Geisinger Commonwealth student accepted to research program

Meredith Hanrahan of Orland Park, Illinois, a first-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) has been accepted through a competitive process to participate in the Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes, sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

“I am interested in diabetes research because the disease affects so many people, including some close to me,” Ms. Hanrahan said. “I have already conducted diabetes-drug development research – I did so for three years at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Also, I find metabolic pathways and the mechanics of the endocrine system fascinating. My interest in these topics makes me think I would like to practice medicine as a specialist in endocrinology.”
 
 The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIDDK’s mission is to conduct and support medical research and research training and to disseminate science-based information on diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutritional disorders, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases, to improve people’s health and quality of life.

The Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes provides the opportunity for medical students to conduct research under the direction of an established scientist in the areas of diabetes, hormone action, physiology, islet cell biology or obesity at an institution with one of the NIDDK-funded Research Centers during the summer between the first and second year or second and third year of medical school. Ms. Hanrahan will conduct her research at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, which is an NIDDK-funded research center. The program provides a stipend, in addition to the research opportunity.

The Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes helps students gain an improved understanding of career opportunities in biomedical research and a comprehensive understanding of diabetes, its clinical manifestations and its unsolved problems.

At the conclusion of the summer, Ms. Hanrahan will present a brief summary of her work at a scientific symposium in Nashville, which all program participants throughout the nation attend.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes 10 hospital campuses, a health plan with more than half a million members, a research institute and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes schools of medicine, nursing and graduate education. With more than 25,000 employees and 1,700+ employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.