天堂鸟先生

A summer program for undergraduate students who plan to pursue a graduate or medical degree related to diabetes research will be launched at 天堂鸟先生 in 2023 thanks to support from a prestigious grant. The funding is the result of a collaborative effort by 天堂鸟先生 researchers at the Diabetes Institute who want to encourage more students to consider a career in diabetes research.

The grant, titled Diabetes Institute Summer Interprofessional Research Experience (DISIRE) for Undergraduates, is a five-year award funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The summer program will last 10 weeks, beginning in 2023, and will accept eight to 10 undergraduate students from all over the country. The students will learn valuable research skills, be mentored by OHIO faculty who work in diabetes research, hear from clinicians, take part in online courses, and create a capstone project which they can bring back to their respective universities and implement on those campuses.

鈥淭he students will go through a rigorous program resulting in their gaining insight into the history and pathophysiology of the disease as well as epidemiological, social, and molecular/cellular research efforts directed at uncovering new therapeutic targets and treatments for the variety of problems associated with diabetes,鈥� explained John Kopchick, Ph.D., Goll-Ohio Eminent Scholar, distinguished professor of molecular biology and principal investigator on the grant.

Although Kopchick is leading the program, Elizabeth Beverly, Ph.D., Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Endowed Professor in Behavioral Diabetes, Kevin Lee, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology, and Craig Nunemaker, Ph.D., associate professor with a focus in diabetes, are also assisting in various ways as co-investigators.  

The goal of the program is to train undergraduate students in diabetes research and encourage them to apply to graduate and/or medical school and ultimately earn a degree in which diabetes research is a significant segment of their career.  

Beverly said the investigators are interested in recruiting first-generation, Appalachian students.

鈥淭here is a high rate of diabetes and related complications in Appalachia, so the more research that can be done in this area and the more information that comes from researchers located in and originally from the region will only benefit the community here,鈥� Beverly said.

Kopchick, who is originally from Appalachian Penn