Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Students Explore Biomedical Research as Part of New Curriculum
Education News

Students Explore Biomedical Research as Part of New Curriculum

By Sarah PlumridgeJul 23, 2013
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Austin Culver, a rising second-year medical student, is spending the summer investigating the role of genetics in the embryonic development of the lymphatic system. “These observations allow us to work toward a better understanding of the regulatory pathways in this complex process and establishes a broader base of knowledge for future research,” he said.

During their first-year of medical school, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine students submit a proposal for the Area of Scholarly Concentration (AoSC), a four-year research project that complements their basic science and clinical training. Students will spend a minimum of four weeks each summer working on their research.

“As part of the new curriculum, medical students are required to do a research project, and it can run the gamut of biomedical research,” said Richard Green, MD, course director and professor in medicine-gastroenterology and hepatology. “We want to encourage students to have research opportunities because it is important in training investigative and critical thinking skills.”

The first class of students required to complete the AoSC began their research this summer. Proposed projects include clinical investigation, translational medicine, global health, community and family health, medical humanities, and the medical social sciences.

Austin Culver, a rising second-year student, always had an interest in cardiology. As a biomedical engineering major in the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME), he worked in the lab of Tsutomu Kume, PhD, associate professor in medicine-cardiology and molecular pharmacology and biological chemistry .

“Cardiovascular research appealed to me because it is, in some ways, a self-contained system, similar to many of the problems we studied in engineering,” Culver said. “The Kume lab looks at vascular biology from the perspective of embryonic development. How do these systems form from very primitive starting points and how do endothelial cells organize themselves into vessels, specifically arteries, veins, and lymphatics?”

Eduardo Bustamante gets a head start on learning about the urinary system by doing research on interstitial cystitis and pelvic pain as his summer project.

These questions fascinated Culver and he decided to continue this work as his AoSC. His project focuses on better understanding the role of the genes Foxc1, Foxc2, and Notch1 in the embryonic development of the lymphatic system.

“The first two years of medical school are mostly basic science. We are in the classroom and learn this distilled collection of all the research that has led up to our current sphere of medical knowledge,” Culver said. “Having early exposure to research gives us, as future physicians, the ability to think critically about how we will apply our basic science knowledge to clinical problems.”

Rising second-year Eduardo Bustamante is taking a molecular approach to understanding interstitial cystitis pelvic pain for his AoSC. He is working in the labs of David J. Klumpp, PhD, associate professor in urology and microbiology and immunology, and Anthony J. Schaeffer, MD’68, chair of urology.

His project looks into toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4), a protein designed to detect bacteria such as E. coli in the bladder, and how that pathway might induce pain.

“Research allows us to push the envelope on what we know,” he said. “To conduct research, you need to be able to efficiently synthesize information from class and identify gaps in the current understanding of a topic. You can then ask a novel question and formulate an experiment to test it.”

Along with their peers, Culver and Bustamante will present their projects at the AoSC Poster Presentation Day this fall. Second-year students will continue to work on their projects at least three hours per week throughout the year. The mentored project will culminate with the submission of a thesis at the end of their fourth year.

Education Medical Education Research Students
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Investigating Protein’s Role in Hearing Loss

Mar 27, 2023

Sex-Specific Mechanisms for Major Depressive Disorder Identified in Response to Dysregulated Stress Hormones

Mar 23, 2023

Pre-Surgery Immunotherapy May Increase Survival in Advanced Melanoma

Mar 23, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Investigating Protein’s Role in Hearing Loss

Mar 27, 2023

Sex-Specific Mechanisms for Major Depressive Disorder Identified in Response to Dysregulated Stress Hormones

Mar 23, 2023

Pre-Surgery Immunotherapy May Increase Survival in Advanced Melanoma

Mar 23, 2023

Hormone Therapy Plus Current Treatments Improves Survival in Prostate Cancer

Mar 22, 2023

How ChatGPT Has, and Will Continue to, Transform Scientific Research

Mar 21, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20230317_NM651
20230317_NM610
20230317_NM569
20230317_NM537
20230317_NM331
20230317_NM323
20230317_NM316
20230317_NM336
20230317_NM626
20230317_NM662
20230317_NM655
20230317_NM642

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.