American Physician-Scientists Association Rice Chapter

On February 9th, we had the good fortune of virtually co-hosting a panel with Dr. Vaishnav Krishnan (MD, PhD) from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)! Joining us were three esteemed guests from BCM: Dr. Melanie Samuel (PhD), Dr. Benjamin Frankfort (MD, PhD), and Dr. Sanjay Mathew (MD). They shared experiences and stories about their research journey, and we discussed the different routes to a career in medical research.

Keep a look out for a follow-up panel in March where we extend these conversations to explore the “Day in the Life” of a physician-scientist!

On Wednesday (Nov. 6th), we had several MD/PhD students from Baylor and UTHealth come in to talk to undergraduates for our first mentorship meeting. Here are photos from that event!

Our first event this year was a presentation and Q&A with Dr. Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD. She is the President George H.W. Bush Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director of the Division of Medical Genetics and Vice-Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) McGovern Medical School.  Dr. Milewicz has also been the Director of the M.D./Ph.D. Program offered jointly between the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center institutions for over 10 years and is the Chair of the GREAT MD/PhD Section Committee.

Dr. Milewicz is also a Rice alumna! At our Q&A, she talked about her path, what motivated her to become a physician-scientist, and all the great work she has done in her career.

Here are a few pictures from our event:

We hosted a study break on April 22nd where students enjoyed pizza and snacks while making cards for cancer patients at Texas Children’s Hospital. It was a great success, and we made over 50 cards in total!