December 2015 Science Journal

Student Spotlight
Undergraduate Scientists
Summer Exposure to Career Paths in Medicine
Four Eberly College of Science students were
selected to participate in the Penn State College
of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. Summer Exposure
program, which aims to prepare students for career
paths combining clinical medicine and research.
The students—Kaleb Bogale, Jenna
Mandel, Rhea Sullivan, and Andrew Tucker—are
all Schreyer scholars and were four of
of flexibility for you to attend office hours and
receive all the help you can get,” Soliván said.
After his first year at University Park, Soliván
himself became a LA so that he could help other
students, just as he was aided through various
science courses. He is now the lead LA for Biology
110 and also serves as a teaching assistant
for Introductory Physiology.
After overcoming the numerous challenges
presented to him by the transition,
Soliván began to realize how the
move had many positive changes in his life.
“I have not only changed as a student, but also
as an individual in society. I have had the opportunity
to meet people from all around the world
and learn their different cultural beliefs and
practices. I have become more empathic with
others, a quality that I developed through my
experience as a learning assistant. The Eberly
College of Science taught me how to serve society
altruistically.”
Although Soliván initially questioned his decision
to make the move, he now knows that it
was the right choice for him and has advice for
those considering a change of assignment: “If
there is something I have learned about successful
students that have transitioned, it is that
they get involved right away. Don’t be afraid to
talk to your neighbor in your first class. Don’t
be afraid to go sit down at your professor’s office
hours so that he or she can get to know you.
Approach your advisers or instructors and tell
them you want to get involved in something. But
most importantly trust in yourself and the decision
that you have made.”
After Soliván graduates in 2016, he plans
to attend medical school to become a medical
physician and specialize and either cardiology
or neurology. He also plans to use the wisdom
that he gained during his tenure at Penn State
to continue his future success: “I oftentimes get
asked how can I maintain a positive attitude
when things get rough. My answer is simple: I
have two options. The first one is to give up. The
second is that I can learn from the experience,
embrace it, and move on to seeking better opportunities.
I know I will struggle in the future,
but based on my previous experiences, I know
that there are many more positive things in my
future. All it takes is a positive attitude and a
little bit of hope.” —Tara Immel
Kaleb Bogale poses with Penn
State Hershey graduate Student
Joel Coble at the Penn State
Hershey Medical Center
research poster symposium.
the five students total selected for the program.
Each student was paired with a College of
Medicine faculty member mentor in a biomedical
laboratory for the summer, with the opportunity
to shadow a physician in a weekly clinical
exposure session.
Tucker was paired with Sean Stocker for lab
work in cellular and molecular physiology and
shadowed allergy, asthma, and immunology
specialist physician Faoud Ishmael.
Bogale worked in the lab of Steven Schiff
in the Institute of Personalized Medicine and
shadowed neurology physician Xuemei Huang.
He was able to work on a collaborative project
investigating neonatal sepsis in Uganda while
shadowing Dr. Huang in his clinic, which focused
on Parkinson’s disease.
"HAVING THIS EXPERIENCE UNDER MY
BELT HAS PROVIDED THE FOUNDATION
FOR MY FUTURE WORK IN LABS."
“My summer research project pushed me to
learn Python, a computer programming language,
in order to identify various bacteria
based on their genetic fragments in the blood
and cerebral spinal fluid of neonates,” he said.
He feels his biology coursework adequately
prepared him for this challenge. “This computational
analysis was only possible with an understanding
of molecular and cellular biology
that I learned in classes like BIOL 110H with
Dr. Steve Schaeffer and BIOL 230M with Dr.
Kimberly Nelson.”
Mandel conducted lab research with Leslie
Parent and shadowed physician Kathleen Julian,
both experts in infectious disease. Infectious
disease was a new area for her.
“I had never been exposed to this field of
medicine, and it was incredible to learn about
several new infectious diseases every week and
watch a well-regarded physician care for her patients
with the utmost respect and expertise,”
she said.
For Mandel, this experience was life changing:
“I had not previously worked in a laboratory,
so I was unsure of what to expect. At summer’s
end, I left Hershey knowing how to work
efficiently in a laboratory, and now understand
the importance of quantitation and consistency.”
She began an undergraduate research position
in the lab of Melissa Rolls this fall as a
result of her experiences. “Having this experience
under my belt has provided the foundation
for my future work in labs.”
Sullivan worked in Robert Levenson’s pharmacology
lab while shadowing family and community
medicine physician Dennis Gingrich.
She learned many new techniques in Levenson’s
neuropharmacology lab that she
wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn
in the neurodevelopmental disease lab she
works in at the University Park campus (she
works in the lab of Santhosh Girirajan). “I
was really excited to learn all these biochemical
techniques because my laboratory back at UP
doesn’t work with any of these techniques.”
The experience has been great for her as she
considers a future career in medicine, either on
the research or clinical sides…or both.
“Programs like these are vital to a student’s
Penn State career because they offer direct experiences
that influence a future career and focus.
Before the program I was really sure that
I loved science and molecular biology, but had
no idea what to do with it. Because of the Penn
State College of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. Summer
Exposure program, I was able to see myself in
three possible career paths—M.D., Ph.D., and
M.D./Ph.D.—all in one summer.” —Whittney
Gould
52 Penn State Eberly College of Science SCIENCE JOURNAL December 2015
53