To gain research and lab experience, Chutavion has been assisting Dr. Francesca Williamson, assistant professor of pediatrics in the IU School of Medicine, in her research endeavors. Together, they have been working on a discursive psychological study that analyzes the recorded meetings of medical students at two medical schools as they participate in a Journal Club.
“What we’re doing is analyzing medical educators and students during these Journal Club meetings,” he said. “They’re assigned a specific article to read and then they come together to talk about these articles and how they impact the medical field, medical students, or anywhere in a healthcare setting. What we’ve been doing is analyzing these conversations and my research revolves around delicacy talk, or how they talk about disabilities and accommodations [for those with disabilities].
He explained: “There’s a big gap in the medical school environment with properly educating students on how to talk about [disabilities] and be comfortable talking about it.”
Upon gathering this data, Dr. Williamson and Chutavion have been creating a study to facilitate better discussions among these educators and students as they discuss disabilities. Much of the time, he said, disagreements come up in these talks because there are differing thoughts about what is considered a disability and what is not. The goal of their study is to create better ways for educators to learn through disagreements and to become more comfortable with delicacy talk.
“For the past year, Chutavion has worked on various aspects of the project, including data analysis, co-authoring conference proposals, and drafting research articles,” said Dr. Williamson. “He has excellent analytical skills, so we've sometimes followed his lead in deciding what to explore further in the dataset. Chutavion is curious, asks critical questions, and ensures we foreground why research matters. Chutavion constantly reminds our team that our ability to implement equitable educational practices is critical to who can thrive and learn in medicine. Chutavion's future is bright, and he will make a phenomenal physician and leader in medicine.”
In November, Chutavion gave a solo presentation of his research poster at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students and lay some groundwork for his future.
“I got to meet some really amazing people there,” he said, “and I also had the opportunity to network with other students, businesses, companies, and medical schools. I found it interesting to be in an immersive environment that was entirely made to support and showcase minoritized scientists.”
Chutavion has distinguished himself as a student, researcher, co-president, and two-times-over ambassador, achieving things undergraduates usually only dream of. As he prepares for medical school, those who know him can only expect that he’ll continue pursuing excellence as a researcher and doctor.