"Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.” – Hippocrates
Testimonies from Previous Participants in CHORI's Summer Student Research Program
“I got to do actual research at a renowned facility with outstanding researchers happily taking the time to teach and guide me.”
"This program gives an outlet for students from diverse backgrounds to see if whether scientific research or a clinician related job is fit for them. In addition, I had great mentors not just limited to the mentor assigned to me who make my experience a valuable one."
"This experience was so beneficial. I learned so much about so many different fields in health care and science. I have no broadened my choices for future specific career paths in medicine. It was also so beneficial and wonderful to hear first hand from medical professionals themselves from different fields. Additionally, the experience I had with my mentor was amazing."
"The program really allowed you to see what working in a lab was like."
"I would recommend (the program) to anyone interested in, or thinking of, a career in science."
Where are Our Alumni Now?
Alumni Updates
Janille Miranda '15
Janille Miranda (SSRP '15) discovered her love of chemistry as an undergraduate student at Saint Mary's College of California. During her time with SSRP, she studied the Metabolic Syndrome in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients and its Association with Steatosis in the Liver during her internship. After receiving her Bahelor's degree, pharamacy school just made sense to her. Currently, Janille is a second-year student in the UCSF PharmD program.
Catherine Campusano '18 and '21
Catherine Campusano (SSRP '18 and '21) interned in the Center for Genetics and the Gastroenterology departments at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland alongside Dario Boffeli, Phd and Jennifer Price, MD, respectively. Catherine currently is a medical student at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
Troy Coaston '19
Troy Coaston (SSRP '19) always dreamed of medical school. During his SSRP internship, he worked with Dr. Carter Lebares studying stress resilence in surgeons. Currently, Troy is enrolled in the PRIME program at UCLA, a five-year MS/MD program designed for individuals wishing to serve diverse populations in the United States.
Chloe Ghent '18
Chloe Ghent (SSRP '18) began as a volunteer under the mentorship of David Killilea, PhD asssiting in the development of a novel assay for identification of an antirnutrient found in grains to combat nutrient deficiency. After graduatin from UC Berkeley where she majored in Molecular Cell Biology with a focus in Biochemistry, she worked as a research assistant in UCSF's Biology department. Currently, Chloe is pursuing her PhD withing UCSF's tetrad program, investigation the regulation of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Bonny Alvarenga '18
Bonny Alvarenga (SSRP '18) investigated Niemann Pick Type C, a rare metabolic disease under the mentorship of David Killilea, PhD. SSRP first opened the door for her to discover research for herself. Ever since then, she was enamored with the scientific method. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology with a focus in Immunology, she worked as a lab technician at UCSF investigating potential therapies for autoimmune disease, such as Multiple Sclerosis. Currently, Bonny works as a staff research associate in the biotechnology industry, researching various immunotherapies.
Conferences Attended by Alumni
SSRP alumni have attended various conferences across the country to present their research. SSRP participants are eligible to apply for up to $1,000 in support to attend these conferences.
Digestive Disease Week
Catherine Campusano '18 and '21
Although my poster presentation was on Sunday, I choose to attend the first day of DDW (Saturday) beginning my day early. My mentor, Dr. Jennifer Price was giving a lecture on HCV screening in pregnant women at 8 AM. This was part of a panel made up of women researchers on women’s health in liver disease. The second lecture was on sex disparities in liver transplants. It brought up many problems in the match system which I had never considered. Dr. Lauren Nephew also discussed the revised guidelines which did nothing to address the systemic issue rooted in height-based disparities. When controlled for height, data reflected that taller women had match rates in line with those of men. Next was Dr. Carla Brady on guideline updates for the management of pregnant women with liver disease. I found this extremely interesting as the topic and data aligned with similar readings I had done in my Reproductive Justice/Health/Politics course this quarter. Lastly, was a lecture on the rising rates of alcohol- associated liver disease and its implications for the care of women patients. The widespread marketing campaign targeting women consumers was extremely thought-provoking and something I subsequently brought up with the women in my life. Next was a panel on advances in hepatology, which I found a bit less engaging because of the level of prior knowledge required to understand the data being presented. What was most surprising was a train-based model used by Dr. Marc Sherman which was the first time I truly understand the practical application of 1st order kinetics. This was a talk about mathematical modeling predicting the resolution and persistence of liver injury independent of absolute serum transaminase levels for real-time estimation of active liver injury.
Saturday evening into Sunday morning I was very nervous about my poster session and read over my speech script many times. I worried over possible questions I could be asked that I may not know the answer to. Saturday night I finished rereading the Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan for the United States: A Roadmap to Elimination (2021–2025). While waiting for my poster session to begin at 12:30 PM I was rereading the AASLD guidelines for chronic hepatitis B, Dr. Price contacted me. It was amazing that Dr. Price took the time out of her busy schedule, having completed her conference responsibilities that morning to meet with me. She answered last-minute questions I had. Additionally, a UCSF GI fellow took the time out of their schedule to drop by my poster. They posed great questions that have helped Dr. Price and me as we continue edits on our CID manuscript.
Overall, my DDW experience was an amazing education experience. As my first medical conference where many attendees were M1 students or higher in education levels, I was intimidated. But I felt so welcomed by the GI community and was reminded of the amazing mentorship that Dr. Price continues to provide even after SSRP 2021.
