Every summer we welcome high school students and undergraduate students to participate in the Surgery Clinical Research Experiences for High School Students Program, an internship program supported by the Doris Duke Foundation. This program offers minority students first-hand opportunities to experience the rewards of an academic medical career. This year we hosted ten talented students from across Wisconsin. Our students and mentors are:
High School Students
Jayanne Adalin – Edgewood High School, Madison WI
Clinical Research Topic: Feeding outcomes following mandibular distraction
Primary Mentor: Catherine Garland, MD
Secondary Mentor: Viki Patel
Brian Barrera Falcon – East High School, Madison WI
Clinical Research Topic: Effectiveness of surgical coaching in order to teach LMIC surgeons
Primary Mentor: Kristin Long, MD
Secondary Mentor: Deena El-Gabri
Jessica Carrera-Valadez – East High School, Madison WI
Clinical Research Topic: Gastrostomy tube management and complications in pediatric patients
Primary Mentor: Jonathan Kohler, MD
Secondary Mentor: Ainsley Timmel
Rahima Osman – Middleton High School, Middleton WI
Clinical Research Topic: Surgical simulation training for physically disabled students
Primary Mentor(s): Hee Soo Jung, MD, Sarah Sullivan, PhD
Secondary Mentor: Kush Patel
Sierra Geiger – Waukesha North High School, Waukesha WI
Clinical Research Topic: Looking at margins and recurrence rates in DCIS patients
Primary Mentor: Lee Wilke, MD
Secondary Mentor: Devon Livingston-Rosanoff, MD, PhD
Gus Guenther – Washburn High School, Washburn WI
Clinical Research Topic: The benefits of multidisciplinary committee in the treatment of necrotizing pancreatitis
Primary Mentor: Amy Liepert, MD
Secondary Mentor: Kyle Williams
Amy Nunez Torrijos – East High School, Madison WI
Clinical Research Topic: Relationship between patient satisfaction and surgical complications
Primary Mentor: Emily Winslow, MD
Secondary Mentor(s): Nadeem Bandealy, Toria Rendell, MD
Mali Ya Mungu Ocoko – Milwaukee School of Languages, Milwaukee WI
Clinical Research Topic: The magnitude of change between the initial and Euthyroid Dose
Primary Mentor: David Schneider, MD, MS
Secondary Mentor: Stephen Chen
Faith Ocoko – Milwaukee School of Languages, Milwaukee WI
Clinical Research Topic: To what extent does feedback and machine learning actually work?
Primary Mentor: Josh Medow, MD, MS
Secondary Mentor: Peter Rehani
Anisa Pontes – Madison West High School, Madison WI
Clinical Research Topic: Differences in 30-day postoperative mortality rates between bypass vs. sleeve
Primary Mentor: Luke Funk, MD, MPH
Secondary Mentor: Meghan Cusack
Undergraduate Students
Timothy Xiong – University of Wisconsin – Madison
Clinical Research Topic: Teaching in the OR
Primary Mentor(s): Hee Soo Jung, MD, Sarah Sullivan, PhD
Secondary Mentor: Sasha Rosser
Esther Eruchalu – University of Wisconsin – Madison
Clinical Research Topic: Plant Tissue for Scaffolding
Primary Mentor: Hau Le, MD
Secondary Mentor: Tremaan Spearman-White
Jocelyn Alcantara – University of Wisconsin – Madison
Clinical Research Topic: Health Policy/Advocacy
Primary Mentor: Amy Liepert, MD
Secondary Mentor: Sarah Beilke