July 04, 2006

a simon cowell-wannabe?!? nahhh...

I got invited to be one of the judges in a research paper presentation of residents-in training of my alma mater. I was not actually invited; I was recommended by a friend to do my part for alma mater as he did a year ago. I was hesitant to accept as I certainly do not have any claim of expertise in doing research work much more any mastery in evaluating or grading research papers; my only experience in this area was the requisite research papers I have churned out as part of my residency and fellowship-training back then. Oh well, my excitement gets the better part of me; the anticipation to see my old school certainly overshadowed my fear of lack of competence that I innocently agreed.

Imagine now my horror upon receiving the 7 research papers I have to read and grade. It’s not that I don’t have the patience to read and evaluate them; but scanning through them all, I shiver at the thought that I would have to pass comments and make judgment to a bunch of papers that I don’t think can really pass the grade. The tricky part I think is not choosing the best but choosing which is the least worst among the lot. And the difficulty and somewhat irony of it all is that I, who has no real competence to speak of have to make that judgment, oh well at least I’m just one of the three. But still, it’s going to be one big dilemma on how I would have to do it. Now, I really have to go back and read on my biostatistics and some other research paper-writing books and manuals so that I can at least give a semblance of competence to my comments and judgment.

I’m no Simon Cowell-wannabe; even before Simon Cowell came, friends have already known me for my acerbic commentaries, mincing no words that they actually look for me for a dose of reality check as I usually give fearless and unclouded view of things at hand.
Oh well, let’s see if I can hack it and still get invited after this.
Hahaha…

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