When I was a pre-med student in community college, I was fortunate to have a friendly acquaintance who was a PhD in physiology. Through him, I was able to secure a student position at the United States Veterans Administration at Hines where I had an introduction to real research.

My position was essentially that of a junior secretary, laboratory assistant, and research clerk in one. The team included physicians, nurses, research scientists, and a professional lab technician. They graciously included me in their published work:

• James S. Walter, John S. Wheeler, Jr., John Markley, Rani Chintam, Lisa M. Blacker, Margot S. Damaser, Home Monitoring of Bladder Pressure and Volume in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis, J. Spinal Cord Medicine, 21:7-15, 1998.
• James S. Walter, PhD; John S. Wheeler, Jr., MD; John Markley, MD; Rani Chintam, MD; Sherry Gruber, RN; Paul Zaszczurynski; Lisa M. Blacker
  Hines VA Medical Center, Rehabilitation Research and Development Center, Hines, IL 60141; Loyola Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Maywood, IL 60153 [Click on THIS link and scroll to #314 for details.]