Martina Spazzapan, IST Class of 2013
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (King’s College London, 2019) with intercalated Bachelor of Sciences in Imaging Sciences (King’s College London 2019)
How long did you attend IST?
I studied at IST from Grade 10 to 13th (2010-2013)
What was your thesis title?
My thesis title was “The establishment of national genetic archives for statistical analysis and personalised medicine”. My research paper looked into some of the scientific and ethical aspects surrounding population-wide genome studies and their implications in personalised medicine.
What was your IST House?
The one and only Anyi, of course, captained by the one and only Mr. Strickley. Amusement parks were our second home at the time, making everyone else bitter.
In what ways were you prepared for your future studies?
IST prepared well for medical school and working as a doctor. Having a chance to take Advanced Placement courses in Biology and Chemistry was instrumental in passing entrance exams and thriving once in university. I wasn’t necessarily the biggest fan of Research Design at the time, however reflecting on it now, I can appreciate its tremendous value. I learnt how to appraise literature, produce academic writing, and cite sources appropriately, all skills I use daily as a junior doctor and researcher. Lastly, I cannot overstate the value of the Statistics course to the future clinician/academic – medical statistics features extensively in my day to day life, and having taken the AP Statistics course meant I understood difficult concepts from day 1, which continues to give me a significant edge.
In Grade 5, you planned on being…?
An astronaut!
What is your favorite memory from your years at IST?
Hard to tell, there’s so many! Perhaps the most representative of the IST spirit is when we first got invited to a soccer tournament in Barcelona. Half clueless (at least us girls) we assembled soccer teams, practiced hard, then went and had a blast. The only things we smashed were our ankles and did not manage to win a single match, but we sure did have a great time – to the point that we decided to do it again the year after!
