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Thomas Wilson |
One enhances the other.
But, both would benefit if more practicing physicians also conduct research on what ails their patients.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) would like to encourage more medical and dental students to consider a dual career as medical scientists.
“Medical scientists have a deep appreciation for the problems medicine needs to solve,” said William Galey, graduate education program director at HHMI. “They also know how to approach those problems in a research lab setting, so they play a vital role both in medical research and advances in the treatment of the disease. HHMI hopes that these students’ research experiences provide them the training and motivation to become medical scientists.”
Which is exactly what second-year UNMC medical student, Thomas Wilson, wants to do.
“Medicine is a nice blend of humanities and science,” said Wilson, who is one of 66 medical students, and the only student from UNMC, to receive a $25,000 fellowship from HHMI.
“It’s important that there are people who are physician scientists, who can take discoveries from the bench and apply it at the bedside,” Wilson said.
Each HHMI fellow chooses a mentor to study with, he said. Wilson will work with Rakesh Singh, Ph.D., associate professor in UNMC’s Department of Pathology and Microbiology.
“I became interested in Dr. Singh’s research when he taught one of my small groups during the second year,” Wilson said. “That sparked further conversations.”
Dr. Singh’s research on the cellular controls of breast cancer and what triggers it to metastasize to the bone is the perfect fit for this medical student who would like to eventually specialize in surgical oncology.
“I like the technical aspects of surgery and the scientific and intellectual aspects of oncology,” Wilson said.
As a HHMI fellow, Wilson will kick off the fellowship year by attending a meeting in the fall at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md. This meeting, co-sponsored by the HHMI and the NIH, features two days of scientific presentations, networking and career counseling by national leaders in biomedical research. Wilson will culminate the experience with a trip to the Washington D.C., area in May of 2007 to present his findings at the annual meeting of the HHMI fellows.
Wilson will culminate the experience with a trip to Washington D.C. in May of 2007 to present his findings at the annual meeting of the HHMI fellows.
“It’s a great program that will allow me to gather the skills I will need to run a research lab of my own someday while gathering meaningful data that has the potential to benefit patients,” Wilson said.