Oct 19
Second-year medicine student reflects on summer research
During the summer of 2023, Marian Khalil, a second-year student in the College of Medicine, had the opportunity to engage in gastrointestinal and immunology research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The summer research experience was part of the Medical Student Research Program (MSRP), sponsored by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK).
“Throughout my experience at Vanderbilt, I actively contributed to an ongoing research project centered on investigating the therapeutic potential of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-10 in the management of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs),” she said. “My involvement encompassed a multifaceted range of responsibilities, including literature review, experimental execution, protocol development, murine dissection and active participation in bi-weekly seminars hosted by distinguished guest speakers. Additionally, I had the great opportunity to participate in the NIDDK MSRP conference, during which I attended lectures delivered by eminent physicians and researchers of global renown.”
Khalil’s experience culminated in presenting findings from her summer research in a poster presentation.
“I truly enjoyed this experience!” she enthused. “Not only did I get to work in a prestigious organization, doing something that I love, but I got to explore a new city and meet new people.”
What did she enjoy most about her summer research fellowship at Vanderbilt?
“One of my favorite things about this opportunity was that this program was designed for first-year students who are matriculating into their second year. Thus, all the participants were first-year students like me but from different medical schools across the country,” she said. “It was so nice to meet more students who share a lot in common with me but all have different experiences. We got to explore Nashville together and I got to make many friends in different cities across the U.S.”
