Santeri Pakola, the winner of the 2024 ‘Best Student’ Award in Valencia, talk about his experience at the ESMO Course in Medical Oncology for Medical Students.
What was your main reason for applying to join the course?
I applied to join the course because I considered it a unique opportunity: learning from experts in the field and meeting peers with similar interest in medical oncology.
What was your take home message from the five days?
Oncology is such a diverse discipline, and there is so much to learn! Modern oncology spans so many areas of medicine and life, and thus a career in oncology seems like a lifelong learning journey. Sometimes oncology can also be difficult, due to the nature of the discipline, but I feel that you are never alone in oncology, since there are always great people to support you and discuss with.
Why are you interested in medical oncology?
Treating cancer is a great challenge, it is truly a unique and varied disease. Medical oncology has progressed so much during the last 20 years, and nowadays there are so many different forms of treating cancer, from traditional chemotherapeutics to targeted therapies, checkpoint inhibitors and cell therapies. A lot has been achieved, but there is still much to develop.
How do you feel about having a professional society, such as ESMO, supporting you in your professional development?
I think having a professional society, like ESMO, supporting you makes a massive difference. Developing professionally, meeting peers and mentors would be really difficult without the opportunities ESMO provides. I feel lucky to be part of such a great professional society, like ESMO.
Would you recommend this course and why?
I would wholeheartedly recommend the course to every medical student who has even a slight interest in medical oncology or cancer. It was truly a lifetime opportunity. The course really opened my eyes to the different opportunities in the medical oncology field, and I made many great friends throughout the course.