Primary Care Center, Arbor Hill, New York
Dr. Bob Paeglow
May - June 2008
I worked at the center, which is basically a family practice in an underserved/ uninsured community. My jobs were varied, ranging from tasks as simple as arranging patients’ charts and receiving/ sending faxes, to slightly more involved work like taking vitals (blood pressure, weight, temperature etc.) and patient history. I also shadowed Dr. Paeglow at certain times. I got a chance to observe a family practice physician who does missionary type work- a lot of the patients are low income, and semi or non insured. He is a strong Christian who brings is faith to the workplace which is really great to see. It made me realize this was something I would love to do in the future.
Carrie Mohn ‘10
Aultman Hospital, Canton, OH
Dr. Martha Magoon
June – August 2008, June – August 2009
I had the opportunity to help plan, organize, and carry out a program for other pre-med college students. It was the first year that the hospital had hosted a program like this, so I was very involved in brainstorming and coming up with the events and determining the course of the program. I also was able to shadow doctors in many different specialties throughout the summer. This was a great experience because I learned about the inside workings of a hospital and it solidified my desire to become a physician. This internship was not really “set up” before I came along; I was just calling around at the hospital and stumbled into it. If you want to work at a hospital, call some near your home. You might be surprised by the opportunities they can offer you.
Dana Fuguet ‘09
The Chester County Hospital
June – August 2008
I worked as a nurse’s aid in the Intensive Care Unit. I greatly benefited from seeing first hand the situation in such a place and the exposure to so many medical experiences. This internship helped to solidify my future career as a nurse and the desire to eventually earn my masters in nursing to be a Nurse Practitioner.
Ben Kristobak ‘09
The Medical University of South Carolina
Jeremy L. Barth, PhD
June - August, 2008
My Summer Undergraduate Research experience was funded by a grant of the South Carolina Space Consortium. This program was designed to allow undergraduates to have experiences with biomedical research that concerns NASA. As part of the program I was exposed to NASA’s research concerns through a journal club and traveled to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a tour of their biomedical research and international space station facilities. My specific research looked at the development of vasculature in zebrafish, a common developmental model. Methods similar to morpholino technology were used to attempt to knock down a very common transcription factor, Sp3. Human Sp3 antibodies were used to detect the presence of Sp3 in western blots. The zebrafish used were of a strain that expressed enhanced green florescent protein (EGFP) in the endothelial cells of blood vessels. This allowed us to use flow cytometry to count the relative number of EGFP cells in the dissociated embryos in which Sp3 had been attempted to be knocked down, and those in which Sp3 mRNA had been injected, thus causing the protein to be over expressed. Flow cytometry experiments suggested an increase in EGFP when Sp3 mRNA was injected, but no effect when Sp3 was attempted to be knocked down. These results suggested that an effect of Sp3 on vasculogenesis in zebrafish could be possible. Both the western blots and flow cytometry experiments suggested that Sp3 was not knocked down which suggests the presence of multiple forms of Sp3 or another very similar gene that can do its job, for example a very similar transcription factor Sp1.
This experience allowed me to master scientific concepts and research skills in a large university laboratory. The skills I learned and experiences I had supplemented my GCC education. It also allowed me to experience bench research and determine that I wanted to go to medical school. Research experience is a very important part of medical school and graduate school applications. My experience was invaluable to my education and a lot of fun too.
Emily Vroegindewey ‘09
NSF funded REU (research experience for undergraduates) at the Physiology and Neurobiology Lab in the University of Connecticut
Dr. Randall Walikonis
June — August 2008
In order to find my calling, I decided to use my summers to explore different fields. One summer I worked as a substitute teacher, another summer I shadowed a neurologist and this past summer I did research in a physiology and neurobiology lab. I’d recommend a variety of summer experiences before you make a career decision. Internships are often competitive and may have application due dates in January, so apply early and apply to many places. I applied to about 10 REUs. My research at UConn lasted 10 weeks and I was paid a nice stipend. I worked directly with a primary investigator who was researching proteins in the postsynaptic density of neurons. I learned lab techniques such as, western blotting, molecular cloning, immunofluorescent staining and image analysis. The experience prepared me for graduate school and/or medical school, enhanced my resume and helped me find my calling.
Kimberly Ross ‘09
Arizona Cancer Center, affiliated with the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Amy Baker
May-August 2007, May – August 2008
I worked in the clinical trials department at this new outpatient cancer center. My boss was the lab technician in the pharmacokinetic lab where she processed the samples by centrifuging and freezing the samples. The samples were then sent out to different central labs depending on the pharmaceutical company conducting the trial. My job was to prepare the clinical trial kits for the patients, retrieve the samples after they were collected, (I wasn’t allowed to contact the samples due to student risk restrictions) and then packaged the samples to be sent out for analysis. I was able to learn about and participate in the frontier studies in medicine. I gained a first-hand experience with the clinical trials process: from seeing a patient accrued while I was shadowing a physician to the termination of the clinical trials treatment. This piqued my interest in a specific area of medicine to give me a less generalized idea of what I wanted to pursue. Through working 40 hours a week, I got to talk with physicians about their path into medicine. I also saw the negatives and positives within the system of medicine: insurance policies with minimal coverage, clinical trial admittance denial, physician/nurse/patient relationships, successes in cancer research and interactions with cancer patients from all walks of life.
Oliver Wagner ‘09
Jake Gittlen Cancer Foundation, Hershey Medical Center
Dr. Gary Clawson, MD/PhD
May –August 2007 and May-August 2008
I worked in the lab on a project that Dr. Clawson designated for me in which I explored the gene activity of HtrA1, a gene whose protein product induces apoptosis. I mainly worked on molecular cloning, working with DNA and trying to place the gene of interest into different vectors. I gained a lot of practical knowledge in doing bench work and had a great experience to put on my resume. Though I enjoyed the research experience, I also determined that it was not what I wanted to do as a career and has been very valuable. The lab that I worked in is not currently hiring additional students in the lab, but if you are interested in doing research at Hershey Medical Center, then I would highly recommend applying to the SURIP program at the medical center, which can be found at this address http://www.hmc.psu.edu/summerresearch/program/index.htm
Andrew Pedersen ‘10
Dr. Scornavacca’s Orthodontics
June – August 2007
My particular job was the instrument sterilizer. I also had the opportunity to develop x-rays and pour molds for impressions of the patients’ teeth. When I was not busy with my tasks, I was able to watch some of the procedures such as removing braces and seeing how appliances such as a Herbst appliance or RPE appliance worked. This internship was very beneficial to see what having your own practice is like. I also had many of my various questions regarding dentistry answered. Overall, this experience has reinforced my decision to pursue dentistry in the future.
Megan Osborne ‘09
Students International (a missions organization), Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic
Dr. Alba Valdez
May 2007 (2 weeks)
This was a medical mission trip that I was able to get internship credit for. I spent these 2 weeks at Jarabacoa, DR. Each day I would go out with a team of about 7 students and 3 physicians (2 native, 1 American). One physician was a general practitioner, another was a gynecologist, and the third was a DO. We spent most of our time at a private, mobile clinic, in which we would travel to a different location each day. My responsibilities included observing each doctor and helping when appropriate, as well as organizing pharmaceutical supplies. Whenever I was able, I took medical histories and worked through the diagnostic process.
There is also a physical therapy branch for anyone that is interested. I visited once, and they work mostly with disabled kids.
Alyse Brannon ‘09
Commonwealth Orthopaedics / Fairfax, VA
Dr. J. Mark Evans, hand/wrist surgeon
May - August 2006
I shadowed the surgeon and learned about many varying hand/wrist disorders and injuries. I also learned to prepare injections and aid in cast application/removal and stitch removal. When I was not with the surgeon, I worked on filing and creating an X-ray filing system. I loved working with Dr. Evans and learned a lot about the life of a surgeon. It allowed me to realize that a wife/mother would struggle with maintaining such a career while maintaining a good relationship with her husband and children. It also allowed me to learn more about being a PA specializing in orthopedics, which is my current career goal.
