BU Medical Student Awarded Prestigious Research Fellowship

Carolyn Wilson, a fourth-year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has been awarded the 2022 Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship, which provides $5,000 to support a full-time student with 240 to 300 hours of research work and an additional $1,000 allocated for travel related to presenting research findings at national meetings and conferences.

Her project, titled “Assessing Immigrant Health Paradox by Determining Severity and Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in Different Generations of Immigrants,” seeks to determine if immigrant generational status increases the risk and severity of OSA. Longer time spent in the U.S. has previously been correlated with worse health outcomes, with one study finding that immigrants are significantly associated with lower odds of depression, neuropathies causing numbness or pain and obesity. However, the immigrant health paradox only has been researched a handful of times. From this project, Wilson hopes to create a more holistic understanding of this paradox and the health outcomes observed in various racial groups to better serve the health needs of the patient population at Boston Medical Center.

Originally from Long Island, NY, Wilson attended Boston University and graduated with a major in medical science and minor in psychology. While at BUSM, Wilson has participated in the student government and has since served as vice chair, third-year officer and fourth-year officer. The summer after her first and third year of medical school, she also served as a medical student leader for the Summer Training as Research Scholars Program, designed to promote access to graduate education for traditionally underrepresented undergraduate students in science and medicine.

Wilson hopes to pursue a career in medical education and health leadership

Funded by the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the purpose of the fellowship is to foster and develop the next generation of medical researchers. It honors Carolyn L. Kuckein, long-time administrator of AΩA and an honorary member of the society, who died in 2004.