Four incoming MD-PhD students are participating in the Summer to Advance Research Training at Yale School of Medicine (START@Yale) program which provides students with a mentored research experience and associated educational activities during the summer before the first year of medical school. In the case of MD-PhD students START provides the opportunity to take an early 8-week research rotation in addition to the two 6-week research rotations normally carried out in the summer between the first and second years. Click below to read about why they decided to participate in START!
Fuyao (Joanna) Chen
Undergraduate Institution: Vanderbilt University
Major: Biomedical Engineering
I see the START program as a perfect opportunity to explore the Yale community, settle down in New Haven and make new friends before diving into the busy medical school life. The additional lab rotation also gives me a head start and helps me reflect on the kind of research I would like to pursue during my Ph.D. phase of the program.
Chelesa Fearce
Undergraduate Institution: Spelman College
Major: Biochemistry
I decided to participate in the START program because I wanted a longer research rotation for this particular subject. I have a lot to learn about computational chemistry and hope to also see if this particular lab would be a good fit for me.
Samuel Liburd
Undergraduate Institution: University of the Virgin Islands
Major: Biology
I am excited about tissue engineering and being at Yale. The reason I wanted to participate in START was to get a better idea of what research at Yale was like and to meet some of my future medical school classmates.
I wanted to settle in New Haven before medical school and this summer research program is a perfect way to get a head START!
Jack Robbins
Jack Robbins
Undergraduate Institution: Florida State University
Major: Biomedical-Chemical Engineering
I decided to participate in the START program because I wanted a longer research rotation for this particular subject. I have a lot to learn about computational chemistry and hope to also see if this particular lab would be a good fit for me. I'm excited to help discover cancer biomarkers that predict melanoma immunotherapy response in Dr. Rimm's lab. The hands on experience I am receiving in data science and mentorship in quantitative pathology is invaluable to my future career goals. I wanted to settle in New Haven before medical school and this summer research program is a perfect way to get a head START!