Elizabeth Juarez Diaz
Year/Program: GR2 — Computational and Systems Biology
Hometown: Durango, Mexico
Hobbies: Backpacking, traveling, CPY, learning new languages, trying new coffee places, painting, photography, and acting
Favorite food: Tacos
Research interests: Computational neuro-immunology for cognitive disorders
Clinical interests: Neurosurgery, Neurology, Psychiatry
It is the most supportive program for international students; they put their money where their mission is.
Cyrus Zhou
Year/Program: GR4 — Molecular Genetics & Genomics
Hometown: New York, NY
Hobbies: Road biking, history, trivia, rabbit parenting
Favorite food: Fried rice, ice cream, watermelon, and caramel M&M’s
Research interests: I study diet and how it can shape the gut microbiota and host physiology, specially in the context of childhood undernutrition.
Clinical interests: Internal Medicine (GI), Dermatology, and Radiology
There is great research infrastructure here at WashU along with great labs and mentors. There is also incredible support from the MSTP office and an extremely supportive student body. WashU has the largest MSTP cohort amongst all MSTP programs, this becomes increasingly important as you progress through your training; it cannot be overstated how important having a cohort of peers training with you is. Additionally, St. Louis is a wonderful city with a reasonable cost of living and is very fun to explore.
Sneha Chaturvedi
Year/Lab: GR2 — Joe Dougherty Lab
Hometown: Davie, FL
Hobbies: Painting, hiking, weightlifting, martial arts
Favorite food: Ramen
Research interests: Neurodevelopment, health disparities, sex differences
Clinical interests: Neurosurgery, Pediatrics
I went to WashU for undergrad and loved living in St. Louis. There was always a lot to do (for free or very cheap) and such great food. The neuroimmunology research at WUSM is incredible and there are so many awesome mentors here that I’m having a hard time picking who to rotate with. Also, I appreciate our new curriculum’s focus on community engagement and anti-racism education. It was important to me that the school I decided on was committed to teaching their students about these topics.
Colin McCornack
Year/Program: GR3 — Computational and Systems Biology
Hometown: East Lansing, MI
Hobbies: Music (percussion), photography, cooking and baking, Magic: The Gathering, working out
Favorite food: Carbs
Research interests: Tumor heterogeneity of glioblastoma, specifically intratumor epigenomics and the role of histone post-translational modifications on therapeutic susceptibility.
Clinical interests: Something procedural, something peds, probably involving the brain or gut.
Coming from a state school I was nervous that I wouldn’t fit with my colleagues, but this fear was completely allayed after Second Look and subsequently pacified over the past two years. I enjoy the size of the cohort and the company of all my peers, as well as the juxtaposition of the “Midwestern vibe” with the caliber of the institution. The cost of living is great; compared to my friends at other institutions I feel like I am living large off of the stipend, and able to really enjoy the process of learning throughout medical school because of all of the various support systems in place through both the med school as well as the MSTP.
Sasha Dmytrenko
Year: ME-3
Hometown: Kyiv, Ukraine
Hobbies: Long-distance cycling and bikepacking, cooking and hosting meals, photography, reading, board games, sailing
Favorite food: Varenyki (Ukrainian dumplings)
Research interests: Heart immunology and viral heart disease
Clinical interests: Internal medicine or pediatrics
Extremely collaborative environment of researchers, outstanding clinical environment for training with diverse patient population, large class size and amazing support for international students.
Lyra Morina (she/her)
Year: GR1
Hometown: Kosovo & Maryland
Hobbies: Spin classes, yoga, running, reading, traveling and Instagram blogging (@mdeephdee)
Favorite food: Imam bayildi (traditional eggplant dish)
Research interests: Cancer immunology — developing cellular therapies
Clinical interests: Internal Medicine — oncology
Countless labs conducting cancer immunology research, incredibly inspiring and hard-working yet down-to-earth students and faculty, unique, new Gateway medical school curriculum, large MSTP class size, a long history of training physician-scientists, and extremely supportive MSTP admin & staff.
Grace Uwase
Year: GR3
Hometown: D.R. Congo and Boise, ID
Hobbies: Dancing, cooking and eating, crochet. I love working out but not quite a hobby yet.
Favorite food: Anything chicken, but I do like Indian food.
Research interests: Host-pathogen interactions, especially in virology. Currently in Gaya Amarasinghe’s lab.
Clinical interests: No idea. Maybe something with kids.
I came here for a gap year thinking I would just explore what it means to live in the Midwest and leave, but I ended up hitting subscribe for eight more years. I chose WashU because I felt incredibly supported, academically or otherwise, and I vibed a lot with my future classmates during the second look. I wanted to go to a great school but also find a chill environment to also have a life, and WashU felt perfect. I haven’t been proven wrong yet.