me. Seeing how quickly time flies I am strongly motivated to make substantial progress in my project and learn as much as possible in the next few weeks.