Student Awarded Prestigious Fellowship

Second-year medical student Kathleen Hanlon has been awarded a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Research fellowship that will allow her to spend one year at Harvard Medical School researching genetics and molecular biology.

The program offers students the opportunity to take a year away from their training to immerse themselves in a mentored laboratory-based research project that they have proposed. Each fellow receives $43,000 in grant support.

Collaborating with the labs of Ben Croker, PhD, and Kimberly Stegmaier, MD, Hanlon will investigate the regulation of cell death pathways in human-specific responses to chemotherapeutics.

“The Medical Research Fellows Program is a unique opportunity for students to explore the intersection of science and medicine firsthand in a rigorous and supportive environment,” said David Asai, senior director for science education for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “Our hope is that the experience will ignite students’ passion for research and encourage them to pursue careers as physician-scientists.”

Hanlon said the Med Fellows Program is an exciting opportunity because students have the freedom to choose a mentor from a wide range of labs across the country, and collaborate with them to propose a potentially high-impact research project on a topic the student is passionate about.

“It is a really special opportunity to go back to the basic science of medicine after gaining two or three years of clinical experience in school,” said Hanlon, who will take a year off from medical school and will graduate in 2021. “It gives you a chance to look at research with a different, more clinical perspective, but also lets you look at clinical medicine with a more analytical perspective. I'm really excited to gain experience leading a rigorous independent project. I think the fellowship will give me a strong foundation that will help cement my career as a physician-scientist. I encourage any students interested to apply.”

Hanlon thanked Matthew D. McEchron, PhD, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix director of Scholarly Projects, for providing immense guidance with her research proposal.

“He voluntarily reviewed one of my final drafts and gave me invaluable feedback,” she said. “It is really special to be at a school where professors will go out of their way to help students.”