Summer Scholars: Meet Dillon Pham

The Medical Student Summer Research Scholars (MSSRS) Program is a summer research opportunity open to rising MS-II students only. The project period is 7 weeks during the summer, and students are expected to devote at least 6 full weeks to the project. Students attend weekly work-in-progress sessions and provide the opportunity for MSSRS participants to present their work to student peers.  A final report is presented in the form of a poster or oral presentation at a local, regional, or national meeting. The Interprofessional Education Symposium held each spring at Campbell University is an opportunity to present, and all MSSRS participants are encouraged to present a poster at the event.

Name:  Dillon Pham

Hometown:  Huntington Beach, CA

Undergrad: UCLA

Hobbies:  watching sports, escape rooms, hiking, video games, and exploring food

MSSRS Project and Your Role:
Transformation of Mitochondrial DNA; research assistant for Dr. Warren Lushia

Why did you choose to participate in the Summer Scholars Program?
It seemed like a super interesting project with a lot of potential future application in the field of medicine. I’m learning specifics of mitochondria and the cell for yeast as well as the process of researching as a whole.

Advice for MS-Is:
Don’t sacrifice your outside interests when you start med school! Having interests and activities outside of studying helps keep you sane.