Summer Scholars: Meet Melissa Jenkins Soares

Name: Melissa Jenkins Soares

Hometown: LaSalle, IL (but I have spent the last 20 years in Asheville, NC and claim it as home!)

Undergrad: UNCA, BS in Biology with a minor in business management

Hobbies: Yoga, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and hiking with my husband and 2 kids.

What is the name of your MSSR project and your role in the research?  Urine Drug Screen Measuring Medication Absorption Rates in the Bariatric Population.  My role is data collection and analysis plus shadowing in the bariatric clinic and OR.

Why did you choose to participate in the summer scholars program? As a future family med physician, I want to understand the unique needs of any population that might seek my care. This project focuses on how different bariatric surgeries may affect the absorption rates of many common medications prescribed in a family med setting.

Advice to MS-I’s: When things seem overwhelming, stay focused, trust the process, and take it one day at a time. You’ve got this and you deserve to be here!