Summer Scholars: Meet Kelsey Tschopp

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: Kelsey Tschopp

Hometown: Orlando, FL

Undergrad: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Loyola University Chicago

Hobbies: Plant Care and Art

Name of your MSSRS project: Improving Hypertension Care with Checklist Use.
PI: Dr. Victoria Kaprielian

Why did you chose to participate in the summer scholars program?
I was looking to gain experience in clinical research since my previous research has all involved bench research. I was really excited to take part in a research project which involves the CUCCC because I am a Floor Supervisor for the clinic.

I spend most [Tuesday evenings] at the CUCCC, so it has been nice being able to contribute to research that involves the patients of the clinic. This research project is aiming to improve care for patients with hypertension by implementing a checklist at the clinic.

While we are still auditing charts and gathering data, it appears using a checklist certainly helps the student-doctors during their patient visits. I am looking forward to analyzing whether an improvement in patient care was observed.

What did I learn?
I learned how to conduct a quality improvement study and how these studies are frequently used in medicine to improve patient care. It was great to perform a quality improvement study at the CUCCC and see the improvement in patient care by the student doctors.

Advice to MS-I’s: All of your professors at CUSOM are extremely helpful and want to see you succeed! Don’t be afraid to reach out to them to ask questions or get clarification on something. I also found that studying with a small group of peers occasionally really helped me prepare for quizzes/exams since we would often test each other and help each other through difficult topics.