{"id":33912,"date":"2024-04-16T03:31:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T07:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=33912"},"modified":"2024-04-18T14:45:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T18:45:36","slug":"shipboard-md","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/shipboard-md\/","title":{"rendered":"MD Keeps Adventure Travelers Healthy on the High Seas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins \u201979 has carved out a second career as a ship&#8217;s physician, now on National Geographic voyages<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Emergency physician <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.stanford.edu\/rebecca-smith-coggins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rebecca Smith-Coggins \u201979<\/a> was awoken around 3 a.m. by a frantic knock on her door: a diabetic man was unconscious and unresponsive, and his wife was urgently seeking her help. Smith-Coggins sprang into action, grabbing her medical bag and speeding to the man\u2019s side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She quickly checked his blood sugar level\u2014and found it was alarmingly low. She was about to start an IV when she decided to try squirting some glucose gel into the sides of his mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHis muscles started to relax, his sweating stopped, and he started moving around,\u201d she recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-820x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins on a hike in New Zealand\" class=\"wp-image-34182 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-820x1024.jpg 820w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-768x959.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-1230x1536.jpg 1230w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-1264x1580.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image001-A.jpg 1281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><figcaption>On a hike in New Zealand.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd after three or four minutes, he recognized me and said, \u2018<em>Oh shit!<\/em>\u2019\u2014which was music to my ears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Smith-Coggins, it was just one memorable moment among many in a wildly gratifying second career: since the early 2010s, she has served as an onboard physician for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/expeditions\/trip-types\/ocean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Geographic voyages<\/a> to far-flung locales around the globe. She previously had a similar role with another adventure touring company, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quarkexpeditions.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Quark Expeditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working as a contractor for Nat Geo, Smith-Coggins has taken dozens of trips to such places as Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Papua New Guinea, Iceland, New Zealand, Bali, Panama, and Greenland\u2014to name just a fraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins paddleboarding past seals and glaciers in Antarctica\" class=\"wp-image-34184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image006-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paddleboarding in a drysuit in Antarctica.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI love the blend of travel and medicine\u2014those are two of my favorite things,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI really enjoy taking care of patients, and this gives me the opportunity to do that while helping them see more of the world. The mission of National Geographic is to help people appreciate what we have on our beautiful planet, and how important it is for us to take care of it. I like being part of that team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I love the blend of travel and medicine\u2014those are two of my favorite things.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>An Arts &amp; Sciences alum, Smith-Coggins earned an MD from Penn and did a combined residency in emergency medicine and internal medicine at Northwestern before joining the faculty at Stanford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, as a professor emerita and working part time, she\u2019s able to spend several months a year on Nat Geo voyages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins in her Cornell graduation cap and gown\" class=\"wp-image-34179 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-1264x1580.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/Attachment-1-A.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>At Commencement in 1979.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>(When home in the San Francisco Bay Area, she still works one shift per week in the emergency department at Stanford\u2019s teaching hospital.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ships on which she travels range in capacity from about 70\u2013120 paying passengers, plus several Nat Geo researchers, photographers and naturalists, and another 70 or so crew members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith-Coggins is generally the only medical professional onboard (though some bigger ships carry a part-time RN) and is on call 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>She typically treats the kind of ailments you\u2019d expect: seasickness, colds, digestive issues, headaches, insect bites, cuts, sprains, the rare broken bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In serious cases, she sometimes has to arrange for the ship to divert from its itinerary so the sick or injured person can be transferred off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA good portion of our crew are on the ship for up to nine months at a time,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>\u201cSo I end up being kind of their family doctor, doing things like checking people\u2019s blood pressure and changing their medications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being a Nat Geo ship\u2019s doctor is a coveted gig: Smith-Coggins applied three times before she even got an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The role requires not only periodical \u201cfit for duty\u201d medical exams but also some specialized training\u2014like learning to fight fires on board and to lead a deployed lifeboat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(\u201cYou only have a few flares; you organize a rotating lookout schedule, and nobody gets water for the first 24 hours.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-819x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins in firefighting gear\" class=\"wp-image-34201 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-1264x1580.jpeg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-632x790.jpeg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-316x395.jpeg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-280x350.jpeg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-140x175.jpeg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-70x87.jpeg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-400x500.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-200x250.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003-100x125.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image003.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>Suited up for firefighter training.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The position\u2019s perks include the ability to bring a companion along\u2014and touring the eye-popping sites is part of the job description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s lovely\u2014I get to go on the land excursions,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI take a backpack with medical supplies and a radio, and wherever the passengers go, I go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins taking photos of penguins in Antarctica\" class=\"wp-image-34183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-1264x712.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/image002-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">On a photo shoot in Antarctica.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And since the most demanding activity is where her skills are most likely to be needed, that\u2019s usually what Smith-Coggins does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019ll be three choices, like: \u2018walk along the beach, visit the town, or climb the volcanic crater,&#8217;\u201d she says. \u201cAnd they\u2019ll put me on the crater\u2014which is really great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(Top: Smith-Coggins conducts an emergency simulation drill onboard ship during her time with Quark Expeditions. All photos provided.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published April 16, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins \u201979 has carved out a second career as a ship&#8217;s physician, now on National Geographic voyages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":34180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[24214,7807,30369],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-33912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>MD Keeps Adventure Travelers Healthy on the High Seas - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dr. Rebecca Smith-Coggins \u201979 has carved out a second career as a ship&#039;s physician, now on National Geographic voyages\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/shipboard-md\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MD Keeps Adventure Travelers Healthy on the High Seas - 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