As a neuroscience major at Trinity College in Hartford, Dr. Duarte Machado, was thankful for the support he received from various mentors.
This January Dr. Machado will become the first alum of the Health Fellows Program at Trinity to mentor a current student in the program. The student Dr. Machado has been paired with is a senior with a strong interest in neuroscience, especially Parkinson’s disease. She will be assisting Dr. Machado in collecting data for a potential study.
The Health Fellows Program places students interested in a career in healthcare with physicians at Hartford Hospital and at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). Students spend 30 hours a week launching research projects, assisting with ongoing projects as well as observing patient care.
At the same time students take a course called Topics in Healthcare where they cover everything from ethics to the U.S. healthcare system and global health.
Sarah Raskin, professor of psychology and neuroscience who teaches students in the Health Fellows Program says the program is extremely beneficial to undergrads who think the might be interested in a career in healthcare.
“Students get a lot out of the mentoring portion of the program. Some get to publish papers about their research or attend national healthcare conferences,” she said.
A part of the inaugural Health Fellows Program at Trinity College, Dr. Machado served as the President’s Fellow, the highest honor given to students in the program. He represented the program and it’s accomplishments to the president of the college, trustees and fellow students. While in the program, Dr. Machado was paired with a pulmonologist at CCMC, who he was able to shadow almost everyday.
Dr. Machado’s accomplishments in the program allowed him to apply for early admission to the UCONN School of Medicine.
“I really credit this program in being really instrumental in helping me in understanding the healthcare field,” said Dr. Machado. “I just want to give back.”