Medical Students and Mentors Recognized for Research Accomplishments
Medical students present their research at the Summer Explore Symposium on Dec. 13, 2019
Summer Explore is an optional period of scholarship between the first and second years of medical school. During this eight-week period, which is part of UCSF’s Inquiry Curriculum, students explore internationally, engage locally, or connect with a UCSF mentor on research.
Unlike traditional medical school content, Inquiry Curriculum teaches a “habit of mind.” Each step of the four-year curriculum advances the learner, first to a sophisticated consumer of biomedical science, and then to a producer of new knowledge. “I really believe that the role of the physician in this era of digital technology and exploding scientific concepts is to be the person who can ask great questions,” said Vice Dean for Medical Education and Executive Vice Dean for the School of Medicine Catherine R. Lucey, MD.
Francis Wright, one winner of the Dean’s prize, leveraged genome-editing technology CRISPR to study patients with a mutation in the SPI1 gene. “I think that gene therapies will become a greater part of medical clinical practice,” Wright said. “Knowledge of how they work at a deeper level will help me to advise my patients and choose therapies that are in their best interest.”
Medical student Kathleen Wallace developed medical education content that has since been incorporated into the Bridges Curriculum to address vaccine hesitancy. “Now, I have a good framework of how to do a good lit search, how to read articles, how to see if they’re credible or not,” Wallace said.
Dean’s Prize Winners
Dean’s Prizes are awarded twice annually to medical students who demonstrate outstanding scholarship and research during Summer Explore and long-term research terms. Finalists are selected based upon the submission of a one-page abstract, letter of nomination, and successful presentation to the faculty review committee.
Isabella Auchus Mentor: Deborah Dean, MD, MPH
Identifying prevalence and risk factors of sexually transmitted chlamydia trachomatis in women across clinics in Fiji
Alan Kong Mentor: Yvonne Ou, MD
The development of novel electroretinogram stimuli to detect glaucoma using a handheld device
Sophie McAllister Mentor: Elaine Ku, MD
Renal recovery and mortality among ESRD patients with Hepatorenal Syndrome
Kathleen Wallace Mentor: Patrick Newman, MD, MPH
Addressing vaccine hesitancy in the Bridges Curriculum: a practical, evidence-based approach to curriculum review
Francis Wright Mentor: Alexander Marson, MD, PhD
Spying on SPI1 for patients with Agammaglobulinemia
Dean’s Prize Finalists
- Lucia Calthorpe Mentor: Matt Pantell, MD, MS
- Le Wen Chiu Mentor: Robert Flavell, MD, PhD
- Anya Greenberg Mentor: Andrea Tenner, MD, MPH
- Nicole Hohenstein Mentor: Sue Yom, MD, PhD
- Katrina Grace Sadang Mentor: Willi McFarland, MD, PhD, MPH
Mentor Award Recipients
- Robert Flavell, MD, PhD, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
Mentee: Le Wen Chiu - Dan Kelly, MD, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Mentee: Michelle Davidson - Elaine Ku, MD, Pediatrics
Mentee: Sophie McAllister - Patrick Newman, MD, MPH, Global Health
Mentee: Kathleen Wallace - Yvonne Ou, MD, Ophthalmology
Mentee: Alan Kong - Matt Pantell, MD, MS, Pediatrics
Mentee: Lucia Calthorpe - Andrea Tenner, MD, MPH, Emergency Medicine
Mentee: Anya Greenberg - Lena Winestone, MD, Pediatrics
Mentee: Lucky Ding
The Inquiry Funding Office awards Summer Explore stipends once annually in April. If awarded, grants include:
- $3,500 stipend, distributed in June.
- Participation in Summer Explore Symposium in December.
- Eligibility for Short-Term Dean's Prize.
