Junior winter, I was “off” from Dartmouth and thus not taking classes. During this time, I had a clinical research internship in Dr. Qing-Sheng Mi’s lab that is affiliated with the Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, and Immunology Program/Henry Ford Cancer Institute at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
During my time here, I supported research that looked to address potential genetic components of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), with a specific focus on inheritance patterns in African-Americans as 1) they are affected by this auto-inflammatory disorder more often than other races and 2) clinical research has traditionally underrepresented racial minorities. Very little is known about HS currently, which made this research important. Symptoms (such as nodules and sinus tracts) can be non-specific and diagnosis is often made years after disease onset due to a lack of physician awareness and reliable diagnostic tests. Disease progression is marked by increasing amount and severity of sinus tracts, as well as an increasing rate of “flare-ups” in which skin nodules appear. There is no cure for HS; symptoms can be managed through medication (e.g., clindamycin), surgery (e.g., deroofing), and lifestyle changes (e.g., maintaining a healthy weight, diet).
My work was a mix of wet lab and patient-facing responsibilities. In the lab, I helped with the lab’s mouse model by performing PCR and Southern blots to verify genetic strains. I also assisted in processing subject samples and either making slides or paraffin-embedded samples for future analysis. Other daily lab upkeep tasks, such as organizing DNA primers and making solutions, also fell under my purview. In clinic, I assisted in the enrolling and consenting of patients. This clinical experience was extremely valuable for me to understand more of what dermatologists do every day and what the patient experience is like. Being able to interact with a diverse patient population was also something unique to the experience, as the clinic was in downtown Detroit and had a large POC patient base.
EXTRACURRICULAR ENGAGEMENTS
Aside from my internship, I also virtually completed the Management and Leadership Development Program hosted by the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College. Students can complete the program while taking classes or on an off-term; I decided to do it during my off-term since I had more time. We met every week to learn about a topic as a group, and also met in small groups to discuss the material in more detail. Topics ranged from negotiations to SMART goal planning, and I found the experience very rewarding and eye-opening, especially since these skills are not necessarily taught in a typical pre-med setting.
I ended the program “with excellence”, which is a special certification given to students who were nominated by their peers to demonstrate unique thoughtfulness and leadership throughout the term.
I also completed a directed reading program with the mathematics department during my term off. I went through a game theory textbook with graduate student Matt Jones and finished the program with a department-wide presentation that I gave virtually from Europe, where I was visiting my sister! I had a lot of fun researching this topic during the term. For my presentation, I researched an example of when mathematical theory was used to advance medical care and came across Alvin Roth’s work in creating a better kidney exchange program that incentivizes reporting and participant adherence. This combination of math/theory, policy, and health improvement continued to be a huge driver of my research interests throughout college and beyond.