Brendan Stapley
Second-Year Medical Student at Washington University School of Medicine
Through the BYU Summer Premedical Research Internship program, I had the opportunity to intern in Dr. Ken Solt's lab in Massachusetts General Hospital during summer 2022. We worked on investigating neural mechanisms of cognitive recovery after anesthesia, a field I was very excited to get more exposure to. I was surrounded by people who were incredibly supportive of my learning and worked to ensure a great environment in the lab, including Dr. Solt, postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Kathleen Vincent, physician-scientist Dr. Michael Fettiplace, and Emma Dillon, another SPRI student. I got lots of hands-on experience working throughout all the parts of the lab with techniques including anesthetic procedures, chemogenetics, histology, fluorescence microscopy, and more. More broadly, I also increased my understanding of all the steps required to take a research project from an idea, to strategic plans, to execution, and to dissemination. Between working in the lab, having celebratory lab lunches on the Boston waterfront, meeting other amazing interns, shadowing at Mass General, and exploring a new city, I had a very meaningful and genuinely fun summer.Through the BYU Summer Premedical Research Internship program, I had the opportunity to intern in Dr. Ken Solt's lab in Massachusetts General Hospital during summer 2022. We worked on investigating neural mechanisms of cognitive recovery after anesthesia, a field I was very excited to get more exposure to. I was surrounded by people who were incredibly supportive of my learning and worked to ensure a great environment in the lab, including Dr. Solt, postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Kathleen Vincent, physician-scientist Dr. Michael Fettiplace, and Emma Dillon, another SPRI student. I got lots of hands-on experience working throughout all the parts of the lab with techniques including anesthetic procedures, chemogenetics, histology, fluorescence microscopy, and more. More broadly, I also increased my understanding of all the steps required to take a research project from an idea, to strategic plans, to execution, and to dissemination. Between working in the lab, having celebratory lab lunches on the Boston waterfront, meeting other amazing interns, shadowing at Mass General, and exploring a new city, I had a very meaningful and genuinely fun summer.
"My experience in the Solt Lab laid the groundwork for me to continue making research contributions elsewhere, including the lab group I was already a part of at BYU. It also formed a very important part of my application to medical school. Three years later, I am beginning my second year at Washington University School of Medicine, where I am engaged in research with the anesthesiology department. I am grateful for the incredible opportunity afforded to me by the Summer Premedical Research Internship and for the ways in which it continues to inform my career pursuits today."