Fifteen STaRS Share Their Summer Research

The Summer Training as Research Scholars (STaRS) Program concluded its 10-week research experience with a virtual symposium held Aug. 6.

Overseen by Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS), the STaRS Program is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH. It has trained 150 scholars and received more than 3,000 applications since its inception.

In the program trainees work with faculty and fellow students on cutting-edge biomedical research projects, build powerful and lasting relationships, and set a course for college and career success.

Each week students worked alongside mentors realizing virtual projects, presenting their research at meetings known as “oral presentations” and attending seminars aimed at preparing them for professional life after college.

After an opening welcome from Director of the STaRS program Isabel Dominguez, PhD, who also is assistant professor of medicine, the virtual symposium began by acknowledging the faculty, professionals and student mentors that contributed to the success of the program. The scholars then introduced themselves and stated their career paths.

The scholars presented their posters virtually and discussed their work on a variety of topics including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mitochondrial function, amyloidosis, COVID-19, lung cancer, cancer genomics, fibrosis, immune responses, rare diseases, hearing, sleep apnea and neuroscience. They received certificates by mail to mark the completion of the program.

This year’s class included 13 undergraduates from across the country and two current BUSM students. The 2020 Scholars are Princess Maryam Abdul-Akbar, Erika Beyer, Rachel Choate, Cassie Deshong, Cisco Espinosa, Lazaro Fernandez, Cynthia Flores, Reyna Gariepy, Ziko McLean, Asel Mustafa, Andrea Navarrete Vargas, Elizabeth Nelson, Joseph Waiguru, Madeline West, and Carolyn Wilson.

Faculty mentors included Jude T. Deeney, PhD; Isabel Dominguez, PhD; Hui Feng, MD/PhD; Christopher M. Heaphy, PhD; Dennis Jones, PhD; Jessica R. Levi, MD; Laura Anne Lowery, PhD; Jennifer Luebke, PhD; Reiko Matsui, PhD; Gareth Morgan, PhD; Karin Schon, PhD; and  Kei Suzuki, MD.

STaRS also hosted three scholars during the summer from the AHA-SURE program, Destinee Bledsoe, GerMya Bradley and Ayana Gray. Their faculty mentors were Deepa Gopal, MD, Naomi M. Hamburg, MD; and Ludovic Trinquart, PhD.

“It has been inspiring to watch the STaRS scholars take on the challenge of developing independent research projects under the guidance of our faculty and research team mentors while confined at home,” said Dr. Dominguez. “I am very impressed with their determination and resilience. It is very gratifying to see them empowered to follow their path to graduate school and to be future scientists.”