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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
- 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
- Congratulations to UROP Changing Gears student Ali Moshaymesh
- Archived News
- Lessons from virtual summer fellowship in Detroit linger for students
- All Events
What years did you participate in UROP?
2007-2009
What UROP Program(s) were you a part of?
MRC
What made you choose UROP?
I was interested in making an impact in science. Looking back at it, I (as well as most students) had never done a research project before. I wanted to get a university experience in scientific research.
What do you think you have learned from your UROP experience?
I learned basic science skills and UROP plugged me into the research environment. Although I hardly do basic science research anymore, I am fully involved in clinical research. I think of UROP as what initiated the process for pivotal moments to happen during my undergraduate years which pushed me in the research direction. Because of UROP, I was plugged into research at the chemistry department, which then allowed me to pursue biological/pharmacological research abroad the following year. That was one of the pivotal moments for me where I found my calling in research.
What is the extent to which you have kept in contact with your Research Mentor?
I’m currently a resident physician and the last time I contacted my mentors was during residency. So even over a decade later, it has been valuable to have connections at the university.
How did your UROP experience shape or inform the next steps you took in your academic and professional journey?
Being plugged into the research experience allowed me to comfortably navigate other research avenues later on. UROP allowed me to transition into research readily as a freshman/sophomore with zero prior research experience. UROP was well-connected to faculty across the campus with what seemed like an endless amount projects ready for students to engage in. The robust research opportunities at UMich make this possible. After UROP, I pursued various research opportunities at UMich on my own by contacting faculty I was interested in working with, and also doing a research program abroad during the summer. Those were the “pivotal” moments I mentioned above where I honed in on my interests and found my passion in research.
What advice would you give to a current UROP student?
Looking back at my research experience and where I am at now, I currently do almost nothing related to my experiences in undergrad. But I do believe I have gained a better understanding of what goes into basic science and the scientific methodology of research. So, my advice to a current UROP student is if you have any idea of what you may be interested in, find a research project related to that. Embrace it, work hard, and take it to completion. Your interests may change later on, and that’s okay. You can take on a new project related to that, and you will be better equipped at that point with the new knowledge and experience you gained.
What are some recent publications or accomplishments that you are proud of?
I’ve worked on various research projects over the years and you can see how my interests have changed over time from projects including pharmacology, organometallic chemistry, and health policy/economics to my current passions which include diagnostics/biomarkers, and clinical outcomes including survivorship, pain scores, and infection.
Here’s my PubMed list: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Michael+kheir
Is there any other advice you would like to impart to current or future UROP students?
Be willing to follow your interests and pursue something new.