FRESNO – Some Valley students will spend the next few weeks in the hospital although they aren’t sick. For the 17th year, UCSF Fresno is offering Central San Joaquin Valley high school students the chance to experience hands-on medical research through its Summer Biomedical Research Internship Program.
Now through Aug. 4, nine students will work in local hospitals and clinics along side UCSF Fresno faculty members on research projects involving cancer, recovery from surgery, tuberculosis in Southeast Asian populations, and the outcomes of births in rural hospitals to name a few.
Participating students include:
Carson Baucher of Fresno; Anthony Catalano of Clovis; Sam Gendel of Visalia; Elliot Haught of Fresno; Anne Hierholzer of Fresno; Kia Honhongva of Selma; Josh Kruger of Fresno; Monica Lau of Atwater; and Brandi Martin of Clovis.
“On a daily basis, UCSF Fresno faculty members are conducting research important to the health of our Valley community,” said Sharon Hutchinson with UCSF Fresno’s Grants and Research Office. “The summer internship program allows students to gain valuable research experience and make contributions to public health.”
As part of the program students recently visited the University of California, San Francisco campus, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek. They also will visit the UCSF Fresno Alzheimer’s and Memory Center in Fresno and have the opportunity to speak with medical students and residents about career choices, medical schools and medical specialties.
Students were selected on the basis of academic merit, questionnaire responses, letters of recommendation and personal interviews. Students from Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings, Tulare and Mariposa counties are eligible for the program. Since its inception in 1987, 152 students have participated in the internship program. The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable Foundation donates funds to assist with student stipends.
For more information, please call (559) 243-3607.
