2019: Vaishnavi Lanka

I started as a high school intern at the Center for Prostate Disease Research, where I studied the effects of various mutated genes in cancer cell signaling pathways. This led me to pursue my bachelors in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia. Throughout my undergraduate career, I had significant exposure to public policy, medical research and clinical opportunities.  I conducted my own study of the effect of education in a disadvantaged neighborhood in India. I spent a couple of semesters working for the Cardiac Biomechanics Lab where I researched the molecular mechanics of muscle formation in order to model the effect of the orientation of the muscle fibers on the frequency of heart attacks. I pursued a policy internship at the NIH, where I studied the patterns of funding grants. My clinical experiences in the past couple of years inspired me to pursue a career in medicine.  In the past, I have worked in various clinical settings including a hematology oncology clinic, an emergency department, an intensive care unit, radiology oncology, and even Chiropractic’s office. My senior capstone project was on developing a systems approach to controlling blood glucose in the intensive care unit. The societal aspect of my capstone focused on the domestic primary care shortage and elaborated on policy initiatives that have helped other nations. Additionally, I am also interested in researching therapeutic benefits of mind body techniques. Currently, I am enrolled in University of Virginia’s School of Medicine where I hope to pursue primary care and integrative medicine.