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- UROP Associate Director Catalina Ormsby Receives Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award
- UROP Welcomes New Director: Dr. Michelle Ferrez
- Thirty Years of UROP: Explore More
- 30th Anniversary of UROP Program
- A two-way street: UROP Peer Facilitators support first-year, second-year, and transfer students in their research and academics — and learn from them in the process
- UROP adapts to COVID crisis
- Corey J. Schiffman, MD
- Brent Frey, DDS
- Jane Brown, PhD Candidate
- Yaera Spraggins, Recently Published UROP Alumni
- Scott Koenigbauer, PhD Candidate
- Olivia Negris, Doctoral Candidate
- Michael DiDonato, UROP Alumni
- Vivian Kurtz UROP Alumni
- Geoffrey Jenkins, UROP Alumni
- Rhonda Fields, MSW - UROP Alumni
- Trey Thomas UROP Alumni
- Elizabeth Schill UROP Alumni
- Ryan Shami UROP Alumni
- Melissa Manley, PhD Candidate
- Tejash Patel, PhD
- Hayley Hoffman UROP Alumni
- GradeCraft helps UROP students become more curious and better researchers
- Lamira Ray, MPH
- Joshua Hurlburt, DDS
- Megan Wampler - UROP Alumni
- UROP Student Spotlight - Yasmeen Berry
- Celina Romano, JD, PhD Candidate
- Mikel Haggadone, PhD Candidate
- Colby Hanley, UROP Alumni
- Ian Waters, PhD
- Yannah Melle UROP Alumni
- Nida Ali, MPH
- Julia Wang, MD-PhD
- Ryan McWay, Research Area Specialist Associate
- Aracely Marroquin, CCSFP Researcher Awarded Grant
- Undergraduate student research spring symposium goes virtual
- Shannon Shaughnessy UROP Alumni
- Asa Smith, PhD, RN
- Lisa Barrett, PhD
- Kartik Bhatt, MPH
- Sari Grossman UROP Alumni
- Erin Ealba Bumann, DDS, PhD, MS
- Michael Marzano, UROP Alumni
- Connie Truong, MD
- Dan Hearsch, MBA
- Alexis Mulski, PhD Candidate
- Kristin Fischer, MPH
- Sujay Shetty, UROP Alumni
- Shao Wei Chia - UROP Alumni
- Courtney Whitcher, BS
- Arjune Dhanekula, MD
- Thomas Talhelm, PhD
- Gretchen Chidester, PhD
- Smita Bhattacharya, MS
- Sydney Foy - UROP Alumni
- Dr. Peter Scott - Alzheimer's Research
- Dr. Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes Research Project Feature
- Dr. Teresa Satterfield Research Project Feature
- Dr. Lindsay Bornheimer Research Project Feature
- Dr. Lisa Wexler Research Project Feature
- Dream of Detroit UROP Community Partner
- Rodrigo Ramirez Lescano, Masters Candidate
- Community Development Advocates of Detroit - UROP Community Partner
- Detroit Food Academy - UROP Community Partner
- Dr. Stephanie H. Cook Research Project Feature
- Josh Katzenstein - UROP Alumni
- Dr. Bethany Hughes Research Project Feature
- Dr. Lorenzo García-Amaya Research Project Feature
- Andrea Pesch, PhD Candidate
- Cindy A. Schipani, JD Research Project Feature
- UROP Research Project Feature: Human Rights and Indigenous Rights in Africa
- Nortown Community Development Corporation - UROP Community Partner
- Cyrus Najarian, MD/PhD Candidate
- UROP Featured Alumni Maggi Li
- Dr. Mehboob Hussain - Research Project Feature
- Research Project Feature: TrialNet Type 1 Diabetes: Pathway to Prevention
- Dr. Nikhil Parekh - Research Project Feature
- Vincent Pinti - Neubacher Award Winner
- UROP Alumni John Soukar, PhD Student
- UROP Alumni Hannah Levy
- UROP Alumni Collin Beavan
- UROP Alumni Julie Felberg
- UROP Featured Alumni Austin Basley
- Emily Guo - Community Health Fellow
- Harsh Jhaveri, BSE
- Dr. Kathryn Swanson, DDS
- UROP Featured Alumni Michael Falbo
- Allyson Eastman, JD
- UROP Alumni Aida Mandić
- UROP Alumni Accolades
- Brooke Bacigal, MSt Diplomatic Studies
- Research Mentor Feature: Dr. Alvaro Rojas-Peña
- Research Feature: Andre Monteiro Da Rocha, PhD
- Research Feature: Nancy Harmon R.D.H.
- Research Feature: Mothering Justice
- UROP Research Feature: Kimberley Heinrich, Ph.D.
- Research Feature, Audrey G. Bennett MFA
- UROP Alumni Justin Gordon
- UROP Alumni Emily Yerington, MAT; MEd
- UROP Alumni Maya Millette
- UROP Alumni Jacob Blanksvard
- UROP Alumni Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
- UROP Alumni Andrew Arche
- UROP Alumni Savannah Jelneck
- Congratulations Virgil Watkins
- Congratulations Emmanuel Orozco Castellanos
- Congratulations to Solomon Trice and his mentor Professor John Valadez.
- Congratulations to Associate Professor William A. Calvo-Quirós on receiving the Best First Book in the History of Religions for his book Undocumented Saints: The Politics of Migrating Devotions
- Empowering young academics: U-M program humanizes research
- UROP Students Succesfully Collaborated with Mentor Dr. Fadhl Alakwaa
- Tech Meets Wellness: A CS Student Innovates a U-M Mental Health App
- Archived News
- Lessons from virtual summer fellowship in Detroit linger for students
- All Events
What years did you participate in UROP?
2010-2012
What UROP Program(s) were you a part of?
Traditional UROP as a Freshman, and Research Scholars
What made you choose UROP?
Coming to Michigan as a freshman, I knew I was interested in biology, but I had no idea what research looked like in real life. I was immediately drawn to UROP because it offered an opportunity to explore my interests with practical experiences in real laboratories working to solve real problems.
What do you think you have learned from your UROP experience?
UROP was the first time that I was able to participate in laboratory research. It was a perfect introduction, and I am still actively doing research 10 years later. Through UROP, the idea of "research" was demystified and I learned the ins and outs of how research really works at a place like Michigan.
What is the extent to which you have kept in contact with your Research Mentor?
My UROP mentors, Dr. Zora Djuric and Dr. Patrick Hu, and I still keep in contact! I am forever grateful for the time they spent working with me, and I try to let them know that whenever I can.
How did your UROP experience shape or inform the next steps you took in your academic and professional journey?
UROP directly contributed to my decision to pursue a PhD in the biological sciences after finishing undergrad. My experiences working in labs at Michigan meant that I was prepared to continue my growth as a scientist during grad school.
Where are you in your professional journey?
After graduating in 2014, I pursued a PhD in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. My research focused on breast cancer genetics and understanding the consequences of genetic heterogeneity in tumors. Thanks to my experiences through UROP, I was well-prepared and a competitive candidate for grad school programs. Towards the end of my PhD, I started to come to the realization that I wanted to build a stronger connection between my research and the patients I was striving to help. I applied to medical school, and I am currently a second-year med student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Long-term, I plan on becoming a physician-scientist and working to take lessons from the laboratory to the clinic and back.
What advice would you give to a current UROP student?
Try to find a project that genuinely interests you. I was fortunate to find that, and I still think about the project in relation to things I'm working on now, many years later.
Don't sell yourself short. You can be a valuable part of any research team, even if you're not familiar with the topic. If you're engaged in the work, you will learn very quickly. Even those intimidating PIs and department chairs started somewhere!
This applies to all stages of your career, but try to find a mentor who will be invested in your success and who truly cares about you. I can confidently say that my mentors through UROP wanted to see me succeed, and I am grateful for their investment in me. Very few things can replace a mentor who finds joy in seeing their trainees flourish.
What are some recent publications or accomplishments that you are proud of?
My publications (included ones from UROP!) can be found here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=EseogggAAAAJ.
I'm also proud of my work mentoring students interested in health sciences who come from underrepresented minority groups through the Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens (MERIT)(https://www.meritbaltimore.org/) and the Populi Foundation (https://www.populifoundation.org/).