Luke Mascarenhas Pharmacology

I am at a loss for words. To think that in less than 30 days, I will be packing up and heading back home to Dallas. I have truly enjoyed my time in New Orleans. It is a vibrant city, rich in culture and teeming with music and nightlife. In these final 30 days, I hope to cherish time with my classmates, who throughout the course of the last few months have become friends. As we all make our post-Pharmacology plans, I intend to keep in touch with many of them, and hopefully in the not so distant future, we can all be colleagues as physicians. For the month of March, I spent the majority of my time volunteering at the CTU, working on the Redcap project and other duties in the clinic. The project should be completed in the coming weeks. The highlight of the month for me was volunteering at Top Taco. Not only was it the most fun I have ever experienced volunteering, but also the most filling. I tasted a variety of unbelievable tacos and it was amazing taking in the buzz and excitement of

I still find it crazy to believe that this program is almost over. After descending on the city of New Orleans in July, I feel this place has really grown on me. While I will never get used to the outrageous rent and mediocre at best Indian food in the city, the sights and sounds of Mardi Gras were quite a spectacle. I was luckily able to catch a few parades before jetting off to Dallas for a rather relaxing (extremely early and weird) "Spring break." Oh and I got to see Black Panther with my family back home and it exceeded my expectations. Wakanda Forever! Back to NOLA. Our NBME exam is coming up in just over one week. I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly nervous. Even though I can admit that I enjoy learning mechanisms of action and adverse effects for a handful of drugs.. it really is fascinating.. this test will include hundreds of drugs. Hope this test goes well! w In terms of volunteering, this month was on the lighter end. I was able to visit the CTU a

WHO DAT.. WHO DAT. The fans swarmed me, demanding raffle tickets, chunking $10 and $20 bills my way, hoping somehow to win. But alas, the 50/50 raffle server was down. The tickets were drained. And the raucous fans who lined up for the entire third quarter were disheartened. However, not even 20 minutes later, the stadium was electric once more. Cameron Jordan of the New Orleans Saints forced Cam Newton of the Panthers to throw the ball away, just barely avoiding the sack. But wait, the referee said, "Intentional Grounding, #1 offense." And ohh how the trumpets roared, the towels waved and the drinks flowed. The Saints were marching on to the Divisional Round. I can say without a doubt volunteering at the 50/50 raffle (my first ever NFL game live) was an incredible experience. Better yet, a good handful of my classmates decided to volunteer at the game together, the true spirit of camaraderie coming to fruition around the game of football. While I had one of the silliest outf

Sunrise (ba dum ba dum) Meteorite (ba dum ba dum) Meatball!! The children chanted in a circle as the chefs and I chimed in with a subtle yet effective beat. The dish before the judges: A bacon wrapped turkey ball on a sweet potato purée, splashed with a refreshing papaya sauce*. The final result: a loss in terms of wielding the coveted spoon of victory, but a win in terms of teamwork and creativity. The Iron Chef 2017 event put on by the Edible School Yard was arguably the most fun I have had volunteering in the past few months in New Orleans. For 4 hours, a few of my classmates and myself teamed with local school children and chefs from around New Orleans to put on a culinary extravaganza. From set up to cooking to clean up, we were on our feet, constantly moving to gather the essential ingredients for our chefs and assisting the children in tasks such as cutting vegetables and cooking meatballs. While I was sad that the event only lasted 4 hours, I am thrilled to have the op

Fall is finally here. Sub-60 degree nights with an occasional sub-70 degree day sprinkled in. And perhaps more importantly, no major rain storms. For the past few weeks, the weather in New Orleans has been nothing short of majestic. I hope to take advantage of this wonderful weather by spending more time outdoors, whether it be volunteering, attending festivals or studying. While on the topic of studying, I must say that I am glad to have put the Pulmonary block exams behind me. As much fun as I had learning about NSAIDs, antivirals, and antifungals (I love me some -azoles), I was eagerly looking forward to the GI/Neoplasia Block. Coupling my background in cancer research at UTSW with my intrinsic desire to learn more in the field of infectious diseases, I tackled the material in this block with passion and vigor. The GI/Neoplasia block exam is this coming Thursday.  Unfortunately, outside of the classroom, I was unable to complete a substantial number of service hours this mon

Two and a half months in New Orleans sure did fly by. I find myself constantly checking the calendar, wondering where in the world did time go? September has been a busy month on multiple fronts. In terms of school work, the Renal block presented a steady balance of lectures and self studies, emphasizing primarily the role of Diuretics and Anti-hypertensives. Outside of the classroom, I have continued to devote some time to volunteering at HomeLife in the Gardens, while also partaking in a Habitat for Humanity build and spending Friday afternoons at the KIPP Leadership Academy.   Although I have only been able to spend 4 hours at HomeLife in the month of September, I am pleased with my experiences with the residents so far. Last week, I had the privilege of running multiple Bingo games in the lobby, on top of my usual duties. I am hoping in the coming weeks to spend more time at HomeLife, especially after watching the documentary ‘Alive Inside.’ I am a firm proponent of music as