Posted by: Staff
In partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), we’re excited to welcome HHMI-ASHG Medical Research Fellow Jennifer Hu, BS, to a year-long position studying arteriovenous malformations. Jennifer, a medical student, is one of 79 HHMI Fellows who will begin their research experience this summer, at laboratories across the U.S.
“The Med Fellows Program allows exceptional MD, DVM, and DDS students to effectively shift course and conduct rigorous research at top institutions across the country…we hope that each student comes away further empowered to pursue a career as a physician-scientist,” said David Asai, senior director in science education at HHMI in a press release.
Jennifer, currently a third-year medical student at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, will be working with longtime ASHG member Matthew Warman, MD, at the Boston Children’s Hospital. Her project involves understanding how somatic mutations can drive the formation of vascular anomalies – in particular, arteriovenous malformations.
“The options for children currently affected by AVMs are limited and they often recur despite the best medical and surgical efforts,” Jennifer explained. “Using a mouse model, we aim to recapitulate somatic mutations that have been previously identified from patient tissues. Showing that this mutation can recreate the AVM in a mouse model will allow us to understand the development of the disease and have a new model in which to test existing or new therapies,” she said.
Long term, Jennifer plans to build upon this experience to become a physician-scientist. “In medicine, we often hear the phrase, ‘treat the patient, not the disease.’ Our ever-growing understanding of genetics makes disease personal. As a future physician-investigator, I want to partner with patients in research, not just do research with patients,” she said.
Launched 28 years ago, the HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program supports each Fellow through a year-long research project with a mentor of the Fellow’s choosing, and also facilitates peer networking among Fellows and alumni as well as seminars with senior investigators. For more information, see the Program website.