Jessica Briscoe selected for Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Medical Research Fellows Program

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) Medical Research Fellows Program has selected 79 talented medical and veterinary students to conduct in-depth, mentored biomedical research. Among the fellows chosen is Jessica Briscoe of Houston, now completing her third year of medical school at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. She will participate in mentored research this summer at Harvard Medical School.

According to HHMI, 53 percent of the awardees are female, the greatest representation of women in the program to date. Starting this summer, each fellow will spend a year pursuing basic, translational, or applied biomedical research at one of 32 academic or nonprofit research institutions across the United States.

“The Med Fellows Program allows exceptional MD, DVM, and DDS students to effectively shift course and conduct rigorous research at top institutions throughout the country,” said David Asai, senior director in science education at HHMI. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity for future physicians, veterinarians, and dentists to explore the intersection of medicine and scientific discovery, and we hope that each student comes away further empowered to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.”

The Med Fellows Program takes a multilevel mentoring approach to help incoming fellows get off to a strong start, make new connections, and access a network of support throughout their fellowship year. Various meetings bring the fellows together to connect with newly minted Med Fellow alumni, early-career faculty, and senior investigators to participate in seminars and learn from physician-scientists at various career stages. The most direct form of support comes from each fellow’s mentor.

In collaboration with HHMI, five partners – the American Society of Human Genetics, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, Foundation Fighting Blindness, and Parkinson’s Foundation – will fund eight of the 79 aspiring physician- and veterinarian- scientists, bringing the program’s total investment to $3.4 million. Today, 28 years after the Med Fellows Program was first launched, it has helped more than 1,700 medical, veterinary and dental students establish a foothold in the research world.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.