Every year a new group of INBRE scholars comes to UNMC, Creighton University Medical Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to learn about biomedical research.
This year brings an eclectic mix of students including a 15-year-old who is the youngest ever to enter the program, a psychology major who would like to be a dentist, and an expectant mother.
The Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program is overseen by James Turpen, Ph.D., professor of genetics, cell biology and anatomy at UNMC. Dr. Turpen is the principal investigator of the $17.2 million National Institutes of Health grant that funds the program.
Established in 2001, the INBRE scholars program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research and build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions.
The students, referred to as INBRE scholars, enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation by their college professors. They come from nine undergraduate institutions and two community colleges – UNL, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Creighton, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Doane College, Chadron State College, Wayne State College, College of St. Mary, Western Nebraska Community College and Little Priest Tribal College.
Each undergraduate school nominates approximately three students a year for the program. Once in the program, the students are given two-year scholarships worth $11,000. The scholarship provides students with $2,500 during each of their next two undergraduate years and $3,000 during each of their next two summers. During the school year, the students conduct research on their home campuses. During the summer, the students have the option of staying on their home campus or coming to UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Creighton University to conduct research.
The students’ last day in the lab is July 31. On Aug. 3-6 they will give oral and poster presentations of their work at the annual INBRE meeting in Grand Island.
For more information on the INBRE/BRIN programs, contact Dr. Turpen at (402) 559-4399, jturpen@unmc.edu.
Below is a listing of all the students, their hometowns and the schools they attend.
Bellevue: Emali Chaidez and Chelsea Dean, College of St. Mary’s.
Chadron: Katie Score, Chadron State College
Crete: Kelsey Bryant and Crystal Vander Zanden, Doane College
Kearney: Audra Kennedy, Brandon Mizner and Marcelle Strydom, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Laurel: Ian Engebretsen, Wayne State College
Lincoln: Kara Maddox, Ashley Urbach and Alex Vogel, Nebraska Wesleyan University; Catherine Sargus, Maxine White and Reed Stubbendieck, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Mondamin: Karen Holly, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha: Douglas Deever, Andrew Kavan, Mallory McGinnis, Evelyn Pham, Creighton University; Brandon Boyd, Gillian Cromwell, Emily Harrison, Dhononjay Nawandar, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Papillion: Megan Newcomb, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Wilber: Jacob Francis, Doane College
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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