Young Researcher- Miss Shruti Ramekar

Today we have a young researcher and a great mind Shruti Ramekar

What is innovative about your research?

Answer: Our innovative device was created to prevent mishaps that may occur when a patient is suffering from Seizure/Epilepsy.

Seizure/Epilepsy is generally caused when the nerve-cell activity gets disturbed in the brain. It is usually diagnosed when the patient has at least 2-3 episodes of it. When a patient has seizure symptoms are usually anxiety, and depression, and also they may lose consciousness, have weakness, confused speech, etc.

Imagine you are a patient that frequently gets seizure attacks. You may not even know when you will be hit by one of those. Chances are, these attacks may occur when you are driving a car, riding a motorcycle, or doing some work that needs total focus. When this attack hits you at this time, it may cause a serious mishap. Your and the people that are associated with you at that particular moment may have their lives on the line.

What if you come to know of the upcoming seizure attack beforehand? Yes! A lot of troubles would be saved. Our device will not only alert you for the upcoming seizure episode but, to put a cherry on the top, it would also help to reduce the intensity of it. A patient will have a lot of time to just take a break or visit the nearest healthcare center.

How is your work distinct from your supervisor’s/principal investigator? How intellectually independent are you?

Answer: We all have contributed equally to this idea with a lot of brainstorming. Because to make an idea so unique, you have to discuss it with people with the skills to do so, and luckily, I got a team that possesses this quality. Hence, this made our work more unique.

I came up with a raw idea about seizure detection, which, upon brainstorming with my seniors and colleagues in my team, gave birth to this concept where we can not only detect which type of seizure it is but also how we can prevent it. Our main idea was to make people aware that the people can avoid any seizure-related circumstances if they are having this device. And, on the brighter side, this will also help to keep track of the frequency and the duration of each episode, thus helping the management of treatment strategies by the respective healthcare provider.

What influences have you been exposed to? Do you think you have enough breadth of experience?

Answer:

Well, I'm still learning. This was the very first experience I came across and I was fortunate enough that I have been exposed to the surrounding that has significantly contributed to developing surrounding. And as I said earlier, I'm still learning because I'm yet to be exposed to a completely new environment where I will get more and more opportunities like such. And I wish to keep on learning and exploring.

Who has influenced you the most?

Answer: My prime influencers are my parents who constantly encourage me to push my limits, and my brother, Mr. Himanshu Ramekar who helps and supports me by whatever means he can. In fact, the design of this project was his suggestion. Dr. Raju Ramekar who is my elder brother opened the gates for me in this domain by making a significant contribution to this project. And of course, Mr. Ajinkya Kottawar sir, who guided us through this journey. I’d especially like to mention my guide and mentor Dr. Pooja Kumari Mahaseth, MGM School of Physiotherapy, who has been a constant support and my institute that has developed my knowledge and my skills to do research.

What has been your role so far in developing research ideas and carrying them forward? Answer: What do you consider to be your best paper/work and why? What did it change about the way people approach the field? What are your most important publications? What has been the impact of your research? What do you think are your most significant research accomplishments? *

Receiving this patent is by far my most significant achievement in the field of research and I wish to excel at this every day. I consider this as a big milestone that is the beginning of my journey in the research field. After the implementation of this idea, I think people will be in a larger zone of comfort as they will have an early indication of the mishap that may happen and act positively on it for prevention.

I'm also fortunate enough to be able to publish my research works in two other journals as well. There I have worked on one of the rarest cases in the world. I have also copyrighted my research work on "The Novel Protocols for SI joint dysfunction".

What papers do you have coming through in the next year?

Answer: Currently working on 5 other research papers one of which is not only limited to India but also Nepal and South Africa under the guidance of my brilliant mentor Dr. Pooja Kumari Mahaseth who works as a Professor at MGM School of Physiotherapy, Aurangabad. I’m also working on three more patent ideas that will be revealed in the near future.