Research Internship Program News

Fern Tsien, PhD, Assistant Dean of Medical Student Research, Department of Genetics

High school and undergraduate students participating in LSU Health New Orleans' Summer Research Internship Program recently presented their research results at the program's Virtual Poster Symposium from July 20-23, 2021. The program culminated with an awards ceremony on Monday, July 26th in the Nursing/Allied Health Building Lecture Room A.

Below is the link to all of the posters and presentations of the 2021Virtual Symposium:
https://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/genetics/2021_summer_internship_poster_session.aspx

The Summer Research Internship Program is part of an academic pipeline for high school, undergraduate, and medical students of diverse backgrounds interested in pursuing careers in the clinical sciences, public health, or basic sciences.

Dr. Fern Tsien has served as Program Director since 2003. Co-Directors are Ms. Martha Cuccia, Dr. Allison Augustus-Wallace, Dr. Jovanny Zabaleta, Dr. Hamilton Farris, Dr. Chindo Hicks, and Dr. Kelly Sherman. Students spent eight to ten weeks during the summer with mentors in laboratories, clinics, and offices at LSU Health New Orleans, University Medical Center, and Children's Hospital. Students learned laboratory and clinical research techniques, how to develop a hypothesis, the scientific method, and how to interpret their data. They also attended professional development workshops, at which they received training on responsible conduct in research, resume writing, and presentation skills, including how to prepare for a scientific meeting.

This is a collaborative effort of programs funded by the National Science Foundation (Research Experiences for Undergraduates, REU), National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute, NCI, and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases & Stoke, NINDS), the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation, and the LSU Health-New Orleans School of Medicine. Since its inception 18 years ago, more than 500 students have benefited from these efforts, and many of whom have gone on to pursue careers in the health sciences and basic research.

To watch a video about the high school and undergraduate students' experiences, please see this 2019 video created by Leslie Capo: https://youtu.be/0Ywk040V1es

Medical students will present their projects at the Medical Student Virtual Poster Symposium on October 25-27th with a Zoom awards ceremony on October 29th, 2021.

Congratulation to all of the winners and their mentors!

UNDERGRADUATE CATEGORY:

1st Place (tie)
Angelle Brown
School: Howard University
Mentor: Dr. Tekeda Ferguson
Program: Epidemiology
School of Public Health

Jermaine Austin
School: University of Virginia
Mentor: Dr. Lucio Miele
Department: Genetics
Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies

2nd Place (tie)
Janusz Wojcik
School: Louisiana State University
Mentor: Dr. Claudia Leonardi
Program: Community and Behavioral Health Sciences
School of Public Health

Sarah Brady
School: Tulane University
Mentor: Dr. Dean Smith
Program: Health Policy and Systems Management
School of Public Health

Amanda Waelde
School: University of Notre Dame
Mentor: Dr. Li Shen
Department: Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology
Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies

3rd Place (tie)
Marcelle Ellis
School: Tulane University
Mentor: Dr. Edward Peters
Program: Epidemiology
School of Public Health

Alexandra Minnard
School: Howard University
Mentor: Dr. Jorgelina Calandria
Department: Cell Biology and Anatomy and Neuroscience Center of Excellence
Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies

Elizabeth Odynocki
School: Loyola University New Orleans
Mentor: Dr. Patricia Molina
Department: Physiology
Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies

School of Medicine

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UNDERGRADUATE CATEGORY:

HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY: