How did Covid-19 impact you as a PhD student? Daniel’s story

Author: Daniel Yoo 

As a data scientist and a PhD student in the Paris Transplant Group under the supervision of Professor Alexandre Loupy, my daily routine includes exploratory data analysis, data visualisation, machine learning engineering, and writing scientific papers regarding solid organ transplant-related electronic health data records. The COVID-19 pandemic forced me to pivot from my original thesis plan and focus on this urgent priority. I became acutely aware of the urgent necessity to contribute my skills to this global problem as soon as the pandemic surfaced in early 2020.  

At the Paris Transplant Group, we began working on a project to quantify the impact of COVID-19 on organ transplants and wait-listed patients. The project was a significant undertaking that required a lot of time, work, and worldwide participation. I had to adapt to working remotely and coordinating with my colleagues online, which was a new experience for all of us. 

Despite the challenges, the COVID-19 project was an incredibly rewarding experience.

We had to learn how to collect, aggregate, and analyse data from a variety of sources, including hospitals and (inter)national registries while taking into account the rapidly changing circumstances. It gave me the opportunity to apply my skills and knowledge to a real-world and urgent problem that was affecting millions of people worldwide. I learned how to work under stress, pressure, collaborate and communicate remotely with colleagues and collaborators. 

Finally, our work was published in The Lancet and The Lancet Public Health, which were major accomplishments for the team and myself. They exemplified the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration of research. Since it was my first first-authored paper, my emotions towards the pandemic were a mélange of positives and negatives. 

Overall, COVID-19 forced me to experience this bizarre turning point moment during my PhD programme. It has taught me important lessons about patience, resilience, adaptation, and the power of research to improve global society.

This painful lesson made pan-European health registries assemble to create the BRAVEST project, aimed to build resilience under high-pressure situations.

I hope to bring the perspectives and skills I learned from the pandemic into the project to mitigate the negatives to the positives. 

Daniel Yoo