Summer Scholars: Meet Lauren Thomas
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.
Over the next week, we will feature some 2020 Summer Scholars while the 2021 scholars begin their research experiences.
Undergrad: BS in Public Health, College of Charleston
Research Project: Evaluating the Risk of Progression from Prediabetes to Type 2 Diabetes
I chose to participate in the Summer Scholars program after hearing classes before me discuss how beneficial it was to get mentorship in collecting data, writing a manuscript, and presenting research prior to rotations and residency. Though I had written and presented literature reviews before, this experience was my first opportunity to interpret and apply real data to a research question. I am interested in pursuing a career in primary care, and this project reinforced to me the emphasis physicians should place on preventive medicine. I will definitely carry this knowledge with me when I interact with future patients!
