You
are here: Home > Prospective Students > M.D./Ph.D
Program - Q and A with Current Students
M.D./Ph.D. Program
Q and A with Current Students
The following are answers given by some
current M.D./Ph.D. program students in response to questions designed to give prospective
students some insight into the program from a student's perspective.
Name: Peter Choi
Stage in Program: Research (3rd year)
Age: ummmm... 27
Where are you from?: Born in Detroit,
grew up in Michigan. Went to Cornell University in New York and graduated in 1994 with a
double in chemistry and biochemistry. Now I'm from Southern California.
What was your prior involvement in
research? I worked as a volunteer in a neurobiology and developmental biology
laboratory during my undergraduate years at Cornell. I studied homeobox genes and their
roles in insect development there. I also worked as a research technician for a little
more than a year after graduation, studying the metabolism of bacteria.
What drew you to Loyola? The methods
used to teach students at Loyola, both in the medical school and in the graduate school,
really get me interested in becoming a Loyola student. during the medical school years, a
shift away from traditional didactic lectures towards more small group-based learning
really emphasized the kind of thinking and personal interactions needed for clinical
skills development. The faculty at Loyola consists of many helpful and caring teachers who
understand the pressures of medical school and make the educational experience efficient
and actually enjoyable. Loyola is like a family to me.
What department or program are you
currently in? Department of Pharmacology.
Why did you select that program? The
study of pharmacologic agents and therapies for the treatment of disease is of
indispensable importance for the medical fields. Since I wish to pursue clinical research
in the future, I felt that training and a degree in pharmacology would be most useful.
What are your current research interests?
I am now designing recombinant viral vectors containing genes implicated in
neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. with these
vectors, i plan on studying the effects of the overexpression of said proteins in neurons,
both in primary cell culture, as well as in vivo.
What are your clinical interests? So
far, it's pretty much up in the air. Eventually, I will pursue whichever field I enjoy
most during my clinical clerkships. It will probably end up being something neuro-ish...
What are the advantages of doing an
MD/PhD at Loyola? First and foremost is the flexibility. as the program is relatively
new here at Loyola, we are constantly looking for ways to improve. the faculty and
administrators of the program are extremely helpful and willing to accommodate students'
concerns.
What would you recommend to incoming
students? Figure out what you're interested in and visit the different labs which
conduct research in those particular areas. Also, try to get a research stipend for the
summer between 1st and 2nd years, so you can complete a nice rotation and get paid for it
as well!
What part of the MD/PhD experience do you
enjoy most? As knowledge from scientific research accumulates, there is a need for
people who can appreciate and combine both basic research skills with clinical acumen. In
effect, training to become an MD/PhD student is giving me the knowledge I will eventually
need to translate advances in science to advances in clinical medicine. Knowing that my
career will eventually serve to meet these ends has been the most exciting part of being
in the program thus far.
What extracurricular interests or
activities do you enjoy most? Here at Loyola, we're blessed with a brand-new,
state-of-the-art fitness center. I go to the gym about 5 times a week early in the
morning, and that gives me lots of energy to function throughout the day. Also, being in
Chicago, I feel lucky to have many great jazz clubs nearby, which serve as nice stress
vents after a week of hard work.
Return to Top
Name: Edward Quigley
Stage in Program: I am in my last research year, before reentering the last two
clinical years.
Age: 26
Where are you from? Bloomingdale, IL,
a western suburb of Chicago. I went to Loyola University Chicago for my undergraduate
Honors Degree in Chemistry, Biology minor.
What was your prior involvement in
research? I was involved in organic synthetic research while as an undergraduate.
Looking at my clinical goals in the neurosciences, I realized I wanted to be able to
design and modify biomolecules.
What drew you to Loyola? First, the
overall environment suited my personality. I spoke to many medical students whose primary
goal was learning medicine, not competing with their peers at the expense of others.
Second, the graduate school environment was exciting. Multidisciplinary programs existed
in the general areas of my interests, with the possibility to draw on resources and
faculty from many departments.
What department or Program are you
currently in? Why did you select that program? I am in the Neuroscience Program. It is
a multidisciplinary program with basic science researchers and clinical faculty.
What are your current (or future)
research interests? I am examining the role of structure and function in ion channels.
I am synthesizing modified ion channels and characterizing them biophysically.
What are your clinical interests?
Neurological physiology and pathology. Most likely a neuro-related specialty. However, I
really want to wait until my clinical years to see which residency will suit my interests,
goals, and life best.
What are the advantages of doing an
MD/PhD at Loyola? There are many some crucial, some subtle: the community of people,
the quality of research, the quality of medical education, flexibility to carve out the
experience you want, the available resources, the network of programs, the new medical
education building, the new gymnasium, even the forest preserve across the street.
What would you recommend to incoming
students? If you can, come visit the research programs you are interested in prior
to starting medical school. Try to do a rotation in labs that interest you during the
summer between the first and second medical school year.
What part of the MD/PhD experience do you
enjoy most? I enjoy those moments of insight you get from being able to approach a
problem from a fresh perspective. Looking at a clinical problem and realizing the basic
science behind the problem. Looking at a research project and seeing the applications for
improving patient care.
Extracurricular Activities: Anything
outside! Hiking, camping, skiing as frequently as schedules allow.
Return to Top
Name:
Michael William Lawlor
Stage in Program: Basic Science
Age:23
Where are you from? San Anselmo, CA.
Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), BS in Biology
What was your prior involvement in
research? I worked as a microbial ecology technician for one of my professors at
Marquette. This allowed my involvement in many unique and interesting research programs,
such as biohazard control research projects and hyperthermophile hunting with robotic
submarines in Yellowstone National Park. Although none of this research was even remotely
clinical, it gave me the necessary background in the practice of research and allowed me
to judge my interest in research independently of my interest in medicine.
What drew you to Loyola? Loyola is a
well-respected school with a reputation for training good clinicians. I would not have
been interested in pursuing a dual degree unless it entailed being well trained in both
disciplines. While one’s training in research is largely determined by the decisions
the student makes, clinical training must come from the school itself. Another key factor
that attracted me to Loyola is the friendliness of the students. When you’re planning
on being in school for as long as I am, you want to ensure that you will like and respect
the people you see daily. Finally, the fact that the MD/PhD program at Loyola was still
relatively young and small had its attractive qualities, since it ensured some degree of
flexibility in my curriculum and it ensured that I would be treated as a valued member of
the program, rather than one of many.
What department or Program are you
currently in? Why did you select that program? I am currently in the Neuroscience
program, but I initially was a member of the molecular biology program. Initially,
molecular biology was my field of interest because I had the greatest exposure to its
topics of research. However, my medical education at Loyola exposed me to a much wider
range of topics, which made a much wider spectrum of research available to me. I chose to
switch departments when it became clear to me that I would be doing research on peripheral
neurodegenerative diseases. Although I could have stayed within the molecular biology
department, I felt that the classes that I would be allowed to take in the neuroscience
graduate curriculum would be more helpful in my research.
What are your current (or future)
research interests? Neurology is currently a slightly frustrating field for clinicians
because there exists extremely detailed clinical descriptions of disorders, but a lack of
effective treatments in many cases. My future interests involve elucidating some of the
mechanisms of neurological disorders of the molecular and cellular level, whereby more
effective treatments may be made possible. My current interests involve poorly
characterized peripheral neurodegenerative disorders. The disease on which I will most
likely do my dissertation is called MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined
Significance), which is associated with a peripheral neuropathy. My goal in this work is
to perform as complete a characterization as possible of this disorder in the hope of
bringing a treatment to light.
What are your clinical interests? I
fully intend on practicing clinically in the field of Neurology, but I am realistic enough
to plan on only doing clinical work about 20% of the time. In terms of my interests, I
stated them in the previous section.
What are the advantages of doing an
MD/PhD at Loyola? There are several advantages of doing an MD/PhD at Loyola as I see
it:
- Loyola offers a comfortable and state-of-the-art learning
environment in its newly built medical school.
- There is a vast variety of research topics at the medical
center, which allows versatility in interests. Likewise, switching departments is fairly
hassle-free if your interests change.
- Loyola’s student body is second-to-none in terms of the
quality of people found here. My greatest regret in being a member of the program is that
I will have to leave a group of people that I thoroughly enjoy to attend graduate school.
- The medical school curriculum minimizes the hours actually
spent in class, which allows time for self teaching. This (ironically) allows you to get
to know your classmates and teachers better, since it is actually possible to attend all
of the classes and still get your work done. At schools with more demanding lecture hours,
I have heard that this is not the case.
- The small size of the MD/PhD program allows some measure of
internal support among its members. If a new student is having concerns about school, he
or she will be less likely to fall through the cracks.
What would you recommend to incoming
students? Get involved in the research aspect as early as possible. It is useful to
get a feel for the school, your department, the other students, and the faculty members
before you’re in a hurry to find a lab. In my case, that involved starting my first
rotation during the summer before I started med school. This was valuable because I got
some research experience under my belt and was able to assess my situation, but I was
still able to take another full length rotation the next summer. If you don’t do a
rotation before med school, then you are faced with several options:
- Try to do a rotation during the school year (fairly
unrealistic).
- Split the first summer up into two, 4 week rotations (this
will give neither you nor your advisor a good idea of your interest level in the research
topics).
- Pray that your first rotation works out really well.
- Do other rotations after entering grad school full time
(this will make it difficult to finish the PhD without taking extra time).
In any case, it is useful for many reasons
to start one summer early, and it is entirely possible.
What part of the MD/PhD experience do you
enjoy most? I enjoy immensely the fact that I can be a part of a field as
awe-inspiring as medicine while pursuing my natural inclination to investigate that which
is not yet known.
What extracurricular interests or
activities do you enjoy? I enjoy running, biking, swing dancing, attending concerts,
and skiing. Perhaps more significant is the fact that I’ve been able to pursue each
of these interests to some extent during my first two years in the program.
Return to Top
Name: Allison Goeden
Stage in Program: 1st year medical student
Age: 22
Where are you from? My hometown is
Yankton, SD. I went to Drake Univeristy in Des Moines, IA where I graduated in May 1998
with a B.S. in Biology.
What was your prior involvement in
research? During my undergraduate years, I was involved with several different
research projects. During my freshman, sophomore and junior years, I worked at the Human
Gene Therapy Research Institute in Des Moines, IA where I was involved with a project
researching a gene therapy strategy to treat Graft vs. Host disease. The summer after my
sophomore year I was involved with an evolutionary genetics study of the domestic cat at
the National Cancer Institute. The summer after my junior year I worked on a project to
characterize the function of basic fibroblast growth factor at New York University School
of Medicine.
What drew you to Loyola? The MD/PhD
program.
What department or Program are you
currently in? Why did you select that program? I am currently in the molecular biology
program. I am interested in molecular biology because I think that in the future we will
see a more and more molecular approach to the treatment of disease. I also like the
molecular biology department at Loyola because it is so interdisciplinary.
What are your current (or future)
research interests? No specifics at this point!
What are your clinical interests? No
specifics at this point!
What are the advantages of doing an
MD/PhD at Loyola? I think what sets Loyola apart from other schools is the high
concentration of really good people. You can find good people everywhere but until I was
here at Loyola I didn't know that there could be so many at one place. You can find
excellent clinical and research training at many places including Loyola but I think that
the advantage that Loyola has over other schools is the community of good people here.
What would you recommend to incoming
students? Don't worry too much about the future--the pieces will all fall into place
somehow!
What part of the MD/PhD experience do you
enjoy most? The best thing about being an MD/PhD is knowing that when I am done that
there will be so many doors open to me and that what my future holds is not limited to
either clinical medicine or to basic science research but will be a blend of both of them.
What extracurricular interests or
activities do you enjoy? When there is a moment to spare, I like to explore the great
city of Chicago--from dining to theatre and museums to shopping--I like to experience it
all!
Return to Top
Name: Michael Turner
Stage in Program: Fourth year of graduate school.
Age: 30
Where are you from? Los Angeles,
California. I attended UCLA and received a bachelors in cybernetics (a mix of biology and
engineering)
What was your prior involvement in
research? I wrote a program for mathematical analysis of data generated with PET
scanners.
What drew you to Loyola? The MD/PhD
program here has a good balance between clinical training and research.
What department or Program are you
currently in? Why did you select that program? Neuroscience: Neuroscience is one of
the most flexible programs in the school. It is an interdepartmental program, so it can
satisfy any research interest.
What are your current (or future)
research interests? Currently I am working on measuring the activity of Ventral
Pallidal neurons in a animal model of Parkinson’s Disease. I am interested in
technology that will one day allow Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological
deficits to be overcome by directly linking computers into the human brain to replace
damaged neuronal tissue.
What are your clinical interests? Neurosurgery
What are the advantages of doing an
MD/PhD at Loyola? The program is very flexible. I needed an extra year to finish my
research, and so far it has not posed a problem. One of our students actually moved to
Germany with her advisor to finish her dissertation. Dr. Hanin, the Chairman of the
program, is very supportive and will do everything that he can to ensure our success.
What would you recommend to incoming
students? If possible, go to Loyola a few months before medical school starts. That
way, you can get started on laboratory research. If you plan things well, it would be
possible to knock an entire year off the program by picking your lab early and getting a
head start on your research.
What part of the MD/PhD experience do you
enjoy most? The diversity of the training. You essentially have two distinct careers
that you are working on simultaneously. You will never be bored!
What extracurricular interests or
activities do you enjoy? Reading and computer games. Many of the students love sports,
and the new gym that was recently built on campus is a great reason to come to Loyola by
itself!
Additional Thoughts: I have no
additional thoughts, as all of my available thoughts are being used in my research.
Return to Top
Click here
to E-mail the M.D./Ph.D. Program
Telephone Number - (708) 216-9693
Fax Number - (708) 216-8225
