by Pamela D. Knudson
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| Eric Fenstad, MD ’08, credits research studies he conducted as a UND medical student for his admission to the Mayo Clinic internal medicine program. While in medical school, he was invited to present his research findings at annual national meetings of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Session. |
Eric Fenstad, MD ’08, is convinced the research he conducted as a medical student at UND enhanced his application for residency training, and helped him to secure a place in the internal medicine program at the highly acclaimed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. It was his first choice in residency; he’s pleased to be training at Mayo because of its strong reputation for placing residency grads in fellowship programs (he’s considering specializing in cardiology or allergy medicine).
“Some programs look favorably on research, and Mayo is one of them,” he says, noting that evidence of research proves that “you contribute to the working medical knowledge, that you’re inquisitive… The vast amount of research this institution has is absolutely unbelievable.”
For acceptance into many residency programs “research isn’t mandatory but it adds to a well-rounded application,” he explains.
As a UND medical student, Fenstad studied aspects of allergy medicine and cardiology that “enabled me to reestablish connections in different areas of medicine, and gave me an avenue to investigate questions that I’ve had,” he says. “It strengthened my ability to critically appraise the medical literature.”
The quality of his research attracted invitations to present his findings at national professional meetings: the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in March and the Heart Rhythm Society Scientific Session, an annual conference for electrophysiologists, in May.
Better treatment for allergy patients
With the help of his mentor, Dan Dalan, MD ’87 (Internal Medicine Residency ’00), allergy specialist at Allergy and Asthma Care Center, Fargo, Fenstad explored questions concerning pollen counts of grasses, ragweed and trees in spring, summer and fall. Dalan, a clinical associate professor of internal medicine at the UND medical school, “had a lot of ideas and helped me frame my research,” he says. Fenstad’s aim was to determine how pollen counts correlate with patients’ allergy symptoms. He found that patients who live closer to the pollen counter in Fargo had more severe symptoms.
A pollen counter looks like a weathervane, with a slide that collects pollens in the air, Fenstad says. Dalan reads them and reports the data to the National Allergy Bureau which disperses the information through allergy websites and news outlets. Based on this data, doctors can assess the pollen threat and make recommendations to their patients about how to treat their allergy symptoms in advance of a rise in the pollen count.
However doctors who practice outside Fargo don’t have local pollen count records to help them advise and treat patients; they must rely on past records and generalized information. Fenstad is hoping his study helps to “raise awareness that there aren’t enough pollen counters,” he says. But “right now, it’s the best tool we have.”
Dalan advised him on how to analyze and present data at the national meeting of the AAAAI which updates allergy specialists from around the world on new research advances. Fenstad attended the meeting, all expenses paid, under the Chrysalis program, which introduces students to the life of an allergist.
“It was an awesome experience,” he says. “It gives you more insight into allergy medicine prior to committing to the field.”
Dalan, who conducts numerous studies related to the practice of allergy medicine in an agricultural area and other issues, praises Fenstad for taking the initiative and seeking him out to do research, he says. “It was a natural progression for him to do research that’s relevant to our area.”
