Krista Mathews didn’t anticipate the steep learning curve she would face during her summer internship with the University of Pittsburgh’s Pittsburgh Undergraduate Research Diversity Program, but she was happy with the challenge.
Matthew, a fourth-year health services student at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Health Professions, worked in the lab of Mark E. Snyder, M.D., whose research focuses on pulmonary fibrosis and lung transplant rejection. This was her first job and she felt there was a lot to learn and understand during her 10 weeks in the program.
The lab primarily conducts translational research using human tissues, but also has some collaborations using mouse models, and Matthew worked with postdoctoral researcher Jetina Okereke on her project on T cells and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
“There was a lot of information to analyze,” Mathews said.
During his internship, Matthew got familiar with the laboratory environment and had the opportunity to observe various procedures.
“We were able to look at small samples of healthy lungs compared to lungs from people who had smoked in the past or had genetic problems,” she said, “and we were also able to look at images of the lungs from laboratory scans.”
She helped out in the lab with techniques such as flow cytometry, which analyzes the properties of cells and particles, and immunofluorescence imaging, which involves applying fluorescent dyes to biopsy samples before examining them under a microscope.
“I enjoyed the imaging process of using the dye to see different images that showed where the particles were,” she said, adding that the biggest challenge was “repeating the experiments many times to get the best results.”
Matthew discovered PURDIP Internships after researching internships “for people of color,” she said.
PURDIP is targeted to underrepresented (African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American) undergraduate students interested in biomedical research. Matthew received support from VCU's Internship Funding Program, which provides stipends to help students cover costs associated with summer internships.
Matthew, a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said he came to VCU for its health services major and the “diverse and inclusive community.”
Her ultimate goal is to attend dental school at VCU.Her interest in dentistry began at a young age and developed further after working as a reception assistant at a friend's mother's dental office.
“I used to watch orthodontic videos on YouTube and was always trying to learn more about healthcare and watching other people in the field,” she says, “that's what made me want to work in healthcare.”
Her advisor, Dr. Jasmine Reynolds from the VCU School of Health Professions, has been helping her plan her future goals.
“I want to get a master's degree in health administration first, then go to dental school,” Matthew said. “I want to give back to the community as much as I can.”
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