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Sonia Henriquez works in the lab of Jose Romero.
As a descendant of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Paul Hobbs has seen first hand the struggles of the tribe, not only to receive timely medical care, but also to recruit medical professionals from within.
“It is no secret that Native American hospitals are generally understaffed, undersupplied and below the cutting edge,” said the Oklahoma State University student. “By pursuing a career in medicine and research, my goal is to improve the lives of Choctaws and to inspire future Choctaws to pursue medicine so we can advocate for Native American health care. It takes only a small spark to start a raging fire.”
Hobbs took steps toward achieving his goal this summer as a participant in the Four Directions Summer Research Program (FDSRP). Directed by Thomas Sequist, MD, MPH, the program is in its 17th year.
The Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (CFDD) marked another successful year of hosting college students and exposing them to research projects through the BWH Summer Training in Academic Research and Scholarship (STARS) program and FDSRP.
“Both programs play a critical role in preparing the next generation of health care providers, and I’m confident that they are on the path to make a difference in the world of research, clinical care and community health,” said Barbara Bierer, MD, senior vice president of Research and director of the CFDD. Bierer credited the programs’ success to the BWH faculty who serve as dedicated mentors.
During both programs, students are exposed to basic, clinical and translational research projects under the supervision of BWH faculty advisors. This year, the STARS program enrolled 15 underrepresented minority college juniors, seniors and medical students, while FDSRP, a parallel program for Native American/American Indian college students, hosted eight students. In addition to exposing students to research, both programs provided training sessions, social networking opportunities, community health center clinic shadowing and weekly roundtables with BWH faculty.
“It was an experience I will never forget,” said FDSRP participant Brittany Gene, a student at the University of Arizona, who spent eight weeks working in the lab of Manuela Cernadas, MD, researching pulmonary medicine and inflammatory lung diseases. “Working and being around such a dedicated team of mentors and researchers made me aware of the important role research plays in medicine.”
STARS program graduate Sonia Henriquez, of the University of Houston, said her time at BWH has fueled her desire to continue in the field of research. “I can’t wait to graduate and come back here and make a contribution,” said Henriquez, a native of El Salvador. She worked in the lab of Jose R. Romero, PhD, researching vascular complications in diabetes and hypertension.
In its second year, the STARS program is now under the leadership of Program Director Keith Crawford, MD, PhD. This year, STARS doubled the number of participants as a result of a unique collaboration with the Jackson Heart Study, the largest single-site, prospective, epidemiologic investigation of cardiovascular disease among African Americans. This partnership brought five students from Tougaloo College and University of Mississippi Medical College to BWH to advance their research skills.
Paul Hobbs looks at zebrafish embryos under the microscope in the Handin laboratory.