Every Wednesday, our ‘Away from home’ blog series features one Indian postdoc working in a foreign lab recounting his/her experience of working there, the triumphs and challenges, the culture factor, tips for Indian postdocs headed abroad and what he/she misses most about India. You can join in the online conversation using the #postdochat hashtag.

This week we have young medico Abhijit Das, a postdoctoral fellow at the Kessler Foundation, New Jersey, USA. Abhijit completed his  neurology residency at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum, Kerala, India. He tells us about his tryst with blizzards, his coming to terms with the silent ‘j’ of jalapenos, and the excellent research environment in cognitive neurorehabilitation.

Abhijit Das (centre in purple shirt) with his Kessler Foundation group.{credit}Kessler Foundation{/credit}

I would have been a forest ranger, given half a chance

Getting into medicine was not entirely by my choice – given a chance I would have become a forest ranger!

However, after entering medical school I realised that there was still an undiscovered “final frontier” in the human brain. So, I decided to be a neurologist. During my neurology residency I experienced first-hand the catastrophic effects of neurological disabilities – for the person, for the family and or the society as a whole. I also realized that we know very little about how to repair a damaged brain. That is how I chose to research on brain plasticity and brain stimulation.

Neurorehabilitation is still a developing field – so it took me a bit of time to select a lab. The Kessler Foundation Research Center is a pioneer in cognitive neurorehabilitation and the labs are very well funded. Moreover, the fellowship I got has several innovative and distinctive features – like opportunities for cross-domain collaboration.

Brain-picking now

Now I work on cognitive fatigue — a condition characterized by an overwhelming sense of tiredness or feeling of exhaustion that interferes with usual activities. This fatigue is common to a lot of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. After more than 100 years of research, fatigue is still poorly understood and there is no effective therapy.

My plan is to convert our knowledge about a “brain network” underlying fatigue to a treatment protocol using non-invasive brain stimulation. My preliminary work was recently recognized by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), US — they chose me as a young investigator.

Love the US research ambience

And my fabulous fellow postdocs and mentors at Kessler Foundation. I like the enthusiasm, professionalism and high moral values of people around me. I also learnt how to network, which is very important in a changing field like neurorehabilitation. Being an avid traveler and photographer I also enjoy the very well maintained National Parks in USA.

Our group recently identified a “hidden epidemic” of neurologic disability unfolding in India [Das, A. et al. Neurology. 79, 2146-47 (2012)]. The epidemic is fueled by increases in traumatic brain injury (TBI), age-related dementia, and stroke. Together, these three account for more than 3.5 million new cases of disability each year.

That is 11,000 each day, or 7 people every minute who acquire a neurologic disability in India. I can only hope that people become more aware of this issue andnNeurorehabilitation is given a priority in research funding.

Teething trouble

The weather gave me a tough time during my initial months in the US — I started my fellowship in a winter of record snow and blizzards. I was completely unprepared for it.

I had no problems in blending in — people are very courteous and polite here. However, my sheer innocence about certain things made for some difficult times. For instance,  during one of our postdoc lunches in a restaurant, the team ordered some “buffalo wings” – I kept wondering if there are buffaloes in the US that had wings but was relieved when it finally turned out to be a spicy chicken dish. Since then, it is my favourite!  Also, I had a difficult time ordering pizza with “Jalapenos” as the “J” is pronounced as “H”. Before my friends corrected me, I always goofed that up!

Things to take note of

1. The initial few months are very difficult in the US – you need to have credit score to get everything here – cars, apartment. Till you build up your credit score , which takes some time, life is difficult, more so if you have a family along.

2. Look for the publication track record and the funding in your lab. A successful mentor is more likely to make you successful. Also, be very clear about goals before you start the fellowship – fellowship is a joint venture between you and your mentor/lab. So make sure your goals match with each other.

Miss the Indian healthcare scene

I miss the interaction with my patients. The doctor-patient interactions are different here and I do not necessarily like them.

I am now in the process to return to India. My field has huge potential in my home country but I am aware of the challenges. One of my idols in science is Luis Federico Leloir, the Argentine doctor and biochemist who did seminal work in carbohydrate metabolism. He worked in an underdeveloped country in the middle of multiple political upheavals to produce scientific research that was honoured with the Nobel Prize.

I believe that with vision, originality and scientific focus we can make India a leader in neurorehabilitation. Moreover, given the current funding scenario in USA, I believe India is a better option for young investigators like me.

You can see where the postdocs featured in this series are based in the Away from home  interactive map (pictured below) updated every Wednesday.

{credit}Google maps{/credit}