What years did you participate in UROP?

2009-2010

What UROP Program(s) were you a part of?

Traditional UROP as a Freshman

What made you choose UROP?

I wanted to get research experience as a freshman who was pre-med. I was interested in obesity and metabolism and was able to interview at a few different labs that fit my interests. I found a great lab that led me to choose research as a big part of my future career.

 

What do you think you have learned from your UROP experience?

I learned that science involves much more than the act of performing an experiment. It was about learning independently (a lot!), designing experiments, re-doing experiments, data analysis, and communicating the whole process.

What is the extent to which you have kept in contact with your Research Mentor?

My research mentor has written letters of support for me many years after I graduated and those letters helped me get to where I am today! I also email him whenever I achieve a milestone like getting publishing my first first-author paper.

How did your UROP experience shape or inform the next steps you took in your academic and professional journey?

It led me to apply to MD/PhD programs and really invest in science as a career. To me, Dr. Dan Eitzman was an example of how a physician-scientist balances their split careers.

Where are you in your professional journey?

I am in my last year in my MD/PhD program. I will be applying to research track pathology residencies in the next few months.

What advice would you give to a current UROP student?

Keep and open mind and try new things! But also be honest with yourself when a topic or environment does not excite you. There are plenty of different labs and it would be a shame to stay away from science if by chance your first experience didn't fit your interests.

What are some recent publications or accomplishments that you are proud of?

I had 4 co-author publications from UROP (Dr. Eitzman's lab) and since then I've published 12 more papers, 6 of which are first-author publications.