Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager, Institute for Public Health
The 2024 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program has ended with happy students taking home vital information and fond memories from eight weeks of hands-on research in three tracks of mentored and collaborative study: Public and Global Health Track (nine students), Aging and Neurological Diseases Track (14 students) and the Cardiovascular Disease and Hematology (RADIANCE) Track (15 students). In total, more than 240 students from 15 different universities in the U.S. and Ireland applied to participate, with 38 selected for the summer program at Washington University in St. Louis. Participants had favorable feedback about their experience having made lifelong friends and colleagues and benefitting from an arsenal of information to use in their educational and long-term careers.
The Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health, William Powderly, MD, opened the program with a talk on “Taking Discovery from the Bench to Solving Local and Global Challenges in Health”. The presentation covered current spending in health care and research, HIV, and implementation science discoveries in medicine.
Later, in a keynote address, St. Louis Commissioner of Health, Victoria Anwuri, MPH, discussed “Career Path Observations: On and Off the Trail”. Anwuri joined the Department of Health for the City of St. Louis following a long stint as associate director of the Institute for Public Health.
The horizons of my medical future have been significantly expanded, not by changing course, but by discovering new connections and possibilities within the vast landscape of health care.
Student in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program—RADIANCE Track
During the eight-week program, WashU faculty mentors helped guide the Public and Global Health Track cohort in hands-on research projects in labs and field experts gave lectures on such topics as how to effectively use health information; global and public health careers; global health clinical trials; and race, ethnicity, and health disparities in health care. Students not only participated in the Summer Research Program Seminar Series, but also were given the opportunity to hear talks in the WashU Summer Science and Clinical Research Training Center Seminar Series.
“We would be unable to offer the Summer Research Program without support from our faculty mentors and donors,” said Victor Dávila-Román, MD, who leads the Public & Global Health and RADIANCE tracks, and is director of WashU’s Global Health Center. Supporting the two tracks are the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (RADIANCE track), and the Children’s Discovery Institute of Washington University and St. Louis Children’s Hospital (Public & Global Health track). There are also sponsors who support individual scholars.
I have developed my health communication skills and better understand the importance of educating and sharing public health work with the general population.
Student in the 2024 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program—Public and Global Health Track
Students in the Public and Global Health and RADIANCE cohorts also met with scholars and faculty in other WashU public health programs and enjoyed dinner with program leaders. Their program culminated in a symposium at which students presented slides and summarized their summer research projects in front of peers and faculty mentors. Read more about their presentations in the symposium program.
As someone who hopes to pursue a career in medicine and health-care policy, this program has been a wonderful opportunity to get a systems-level perspective on health care delivery.
Student in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program—Public & Global Health Track
Students in the summer program’s Aging and Neurological Diseases Track attended seminars on topics such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, issues faced by underrepresented backgrounds, stroke and Parkinson’s disease, ageism, public policy and advocacy, and community-engaged research. Students worked alongside faculty mentors in labs and connected with older adults and aging specialists at various St. Louis community organizations. Read about the cohort.
The Summer Research Program in Aging and Neurological Diseases allowed me to further explore and refine my interests, giving me an experience that couldn’t be replicated in a classroom.
Student in the 2024 Summer Research Program—Aging and Neurological Diseases track
In what continues to be a popular activity in this track, students participated in activities simulating the changes in sensory systems associated with aging, such as decreased visual acuity, changes in hearing and balance, and other functional limitations that people may experience across the lifespan. Summer scholars also wrote blog posts about seminars and other program experiences.
Read blog posts from all Summer Research Program scholars.
The Aging and Neurological Diseases track culminated in a poster session presented by students, who spoke with visiting audience members about their summer projects and research.
I now understand the importance of being thoughtful about experiments and asking questions, and I find it fascinating that there will always be more to learn. I am excited to be entering science and incredibly grateful for the experience this summer.
-Student in the Summer Research Program—Aging and Neurological Diseases track
The Summer Research Program—Aging and Neurological Diseases track is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke via the NIH Summer Research Education Experience Programs funding opportunity.