OUTREACH

I have had the privilege to mentor numerous trainees and have been honored by Northwestern University with the Ver Steeg Award for outstanding mentorship to graduate students. Each summer, our lab provides research experience to two or three high school and college students participating in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care’s Kimberly Querrey Summer Research Program. This six-to-eight-week program, which typically has 25-30 participants, provides interns with intensive research training, and supports their academic and professional development through various activities. For example, interns have the opportunity to read and discuss the latest high-profile journal articles, gain a better understanding of the college/graduate school application process, hear about different career paths in science, shadow a clinician, and create and present a research poster. Many of the program’s alumni pursue a degree in biological sciences or decide to go to medical school. The impact this program has on the next generation of young scientists is immeasurable.