A mentorship program in the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is helping students at multiple stages of their academic journeys gain research experience and develop skills that can shape future careers in medicine and science.
Led by Rebecca Arend, M.D., MPH, associate professor and physician scientist in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Postdoctoral Fellow Dhruva Dave, MBBS, the summer research mentorship program trained 13 students across three educational levels — high school, undergraduate and medical school — during the summers of 2025 and 2026.
The seven-week program combined chalk talks, research bootcamp sessions, and individualized mentorship. Dave worked closely with each student throughout the research process, guiding them from developing initial research questions through data abstraction, analysis and final presentations.
High school student Danielle George participated in the program across both summers, continuing her research project and presenting her work at multiple scientific symposia, including the International Science and Engineering Fair. She also earned awards at several regional and state science fairs.
Undergraduate participants also achieved recognition for their research projects. Paxton Gillespie and Lela Knight, who participated in the 2025 program, earned first-place awards at the UAB Expo and CRISP symposiums. In 2026, Lily Thompson earned second place in the oral presentation category and Avery Darley earned first place in the poster category at the UAB Expo.
Five first-year UAB medical students participated in the program, including Isabella Baker and Valentine Suarez in 2025, and Camelle Calhoeun, Carolyn Truong and Alex Meyer in 2026. The students presented their research through both poster and oral presentations at the UAB Medical Student Summer Research Program ENRiCH Symposium.
The program also welcomed visiting medical student Jhilam Dasgupta from the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Mississippi. Dasgupta completed research through the program and presented her work at her institution’s summer symposium.
